Spain versus Italy *official* match day thread

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Expected lineup for Barce....Spain.

Spain's rumored starting XI

Casillas; Arbeloa, Piqué, Ramos, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Alonso, Xavi; Silva, Iniesta & Cesc Fábregas

No strikers. Don't need strikers. We'll just pass it around by line to by line and complain about anti-football when Italy win 1 nil.

 

[kevo]

Should be a cracking game this


(0-0 bore draw then...)

 

[Goring Gull]

0-0 written all over it, Italy to be typically defensive, so 11 behind the ball for 90 mins whilst spain pas it round and around and across teh box hundreds of times trying to get that one pass that will unlock fort Italia.

Ireland v Croatia should be a cracker as both teams really need to win that one.

 

[Tony Towner's Fridge]

Had a £5 bet on Busquets to score at any time at a massive 39-1 on Betfair. They then announced the team on ITV and he is down to 20-1.

Looking forward to this one, should be a low scorer i think?

TNBA

TTF

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

LINE-UPS Spain v Italy (17:00 BST)

Spain: Casillas, Arbeloa, Pique, Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Busquets, Alonso, Silva, Fabregas, Iniesta. Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Javi Martinez, Juanfran, Pedro, Torres, Negredo, Mata, Llorente, Santi Cazorla, Jesus Navas, Reina.

Italy: Buffon, Chiellini, De Rossi, Bonucci, Giaccherni, Marchisio, Pirlo, Thiago Motta, Maggio, Cassano, Balotelli. Subs: Sirigu, Ogbonna Obienza, Balzaretti, Abate, Di Natale, Barzagli, Borini, Montolivo, Giovinco, Diamanti, Nocerino, De Sanctis.

Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

 

[SeagullSongs]

Hoping for a draw with Fabregas and/or Xabi scoring.

 

[Frutos]

I'm hoping for an Iniesta hat-trick and a Spanish clean sheet.

 

[HoveSaint]

Italy will pinch this one 2-1.

 

[Sarisbury Seagull]

I love Spain and the way they play. I'm surprised how many people have written them off before this tournament, I fully expect them to crush Italy today.

 

[kevo]

Best thing that could happen is if Spain score an early goal, then Italy might venture over the half-way line.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

Would have liked to have seen Llorente in there instead of fabregas to be honest. Cannot believe the Spanish left soldado out their squad. He's better than negredo and has had a better season than Torres!

Would also have liked to have seen Iniesta in the middle instead of busquets or alonso with Pedro playing on the left.

On that note come on italy!

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

It's a bad team for Spain IMO would have been good to see Torres play.

 

[TheBlueAndWhiteStrips]

Martinez shirt is ugly.

 

[Icy Gull]

Come on Spain, but I am expecting loads of imaginary snipers in the stands for this game as both teams have players going down like they've been shot

 

[Frutos]

Martinez shirt is ugly.

Indeed.

He's had a shocker there.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I hope Spain's strikerless formation fails. In the quest to pass the ball constantly, they've stopped playing football and I don't like it. They've gone too far.

 

[Deleted member 18477]

Passionate singing from the Italians there!

I guess the Spanish national anthem has no words at all...

 

[ExmouthExile]

First of the 'heavyweights' says Adrian Chiles .... so what does that make Holland and Germany?

 

[HoveSaint]

If Chelski can beat Bar-pain with 10 men then the Italians should be able to

 

[Frutos]

First of the 'heavyweights' says Adrian Chiles .... so what does that make Holland and Germany?

I thought he meant the first game between two heavyweights - Holland and Germany didn't play each other.