To print
Spain comes to the key match of this Eurocup group stage in a dream situation: group leader after beating Slovenia and with Italy on the brink after their draw against the Czech Republic in the first match. To this we must add that the Italians saw two reds in their premiere and one of them was for Tonali, its great star and on whom the whole collective game revolves (follow the game live on As.com).
They arrive in opposite situations: La Rojita full of morale and the Azzurri mired in doubts and with casualties. But Italy is always Italy. To put the players on alert, De la Fuente has it easy: in 2019 they fell 3-1 in a trap that could leave Spain out of a tournament that they ended up winning. That thirst for revenge drives those of De la Fuente, although the main motivation is that a new victory leaves the Spaniards mathematically classified for the quarterfinals. They could even leave the first place almost sealed depending on the result of the other match.
De la Fuente will be on edge until the last minute for Brahim. He dragged a stomp that he received in the last match with Milan (against Fiorentina), he played the first match of the Eurocup undercover and has not trained with the group since then. It is a special game for him, he will force himself to arrive and the coach will wait for him, but they will decide in the activation session today in the morning. Who is 100% is Zubimendi, who had to be replaced against Slovenia.
The coach finished very satisfied in the premiere, although his level of demand is maximum and slight adjustments are expected in the eleven. Pozo and Dani Gómez aim to be two of the novelties and Mingueza also has options, since the coach did not like some defensive oversights.
The Italians, for their part, bet on a defense of three centrals with two lanes. Without Tonali, they trust everything to the gunpowder that they have above: Cutrone and Scamacca are two extremely dangerous forwards and they showed it against the Czechs, with a goal from the second to a pass from the first.
Keys
Mobility: The constant position changes of Spain's attacking players will be essential to disorient the three Italian centrals.
Aerial balls: La Rojita suffered a lot against Slovenia in the set pieces and in the lateral centers. You must improve your reliability behind against rivals like Italy.
Side: The rises of the two wingers are necessary to create superiority on the wing and force the help of the centrals to the lanes.
Need: Italy can only win and the draw is good for Spain. Those of De la Fuente must play with the rival's anxiety when the minutes pass.
Aces to follow
Gonzalo Villar: He was the MVP against Slovenia and he comes to this match especially motivated because he plays in Italy and knows the rivals.
Cutrone: The Valencia forward has hardly had a chance in Spain and he knows that today's game is a showcase for him.