UEFA Nations League 2023: Semi Final 2 - Spain v Italy

Summary

After seeing the first semi-final come down to the wire and 120 minutes of football being played, the second semi-final looks to up the ante.

Spain and Italy will be battling for a spot in the final and a chance at a Trophy.

A rivalry that has spanned decades upon decades, these two have had a prime history of meeting one another not only within Europe, but on the grand ole world stage.

The UEFA Nations League is a biennial international football competition organized by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

It was introduced in 2018 as a replacement for traditional international friendly matches and aims to provide more competitive and meaningful fixtures for national teams.

The main objective of the UEFA Nations League is to improve the quality of national team football in Europe by ensuring that teams of similar strength face each other regularly.

Additionally, it offers an alternative route for teams to qualify for the UEFA European Championship, providing an additional chance for smaller nations to compete on the big stage.

This week we have a huge semi-finals week with four of the world’s best international squads, looking to clinch their spots in the Euro 2024 here on Stake.com!

Spain versus Italy - June 15th

New Coach new Outlook - Spain

Spanish fans have to be feeling a certain type of way after the departure of long-time manager Luis Enrique and his coalition.

The talent of this team is still in-tact and there are multiple reasons to believe that the squad should be well-equipped for whatever should happen in the near future.

Although their veteran players are not getting any younger, players like Ansu Fati and Rodri will be leading the charge for this new era of Spanish football.

Talent in all four big leagues within Europe, they will be drawing upon the best performers of this season to make a push at a International trophy.

There will be possession bossed around by Spain, which is the way they play on the grand scheme of things.

They will look to feed balls in behind if they can, but you will largely see them in this game control tempo and make the right passes.

This has not always worked, though, and we saw a horrific exit in the World Cup against Morocco in penalties.

Combustion Flames – Italy

Italy is a squad that are still off that Euro 2020 vibration, and for good reason.

They have not performed well after that, though, and missing the WC 2022 was just one of the many kickers to Italian football.

Having to endure multiple dramas and horrific gameplay, Italy looks to get back on track with a win against Spain here in the SFs.

This Italian roster might not be the most talented on paper, but they are able to be gritty and decisive when it matters most.

If they can get themselves into some good positions with ability to score, they will be able to put them away.

However, if not, they will be facing a huge uphill task against Spain who is more than happy to keep the ball and let Italy self-destruct in the process.

Betting Prediction - Bet on Spain money line in a tight battle between two countries who are trying to figure out their footballing identity on Stake.com!