Cesc Fabregas warns “almost every game between Italy and Spain is 50-50,” but shrugs off criticism of their Euro 2016 approach.
The two nations meet again in the Round of 16 on Monday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).
“With Italy it’s always a very complicated match,” Fabregas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“You have competitive players and if we look at the first choices then they have a lot of experience. They are mentally prepared to win an important tournament, as is the Coach Antonio Conte.
Cesc Fabregas warns “almost every game between Italy and Spain is 50-50,” but shrugs off criticism of their Euro 2016 approach.
The two nations meet again in the Round of 16 on Monday at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT).
“With Italy it’s always a very complicated match,” Fabregas told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“You have competitive players and if we look at the first choices then they have a lot of experience. They are mentally prepared to win an important tournament, as is the Coach Antonio Conte.
“In all honesty, it will be very difficult to beat you. Almost every game between Italy and Spain is 50-50, apart from the Euro 2012 Final, which is the only one I remember with a real gap.”
That Final ended 4-0 and remains the high point of Spain’s era under Vicente Del Bosque.
“It’s true, it was the best and most important 90 minutes of football we played. Let’s say we had a lot of fun and normally in a Final it’s never fun.”
Spain had been known as nearly-men for decades before winning Euro 2008 and on the way there beat Italy on penalties in the quarter-final.
“I remember the emotion of stepping on to the field and then even stronger when I saw Antonio Di Natale miss his penalty. I knew I was next up and if I scored, we’d be in the semi-final. What celebrations when it went in. Unforgettable moments.
“Everyone here says that was the moment that changed our football history, that without than none of the last eight years would’ve happened… These are opinions, but there is no doubt it was one of the best moments of my career.
“I was only 21 at the time. I had already played in a Champions League Final, scored against Gigi Buffon at age 18, won a Community Shield, but the national team was my first big moment.”
Spain have been criticised at Euro 2016 for always fielding the same starting XI, as only Iceland have failed to make any changes out of 24 teams.
“That’s irrelevant. We have several days to rest between one game and another, so we are accustomed to playing frequently for our clubs.”
The 2-1 defeat to Croatia, a game Alvaro Morata had broken the deadlock in, saw Spain drop down to the ‘bracket of death’ with Italy, Germany, France and England.
“I had said it was a much more important game than people thought. We are disappointed, certainly, but would’ve ended up against Portugal if we had topped the group and they are not exactly easy opponents either.
“At the end of the day you just have to play and win, without calculations. We’ve overcome important opponents to win the Euros and World Cup before, so it was never an easy path. It’ll be difficult, but we will try.
“After the 2014 World Cup campaign, we struggled a little to win people back, but it’s more or less the same squad. Football is like life: mentality, confidence, mood and thoughts change the way you face and experience events.”