Tags
Cesar Prandelli, Cesc Fabregas, Euro 2012 Final, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Mario Balotelli, Vicente Del Bosque
Three Keys On the Final Match:
• Before the tournament Italy manager Cesar Prandelli was criticized for selecting Mario Balotelli to the team. He’s proved the doubters wrong. Balotelli has had a wonderful and is not the distraction many thought he would be. A goal in the final would give him four for the tournament and the golden boot. Spain must stop Balotelli if they want to win.
• Spain has experimented with different players at the traditional striker formation. Cesc Fabregas was most successful even though he’s a midfielder. That Spain lineup allows more interchanging and different players to make runs into the box. Expect Vicente Del Bosque to stay with this and possibly bring Fernando Torres on at some point in the second half.
• Every champion needs a hot goalie and Gianligui Buffon and Iker Casillas have been at the back of the two stingiest defenses in the tournament. Buffon has been called on to make harder saves than Casillas so far but he will also need to be on point. Consider this specific matchup a draw.
Spain is the favorite but Italy is the hotter team. Expect a dogfight that could definitely go into extra time.
Projected Italy Lineup:
Projected Spain Lineup:
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