Two UEFA Euro 2016 heavyweights collide on Monday, as Italy take on defending champions Spain at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, for a place in the quarter-finals.

Spain came through Group D as runners-up after a final-round defeat to Croatia, while Italy topped Group E at the expense of Belgium.

The prize—or punishment, arguably—for the victors in Paris is a last-eight meeting with Germany, who thrashed Slovakia 3-0 in Lille on Sunday evening.

 

Date: Monday June 27

Time: 12 p.m. ET/5 p.m. BST

Venue: Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris

TV Info: ESPN 2 (U.S.)/BBC One (U.K.)

Live Stream: ESPN Go (U.S.)/BBC iPlayer (U.K.)

 

When two of the biggest footballing nations collide, you can always expect a fiery and tight encounter, and Monday’s meeting is no different.

According to Oddschecker, Spain are the favourites to win the match, with odds of 21-20, while Italy are 16-5. The odds for a draw after 90 minutes are short, at 2-1.

Spain kicked off Euro 2016 looking like a side capable of going all the way, with impressive displays against the Czech Republic and Turkey.

However, the 2-1 defeat to Croatia to round off the group stage has pundits wondering whether the Spanish have what it takes to win three European Championships on the spin.

If they do find a way past Italy, they’ll likely need to break down a solid back line. Fortunately, they have a striker in form who’s more than up to the task.

Alvaro Morata has scored three goals in the competition so far, including a brace against Turkey, and he’s 4-1 to score first against the Italians.

And according to Azzurri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, that could be a wise bet, as he recognised just how dangerous Morata is, via Italy’s official Twitter account:

Antonio Conte’s men, meanwhile, will look to catch Spain on the break, with the pace of Eder likely to cause plenty of problems. The Inter Milan star is 9-1 to break the deadlock in Saint-Denis.

Both sides have a wealth of attacking talent at their disposal, which means there could be plenty of goals. Even though Italy haven’t been involved in a high-scoring game at Euro 2016 yet, both teams to score in 90 minutes is a tempting 11-8.

In fact, the Italians come into Monday’s clash off the back of a defeat at the hands of the Republic of Ireland and have scored just three goals in the tournament.

Conte named a heavily changed side against the Irish, though, and their odds of 6-4 to qualify for the quarter-finals are generous.

The Italians are notoriously stubborn against bigger sides, and they’ll look to frustrate Spain and snatch a winner on the break.

The match going to the lottery of a penalty shootout would favour Italy, and it’s 4-1 to go the distance and give Buffon the chance to be a hero.

It’s all set to be a thrilling encounter at the Stade de France as we reach the business end of Euro 2016.

The big games are coming thick and fast, and the winners of Monday’s clash face another gruelling task against world champions Germany in the last eight.

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