Group B rivals Spain and Italy will square off in one of the most highly-anticipated matches of the 2024 European Championship (EURO 2024) on Thursday (June 20), knowing a win will carry them through to the Round of 16. Continue reading to learn all the key pre-match details about the mega brawl on Matchday 2.
UEFA EURO 2024: Spain vs Italy – Where To Watch The Game In US
Jose de la Fuente’s Spain and Luciano Spalletti’s Italy will lock horns at the Veltins Arena on Thursday night. The game will kick off at 9 PM local time (CET) / 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT. EURO 2024 followers in the United States can watch the game live on TV on FOX. They can also stream the match on ViX, Fubo, and Sling TV.
Spain vs Italy: Preview
What Happened on Matchday 1
Spain kicked off the proceedings in Group B with a mouth-watering encounter against 2018 FIFA World Cup finalists Croatia on Saturday (June 15). La Roja dominated the game from the first blast of the whistle to the last, claiming a comfortable 3-0 victory. Captain Alvaro Morata opened the scoring for Spain in the 29th minute before Fabian Ruiz (32′) and Daniel Carvajal (45+2′) put the game to bed.
Later on Saturday, defending European Champions Italy took on Albania. Although they conceded the fastest goal in EURO history through Nedim Bajrami (23 seconds), they regained their composure and bounced back with a 2-1 victory. Alessandro Bastoni (11′) and Nicolo Barella (16′) were the goalscorers for Azzurri.
Team News
Spain stars Rodri and Alvaro Morata picked up knocks in the win over Croatia, with neither managing to play the entire game. However, their setbacks seem temporary, meaning De la Fuente should have his first-choice XI back in action on Thursday.
Italy, meanwhile, ended the game against Albania without any scares. So, Spalletti, too, can pick his best XI for the Matchday 2 showdown.
Head-To-Head
Spain and Italy have a storied rivalry, with the two European heavyweights meeting as many as 40 times over the years. Two-time European Champions Spain have the lead in the head-to-head statistics, having claimed 13 wins and suffering 11 defeats. Sixteen games have ended without a victory for either team.
Spain and Italy’s last meeting in the competition came in the semifinal of EURO 2020. The game ended 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes, with Italy clinching the victory on penalties.
Spain vs Italy: Prediction
Thanks to their superior goal difference, Spain are currently sitting at the top of the Group B rankings. Meanwhile, Italy are second, as Croatia and Albania are level on one point after playing two games. A win for either Spain or Italy will take them to the Round of 16, so they will be eager to take their chances. On the other hand, they will also be cautious not to push too hard, as a defeat would put them under pressure on Matchday 3.
Keeping the permutations and combinations in mind, we are backing the two heavyweights to end up in another stalemate. We believe the match between Spain and Italy will end in a 2-2 draw on Thursday.
