FCBARCELONA.CAT

29.06.2008 11:04

3 azulgranas one step away from the title

Berta Brau/Anna Segura

Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta will play in the final of the European Championships for the first time when Spain play Germany in Vienna tonight at 20.45.

The Ernst Hapel stadium in Vienna will host the 2008 European Championships final tonight between Spain and Germany. The winners of the 13th European Champioships will be known around eleven o’clock later tonight.

Physical strength versus technical ability

Tonight will see two completely different styles of play come face to face. While the Germans promote the physical side of the game, Luis Aragones’ side favour technical ability. We could see the Germans lift the trophy for the fourth time while for Spain, a second European title awaits, which would end a drought of 44 years.

Three azulgranas in the final

FC Barcelona players Xavi, Puyol and Iniesta will play in their first European Championships final. The three have been key players throughout the tournament and have contributed to Spain’s unbeaten run to the final. During the last couple of weeks Spain saw off Russia, Sweden and Greece in the group phase, they beat Italy on penalties in the quarter-final and scored a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Russia in the semis.

Germany with problems

While Spain reached the final unbeaten, Germany did so with more difficulty. The Germans finished second in their group behind Croatia. They beat Portugal in the quarter-finals and had it far from easy in beating Turkey in the semis.

Missing

Spain will have to do without the tournament’s top scorer, David Villa, who was injured in the last game. Ex-Barça youth player, Cesc Fàbregas, is expected to replace him. Indeed, Cesc, along with Xavi, Silva, Torres, De la Red and another ex-Barça player Dani Güiza, have been Spain’s goal scorers in the tournament and Spain are, in fact, the tournament’s highest scorers with eleven goals.

For their part, Germany will have to wait till the last minute on Ballack’s fitness despite being able to count on Podolski, Germany’s top scorer,
Sweinsteiger and Klose.