Football: Soccer-Spain ready ‘to get muddy’ in Euro battle with Italy, says de la Fuente

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Reuters) – Defending champions Italy may have won their Euro 2024 opener against Albania with an unexpectedly attacking style of football, but Spain – their opponents on Thursday – are unfazed, says manager Luis de la Fuente.

He made it clear his side are not preparing to face a finesse squad, however, and are instead getting ready for something more akin to a pitched battle.

“We are prepared to get muddy, to dig deep in a quarry and for a day in the office. Ready for everything,” de la Fuente told a press conference on Wednesday.

“We know what kind of football they play and how competitive they are, so we won’t be surprised. I expect a strong, aggressive Italy who will try to control possession.

“It is the most important match in the group stage. We play every game to win and I wouldn’t know how to plan a match not to.”

After thrashing Croatia 3-0 in their opener, Spain share the Group B lead with Italy and if one side comes out on top on Thursday they would be through to the round of 16 as group winners. Croatia and Albania are bottom with one point apiece after they drew 1-1 on Wednesday.

The Spain-Italy rivalry goes a long way back as no two countries have met more often at Euro tournaments, with Thursday’s match being the eighth time since 1960 that they have squared off.

As they prepare to clash in the fifth edition of the tournament in a row, De la Fuente acknowledged that his side are also playing a different style of football in Germany from what fans have come to expect.

With a faster, more direct approach than the possession-based “tiki-taka” style that saw them crowned European champions in 2008 and 2012 as well as World Cup winners in 2010, De la Fuente believes the 2024 version of both teams are very similar in the way they play.

“We are much alike, they are also a team that are still under development, with a lot of young players and a new coach, very competitive in their approach… When I see them it’s like looking at ourselves in the mirror,” De la Fuente said.

“They are a team on the rise with a very good collective mindset. It will be a very balanced match between two traditional sides. It’s a football classic, a clash that could easily be a Euro or World Cup final.”

While not wanting to reveal his lineup, De la Fuente said midfielder Rodri and captain Alvaro Morata, who picked up injuries against Croatia, are “in perfect condition and ready to play against Italy.”

(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Hugh Lawson)