Recently, Spanish midfielder Rodri, who plays for Manchester City, told Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview that Italy is among the candidates for the 2024 European Championship title, although Spain’s strength is evident.
Spain and Italy will face each other in the group stage of Euro 2024, along with Croatia and Albania. Commenting on the group dynamics, Rodri said, “It’s a very tough group. We’ve played against Croatia in both the Euros and the Nations League, and they’re a difficult opponent.”
Three years ago, Italy knocked Spain out of the Euro final, and Rodri is not underestimating the defending champions. He believes Italy remains a strong contender: “We reached the semi-finals in the last Euros, but lost to you on penalties. You went on to win the trophy. A year later, we had our revenge in the Nations League semi-finals. Italy has had its ups and downs in recent years, failing to qualify for the World Cup twice, but also winning the Euros, proving they are still a competitive team. The coach may have changed, but the team’s characteristics and style remain, with a solid defense that must be respected even if they don’t score many goals. I think Italy is one of the candidate teams to win the Euros.”
Turning to his own Spanish team, Rodri thinks the championship should belong to La Roja. He stated, “Maybe we’re not the favorites, but we know what level we can reach. We go to Germany to take another step towards the top. We must give everything like an unknown team, doing more than others. I believe that with this mindset, we can achieve great things, and we know we have the ability to win. We are very strong, and I don’t see many teams stronger than us, so I am confident we can win narrowly.”
Italy is set to play a friendly against Turkey, with Coach Roberto Mancini due to announce the final 26-man squad for the Euros this Thursday. Italy and Spain will meet in the second round of group matches at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen on June 20.