Venue: Fortaleza
Date: 28 June 2013
Prediction: Italy Exits Brazil
Injuries, weak defence and poor scoring caused Italy to lose its campaign in the Confederations Cup. On the other hand, the all mighty Spain is comfortably looks forward to securing the only international trophy that it lacks.
Spain and Italy will continue their rivalry in the Confederations Cup. After losing the Euro Cup to Spain last year, Gli Azurri seeks revenge. Yet, Italy’s present form foresees a repetition of failing to clinch the coveted silverware.
First off, injuries bogged down Cesar Prandelli’s side. Adding to his list of injured players is the striker Mario Balotelli. Super Mario suffered a thigh injury after a heart-thumping encounter against Brazil.
Prior to Balotelli’s exit, the Italians are already missing the presence of Andrea Pirlo and Ricardo Montelivo. The same thing holds true for Ignazio Abate who dislocated his shoulders early on in the tournament. Although reports say that Pirlo and Montelivo will be seeing action in Fortaleza, this does not guarantee a knock-out performance knowing that Prandelli still has the World Cup qualifiers to think about. Italy’s head honcho might resort to a 3-5-2 formation and El Shaarawy making his debut in the tournament. El Shaarawy’s entry is Prandelli’s way of countering the Spaniard’s invincible defence.
Now talk about Spanish defence, Vicente del Bosque and his men had conceded a single goal in the tournament. Italy conceded four (4) against Brazil—the lowest that the team ever had. This perspective exemplifies Spain’s scoring strength.
Since the Confeds Cup kicked-off, La Roja had already scored fifteen (15) goals. Ten (10) of them was against the minnow, Tahiti. Nevertheless, far more important is the scoring appetite of David Villa, Fernando Torres and Roberto Soldado. Aside from the three, David Silva, Juan Mata, Pedro Rodriguez and Jordi Alba can rip the Italian’s net in the match.
Spain stands as heavy favorites for this match with Asian handicaps already handed over to Italy.
Photo Credits: Zimbio
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