Euro 2024: Spain and Italy taking similar paths as understated contenders vie for title statement

Euro 2024 is not even a week old, but on Thursday night it will have its first truly heavyweight clash as Spain take on Italy.

In the eyes of Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, such is the quality of the two sides that this game would be worthy of being the final in Berlin in three weeks’ time.

That is hard to argue with given that Italy are the reigning champions at this European Championship, while Spain won the Nations League last year.

Both sides are among the contenders to go all the way this summer, but they have not been spoken about with the same gusto as the likes of England, France or even Germany, who made it two wins from two against Hungary on Wednesday.

All that will change if either Italy or Spain win on Thursday night, with a victory allowing them to lay down a marker for their prospects.

It will also book them a spot in the last-16 with a game to spare, although both teams are in a strong position anyway given they each won their opening games and Albania and Croatia are stuck on one point each after drawing on Wednesday afternoon.

Much has changed since Spain and Italy met in the semi-finals of the Euros three years ago, with the latter winning on penalties at Wembley before defeating England - again via spot-kicks - in the final.

Luciano Spalletti was placed in charge of Italy last year after Roberto Mancini resigned, while De La Fuente took the Spain job when Luis Enrique walked away in the wake of the World Cup in Qatar.

The end result is that Thursday night should see two teams that love to attack and have shifted to more a direct approach under their new coaches.

“They’re very similar to us, they have changed coach and they have young players. They are very competitive,” said De La Fuente. “It’s almost like we’re looking in a mirror actually.

“It could be the final of the European Championship or the World Cup.”

Spalletti’s decision to trust in youth means Italy have the sixth-youngest squad in the Euros and De La Fuente has taken a similar approach.

The 62-year-old, who coached Spain’s youth sides before taking the top job, has put his faith in the likes of Lamine Yamal, who will not turn 17 until the day before the final.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente on Italy

He became the youngest player to feature at a Euros when he started the opening match against Croatia and marked the occasion by assisting Spain’s third goal in a 3-0 win.

The Barcelona winger, who is juggling school work while out in Germany, is firmly in the spotlight now - but he is unfazed by it all.

“It doesn’t scare me, I play the same way,” he said. “I try to focus on playing well and I think that in the end it only helps me because when I do something well it will be magnified because of my age, obviously.”