1. Italy vs Spain
Finally, this will be the most interesting game to look forward to during this international break and it is happening tomorrow at Juventus Stadium in Turin. These two giants have five World Cups and four European Championships between them.
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They have met a lot recently and most memorable games include Spain knocking out of Italy in Euro 2008 quarter finals via penalties, then going on to beat them 4-0 to win Euro 2012 and again knocking them out of 2013 Confederations Cup from penalties. However, most recent game between was in 27th of June where Antonio Conte tactically outclassed Vicente Del Bosque to eliminate Spain from Euro 2016.
Conte is no longer the coach of Italy, and Del Bosque had left Spain. The two teams have done the opposite since their recent meeting. Italy had gone on to hire Giampiero Ventura, a 68-year-old man who has never coached outside of his native country while Spain went for a young, energetic coach in Julen Lopetegui. It will be interesting to see what changes they bring to their respective sides, who will be battling for the top spot in Group G.
Italy will most likely depend on their experienced and defensive players such as Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, and Daniele De Rossi. While Spanish newspaper AS reports that Diego Costa is set to start for Spain along with an aggressive winger Vitolo while Koke will form a double pivot in midfield with Sergio Busquets to bring in extra energy and aggression. This will be another tactical battle between the two Mediterranean neighbors and one that fans can’t afford to miss out on.