Italy

Since the 2008 edition, a meeting between these two giants in the European Championships has become almost customary. Whilst the Spaniards had the upper hand in 2008 and 2012, the Italians avenged themselves in 2016. So who will come out on top this time around? Based on the general performances displayed by both teams so far in the tournament, the Azzurri seem to be in a far better shape than their opponents. Roberto Mancini’s men won all of their five encounters in the competition – although they needed extra-time to overcome Austria – and maintained their historic run of 15 wins in a row, and they remain unbeaten in their last 32 matches. On the other hand, La Furia Roja are yet to showcase their full potential, and out of their five fixtures en route to the semi finals, they only won a single match at Euro 2020 within the 90 minutes. Moreover, the passion and determination displayed by the Azzurri (or simply put; the Grinta), has arguably been their biggest weapon. Italy (4-3-3) : Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simón; Azpilicueta, García, Laporte, Alba; Koke, Busquets, Pedri; Moreno, Morata, Olmo Prediction: Italy emerge victorious from a back-and-forth battle