Italy and Spain will meet in the UEFA Euro 2020 semifinal round on Tuesday in a fixture that is being regarded by many as the most must-watch match of the tournament so far.
Many are looking forward to what is expected to be a top-class midfield duel that could come in this match. For one, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti may be called upon to take on pressing shifts against Spain’s midfield unit, which includes veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets.
For Busquets, he is well aware of Italy’s keen on-ball prowess, especially from Verratti, which the Spaniard touched on during a press conference on Monday (via TuttoMercatoWeb).
“It will be important to maintain our defensive tempo, which on average is higher than other teams,” Busquets said. “We will try to recover the ball and do high pressing to make Italy have the ball as little as possible.
“They also want possession because they have good players with the ball between their feet, I’m thinking of Jorginho, [Marco] Verratti.”
Verratti last went up against Busquets during this past season’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 tie between PSG and Barca, which was a tie in which the Italian midfielder often found success as a ball-playing midfielder.
Overall, this will be a new challenge for Verratti, especially as he aims to advance to the first major international tournament final of his career.
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