Once again Italy and Spain will come face to face in Euro 2012. Today, though, the stakes are higher. The phony war is over. Glory awaits the victor, desolation the loser.
Italy have undoubtedly been the story of the tournament thus far. They made it out of their group with relative ease, but it has been their performances against England and Germany which have really caught the eye.
Despite England taking them to penalties, Italy were obviously the better side, whilst they outplayed the much vaunted and overconfident Germany side.
Super Mario grabbed most of the headlines after his brace against the Germans and he will be the main threat for Italy today, but the star of the Italy show and indeed this tournament is clearly the ageless Andrea Pirlo.
He has been like an American Football quarterback directing proceedings in a cool and calculated manner. The general of the Italian team. Spain too possess their own midfield maestro however.
In Xavi they have their own superb conductor of the orchestra. More importantly he is surrounded by an outstanding choir. Iniesta has been as incisive and clinical as ever. Cesc Fabregas, who will certainly see some action today, has been in excellent form whilst Xabi Alonso has been one of the most impressive midfielders in the tournament, emphasised by his own brace against France.
Spain have been accused of being boring in the tournament so far. It is an unfair tag seeing as most teams park the bus against them. So it will be interesting to see how Italy approach this match. Cesare Prandelli has been a breath of fresh air for Italian football. They have played atypically positive football for an Italian side.
They have undoubted quality in their ranks and there is no reason why they can't play an expansive brand of football. Yet I don't think any team in the world can simply go toe to toe in a footballing contest with this Spain side. They have simply too much quality and are ruthless when an opening presents itself.
I also think they will put Pirlo under far much pressure than he has been put under in the previous knockout games. He will still have an influence on the final, but perhaps not as pronounced as many might expect. Italy must have something special up their sleeves if they are to be victorious.
Many might suggest that the weight of history and so many miles on the clock may hinder the Spanish effort. Nevertheless I would still expect them to have too much quality and seal a historic and remarkable three in a row of major international tournaments which will seal their legacy as one of the greatest international teams of all time. The opposition however will go down fighting and die with their boots on. An enthralling final awaits.
Prediction: Spain 2-1 Italy
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