Spain ready 'to get muddy' in Italy clash, says De la Fuente

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany :Defending champions Italy may have won their Euro 2024 opener against Albania with an unexpectedly attacking style of football, but Spain - their opponents on Thursday - are unfazed, says manager Luis de la Fuente.

He made it clear his side are not preparing for game of finesse, however, and are getting ready for something more akin to a pitched battle.

"We are prepared to get muddy, to dig deep in a quarry and for a day in the office. Ready for everything," De la Fuente told a press conference on Wednesday.

"We know what kind of football they play and how competitive they are, so we won't be surprised. I expect a strong, aggressive Italy who will try to control possession. It is the most important match in the group stage."

After thrashing Croatia 3-0, Spain share the Group B lead with Italy and if one side comes out on top on Thursday they would be through to the round of 16 as pool winners. Croatia and Albania are bottom with one point apiece after they drew 2-2 eon Wednesday.

The Spain-Italy rivalry goes a long way back as no two countries have met more often at Euro tournaments, with Thursday's match being the eighth time since 1960 they have squared off.

As they prepare to clash in the fifth edition of the tournament in a row, De la Fuente acknowledged that his side are also playing a different style of football in Germany from what fans have come to expect.

DIRECT APPROACH

With a faster, more direct approach than the possession-based "tiki-taka" style that made them European champions in 2008 and 2012 as well as World Cup winners in 2010, De la Fuente believes the 2024 versions of both teams are very similar in the way they play.

"We are much alike, they are also a team that are still under