Spain vs Italy
The stage is set for the 2023 UEFA Nations League, with four countries left in the semi-finals. After taking the top spots in Groups 1 to 4 in League A, the Netherlands will take on Croatia, while Spain meet Italy on the other side of the bracket.
Today, we will feature the match between Spain and Italy, who have experience going far in this particular tournament. In the previous edition of this competition in 2021, Spain finished as runners-up behind France, while Italy were in third place.
This is going to be Luis de la Fuente’s third competitive game as the head coach for Spain, and he will take on a grizzled veteran tactician in Roberto Mancini. But despite the gulf of experience between these two managers, the pre-game SBOTOP betting odds predict a tight affair.
Talking Points
De la Fuente under pressure in Spain
Reports from Spain claim that Luis de la Fuente is already close to the sack, despite just two matches with La Roja to date.
De la Fuente was appointed to be Luis Enrique’s successor in December, which took everyone by surprise back then. His two games so far came in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, where he won 3-0 against Norway and lost 2-0, surprisingly, against Scotland.
Because of this sudden development, this match against Italy is going to be treated as a must-win in order to settle the nerves.
There’s a huge possibility that de la Fuente won’t have a full squad, as Juan Bernat and Dani Olmo are listed as doubtful for Thursday.
Both La Roja stars are dealing with muscular issues and are not taking part in the full training sessions. Bernat is likely to pull out of the squad, which will see him replaced by Fran Garcia, while Olmo will stay in the rotation.
This is a big opportunity for Real Madrid’s new signing, as the 23-year-old could take over the starting left-back spot for La Roja.
The injury-prone Bernat had made 11 caps for Spain and scored one goal, while Olmo had already recorded six goals in 30 caps for Spain.
Winning will speed up Italy’s youth project
Since their Euro 2020 triumph, the Azzurri are in the midst of a rebuild after missing out on the World Cup last year, and avenging their loss against Spain in 2021 is a step in the right direction.
Roberto Mancini revealed his new-look squad against England in the Euro 2024 qualifiers but lost. However, they bounced back with a 2-0 win over Malta in the next game.
Italy may have found a new striker in Mateo Retegui, as the 24-year-old scored in both of his first two games for the national team. He has played well for Tigre in the Argentine Primeira Division this season, and teams such as Inter Milan are already lining up for his signature this summer.
Other than Retegui, Italy have a few more youngsters to look out for on Thursday, namely Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sandro Tonali, Wilfried Gnonto, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giorgio Scalvini.
History
Thursday marks the first meeting between Spain and Italy in two years. In their 39 competitive matches before this game, Spain had won 12 times, while Italy had won 11 times, along with 16 draws.
They last faced off in the 2021 UEFA Nations League semi-finals, where Spain defeated Italy at San Siro with a score of 2-1 to end Italy’s world-record 37-game undefeated streak, as Ferran Torres recorded a brace while Lorenzo Pellegrini scored a consolation goal late.
That was the Azzurri’s first competitive loss at home since 1999.
They also met in the semi-finals of Euro 2020, which was also held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The match was level at 1-1 in regular time, but Italy came away with the win (and eventually the title) after beating Spain 4-2 in the penalty shootout.
Betting Tip
Spain were given the edge in the UEFA Nations League 2023 odds to advance on Thursday. La Roja were priced to win at 2.20, while Italy aren’t far behind at 3.15, and a draw is at 3.05 in the 1×2 market.
Given that these two sides are evenly matched on paper, this semi-final tiff could go either way. Instead, we’ll be looking at the possible goal count for this contest, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.85 is your best bet.
Basically, football fans should expect to see enough goals that will be included in the UEFA Nations League 2023 highlights reel.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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