Spain and Italy will face off in arguably the most exciting friendly of the day.
The two rivals are well-acquainted and have played three draws in their last five games. Both teams are considered contenders at the upcoming World Cup, making the match all the more interesting.
History
The Italians and Spaniards have faced off a total of 29 times. Italy has won eight, Spain has won 10 and the sides have drawn 11 times. Italy has only won once in the last nine matches; that victory came on Aug. 10, 2011. While Spain has been credited with three wins in their last five matches, two of those victories came in shootouts. The first shootout was in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals while the second came last summer in the Confederations Cup semifinals.
The other victory in this run is undisputable as Spain destroyed Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 championship.
Spain's Situation
La Furia Roja has seen better times since defeating Italy 4-0 back in 2012. The team lost the 2013 Confederations Cup, struggled in World Cup qualifiers (despite winning their group) and is coming off two mediocre performances in friendlies against Equatorial Guinea and South Africa. Against Guinea, Spain managed a meager 2-1 win but against South Africa the team actually lost 1-0.
Spain's offense has been the point of concern as the team has lacked the finishing touch to secure victories with relative ease.
Manager Vicente del Bosque expects that to change starting on Wednesday. He has called up Diego Costa and Alvaro Negredo to lead the offense; Costa has been terrific for Atletico Madrid while Negredo has been efficient for Manchester City.
Spain's squad also includes Thiago Alcantara who has had a stellar year for Bayern Munich and could be a key player for the Spaniards moving forward; he might be the heir to Xavi's spot in the midfield as soon as this summer.
"We cannot consider Thiago a new arrival, he is playing very well for Bayern Munich. They are one of best teams in Europe and he is a starter there," said Del Bosque about Alcantara, according to ESPN.
Defensively the team will be taking a look at Cesar Azpilicueta and Juanfran Torres; Gerard Pique was not called up to the squad.
Italy's Situation
Cesare Prandelli's squad has been rather mediocre in recent weeks. Since clinching a World Cup berth back on Sept. 10 against the Czech Republic, the team has managed four straight draws against Denmark, Armenia, Germany and Nigeria.
The team has been on the rise in recent years, but one must wonder what the direction of the national side is once Andrea Pirlo retires. If healthy, this will be the midfield maestro's final World Cup and there is no ready playmaker waiting in the wings. Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy are dangerous up front, but both have struggled to find their form for AC Milan.
The Italians know how to crowd Spain's space in the midfield, so this should be an interesting match from a tactical standpoint.
Player to Watch
Diego Costa will undoubtedly command the spotlight, whether he wants to or not. People want to see what he can offer Spain offensively; is he finally the forward that Spain has been waiting for? His performance will dictate whether he heads to Brazil this summer.
Watch the game on ESPN 2 or online on ESPN3. Start time is at 4 p.m. EST.
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