Confederations Cup 2013 semi-finals: Top five players to watch out for when Spain face Italy

After brushing aside the group stage fixtures, the world champions will now set their eyes on the next two games as they try to win the only trophy that they have not bagged so far. Spain have not put a foot wrong in this tournament so far, conceding a single goal against Uruguay, which was an individual piece of brilliance from a dead ball situation.

They have hogged all the possession in the games they have played and have eventually dismantled the rigid defences with their patient penetration. The only area for concern is perhaps choosing a no. 9 but they have goals aplenty as Fernando Torres emerged as a potent option with his diving header against Nigeria, coming off the bench.

The semi-final will be a rematch of the Euro 2012 final in which Italy were defeated 4-0 by eventual champions Spain. Interestingly, the U-21 teams of both the nations competed in the final of the European Championships recently.

Italy’s campaign got off to a promising start against Mexico but the Azzurri were handed a tough fight by the Blue Samurai. They were fortunate to come out on the winning side of that match as they would eventually be outplayed by the Brazilian side in the last group fixture.

Italy have a whole host of injuries which have endangered their campaign as star striker Mario Balotelli has been ruled out of the match. Andrea Pirlo is likely to return to the midfield along with Daniele De Rossi, who served a suspension against Brazil after collecting two yellow cards.

Here is a list of five players who will make a difference to the eventual result of the match:

5. Emanuele Giaccherini

The Juventus player scored a stunning goal from a Mario Balotelli pass against Brazil after coming off the bench. He was a nuisance in that game as the usually solid Thiago Silva failed to close him down on many occasions. He was Italy’s greatest threat against Japan as well, as he worked hard to get the ball and made something of it whenever he got it.

With Balotelli ruled out of the match, a part of the midfield will have to take up some goal-scoring responsibility. He should be a part of Cesare Prandelli’s plans against Spain as his pace can give the Spanish defence some trouble.