Davide Frattesi: Italy need a spirited performance to best Spain at Euro 2024

Spain were in top form in their opening fixture of the tournament as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Croatia, reminding the rest of the competition about their unmistakable class.

However, Frattesi believes Italy have a chance of stopping La Furia Roja in their tracks with a spirited performance when they meet in Group B on Thursday.

"There will be more space, but we'll want to keep possession," he said.

"Individually, Spain are better than us, so we have to put the Italian spirit on the pitch.

"We must fight hard because we may struggle if we try to win every one-v-one duel. We'll need our spirit of sacrifice to put in a great performance."

Asked to comment on Spain's impressive performance against Croatia, Frattesi added: "I think that every game must be contextualised.

"When you win 3-0, you don't want to concede and you are not really interested in the ball possession.

"It's a more modern version of Spain. They no longer have those three legends in the middle of the park, so it's a more modern version and I don't know if this is an advantage.

"I think we'll have less possession than against Albania, so we'll surely need to be more focused defensively.

"There will probably be more space because Albania sat back for nearly 90 minutes. We must make the most of the chances we create through our playing style." 

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