Spain and Italy face off today in what will surely be an epic battle for the European championship of 2012. Here are a few juicy tidbits about the match to get you warmed up. Check back later today for a more full-blown tactical preview of the two sides.

• If Spain should win the match, they will be the first side in history to win three consecutive major international tournaments.

• Momentum points to a Spanish victory: the current squad is on a record run of 19 matches without a defeat; they have emerged from their last nine knockout matches without so much as conceding even a single goal.

• History points to an Italian victory: Spain has not defeated the Italians in an official fixture in almost 100 years. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the 1920 olympics to read of a Spanish victory. In their last 11 meetings since then, the record looks like this: 1 win, 5 draws and 5 defeats.

Stats: various Twitter • Images: Gabriel Bouys AFP/Getty [Balotelli] & lanuovasardegna.it [Iniesta]
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