Luis de la Fuente’s impressive Spain side will take on competition holders Italy in the first meeting of two continental giants at Euro 2024.
The match is a replay of the Euro 2020 semi-final, in which the Azzurri won 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
La Roja produced a brilliant display to dismantle Croatia on their way to a 3-0 win in their opening group game. 16-year-old Lamine Yamal grabbed the headlines, with Alvaro Morata and Fabian Ruiz also on the scoresheet to give Spain the lead in Group B.
Italy recovered from conceding the quickest goal in European Championship history against Albania, with Alessandro Bastoni and Nicolo Barella completing a rapid turnaround to give Luciano Spalletti’s side an unconvincing 2-1 win.
Those results have set up a crunch match at the top of Group B, with either side likely to top the group if they can find a winner in Gelsenkirchen on Thursday.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Group B fixture.
When is Denmark v England?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Thursday 20 June at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.
What TV channel is it on?
Spain vs Italy will be shown live on ITV and ITVX, with coverage starting at 7.15pm. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
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What is the team news?
There are no new injury concerns for Spain, despite both Rodri and Morata coming off in the win against Croatia. Given how the team performed, it is unlikely that Luis de la Fuente will opt for any changes to the starting eleven.
Substitutes including Olmo, Oyarzabal and Torres did not produce enough during their cameos to suggest they earned a place in the starting line-up. If there was one area to experiment in, it may be the defence, with Bundesliga-winner Alejandro Grimaldo a viable, more attacking option in place of Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella at left-back. Both Nico Williams and Alvaro Morata did enough to keep their places in the eleven, though Oyarzabal and Joselu will be lurking.
The Azzurri have no fresh injuries either, and a lack of depth means it is likely that Luciano Spalletti will start the same eleven that narrowly beat Albania.
The Italian defence seems set in stone, and there is little alternative to the quality of Barella and Jorginho in midfield. Italy were pedestrian at times in attack against Albania, though Federico Chiesa was impressive and will surely keep his place on the wing. Gianluca Scamacca remains the biggest goal threat, with none of the five subs making a notable impact last week.
Predicted line-ups
Spain: Simon; Carvajal, Nacho, Le Normand, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Morata, Williams.
Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Dimarco; Frattesi, Jorginho, Barella; Chiesa, Scamacca, Pellegrini.
Odds
Spain – 1/1
Draw – 7/4
Italy – 21/10
Prediction
On the evidence of the first game, Spain’s midfield control and attacking verve should be too much for an Italy side who were at times pedestrian against Albania. Spain’s defence were hardly tested in their first match, though Italy’s attack was too often ineffective in their opener. Though Bastoni and Calafiori were impressive against Albania, their chances are a sign that Spain will get plenty of opportunities. Spain 2-1 Italy
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