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On Tuesday, at 22 o'clock Lithuanian time, the first EURO 2020 semi-final will kick off at London's "Wembley" stadium, where Italy and Spain national teams will compete. The portal Eurofootball.com invites you to take a closer look at the upcoming clash of European football giants.
The road to the semi-final
The journey of both teams to the semi-final has been quite different. The Italians had no major struggles in the group stage, winning all three games, and in the last match against Wales, even rotated their lineup significantly. Strangely, the biggest challenge for Italy came in the round of 16, where they beat Austrians only after extra time. In the quarter-finals, Italy confidently dealt with the FIFA ranking leaders Belgium.
Spain's path to the semi-final was more turbulent. In the group stage, they had to play a survival match against Slovakia, and in the round of 16, they narrowly escaped defeat against Croatia. However, Spain managed to show their superiority in extra time. In the quarter-finals, despite struggling, they advanced to the penalty shootout, where Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simon excelled.
Team leaders
In this championship, Italy's leader Leonardo Spinazzola suffered an Achilles tendon injury in the quarter-finals and will spend a long time off the field. Manuel Locatelli shone in this championship but lost his place in the starting lineup after Marco Verratti returned from injury. Sergio Busquets played a crucial role in Spain's victories in this championship.
Match favorites
Italy and Spain met in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2016. Back then, Spain were considered clear favorites, but Italy defied the odds and celebrated a 2-0 victory. This time around, Italy are favored to win, with a 59% chance of reaching the final. However, Spain should not be underestimated, making the outcome unpredictable. Eurofootball.com predicts a 2-0 victory for Italy.
