Roberto Mancini’s Italy are looking to rekindle enthusiasm after their World Cup heartbreak with a win against Spain in the semi-finals of the Nations League.
The match between the Azzurri and la Roja kicks off at 19.45 UK time at De Grolsch Veste – the home of FC Twente – in Enschede, the Netherlands.
Italy were part of League A Group 3 in the group stage of the Nations League, drawing England, Germany and Hungary. Despite the difficulty of the group, Mancini’s side did well and scraped a first place finish with three wins, two draws and a single loss to Germany.
The Azzurri are still looking to reignite love for the national team after their failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Spain also put on a show in their group stage, being assigned to League A Group 2 alongside Portugal, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. They finished with the same record as Italy, losing just once to Switzerland.
Alessandro Bastoni and Domenico Berardi are unavailable for Italy, whilst Spain cannot count on Pedri and Dani Olmo.
Probable line-ups for Spain vs Italy
Spain (4-2-3-1): Kepa; Jesus Navas, Laporte, Le Normand, Jordi Alba; Rodri, Mikel Merino; Asensio, Gavi, Ansu Fati; Morata.
Italy (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Toloi, Acerbi, Spinazzola; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Zaniolo, Immobile, Raspadori.
UPDATE: Italy expected to start with a 3-5-2 formation with Leonardo Bonucci in and Giacomo Raspadori out.