It's about food this time. For Spain, it's paella and Italy being famous for its pasta (and much more, but I can only choose one here). I actually almost tried the paella once (and various types of pasta more than once with spaghetti being like my favourite Italian food). Let's not talk about it.
It's the final quarter-final match. Spain and Italy. Russia will meet the winner of this match in the semi-final. When it was known that Italy will be the opponents, the Spanish media was in horror. Italy has always been their bogey team. For 88 years, Spain has not beaten Italy in a competitive match (the 1920 Olympics was the last time Spain beat Italy). Not even during the World Cup, not even during the European Championships. But then it's not that the two Latin nations never crossed swords before in those tournaments. They did before. But it always ended in heartbreaks for Spain.
Almost in the literal sense in the 1994 World Cup in the USA (the last time the two nations met on a competitive scale). Back then it ended with Spain's Luis Enrique having a broken nose. The Spanish media have not forgotten about it. Spanish sports newspaper Marca republished it again recently. In-form striker David Villa knew about the incident which happened in Boston (he remembered about the broken nose) but he said that the current side just want to win. Will the perennial underachievers (I actually hate to use that for Spain but they had been termed that for as long as I know) be finally able to break the duck? Or wait, Italy are known for being slow starters and peaking at the right time (like they did in their group...managed to sneak in on the final group match).
Whatever it may be, heading into the match in Vienna, Spain are on a roll (being unbeaten for 19 matches now). The world champions Italy suddenly become the underdogs this time. A lot of things come into play in deciding the outcome. Comparing between coaches Luis Aragones (Spain) and Roberto Donadoni (Italy), they are a generation apart (Aragones is almost 70 while Donadoni is still in his 40s and among the youngest coaches in this tournament alongside Holland's Marco van Basten, Croatia's Slaven Bilic, Germany's Joachim Loew). A number of those in the Azzuri do (or used to) play their club football in Spain and they will be using their insider information about Spanish football to give them an advantage over their Spanish colleagues.
While Spain's Fernando Torres had made Italy the favourites, he has no fear over the Azzuri. Italy's Massimo Ambrosini had said that Italy as a united group can end Spain's impressive run in the tournament. Ending the impressive run? Spain fans will know who to point their fingers at if it happens. With so much talent in La Fura Roja (The Fiery Red...the Spanish national team's nickname), it's always puzzling why they never always shine big time and their Italian cousins are actually always at fault. But past failures against Italy is not fazing Spain striker David Villa.
For veteran Italy defender Christian Panucci, he said that he is fit and ready for his fourth successive match in the tournament and ready to shoulder the Italian defensive burden. For his Spanish counterpart Carles Puyol, Spain need near perfection to beat Italy.
When it comes to the Azzuri's striking department, Luca Toni has been firing blanks (except that for one of his attempts, his goal was disallowed) and to add insult to injury, his fellow Bayern Munich teammate Miroslav Klose has broken his goal-scoring duck at the tournament (scoring against Portugal in the quarter-finals for Germany). Given the two Bayern teammates had a personal bet on who will score the most goals in the tournament and now that Klose has one up already, Toni's losing the contest at the moment. According to Klose who messaged Toni what happened, the latter has problems with his 'best friend' - the football.
In the goalkeeping department for both sides, Spain's Iker Casillas said that his countrymen must throw off the hoodoo of going out in the quarter-final stages (as it has been for Spain in recent times...hang on, it's like England too!) while for Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, fear factor is the reason to spur Italy on to beat Spain.
The team news now. Italy defender Andrea Barzagli (who will be playing for Wolfsburg in the new football season) underwent a successful operation on his left knee (don't think he will start though, coach Roberto Donadoni risking him?). Italy coach Roberto Donadoni has given the nod to Alberto Aquilani to be in the Azzuri's starting XI. Italy's Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso are suspended for this one. Over in Spain, nothing serious to report.
For Spain coach Luis Aragones, he is convinced his current side will finally 'break off the shackles of history and shed that particular albatross from around their necks'. The headline is in a sort-of dramatic manner - We're ready to die on the field: Aragones. I am almost 'smelling' a battle royale in Vienna...
