Spain v Italy

Jun 22 2008 Mark Guidi

LAST time Spain beat Italy in a competitive game was in 1920 - and the omens stack up against them ending their jinx today.

They face the Italians in the Euro 2008 quarter-final - but June 22nd has not been kind to them in the past.

Incredibly, they have suffered THREE penalty-shoot defeats, all in the last eight of major competitions, on this date.

Defeats against Belgium at the 1986 World Cup, England 10 years later at the Euro Finals and at World Cup 2002 against South Korea, were all suffered on this day in June.

But with Fernando Torres in the team the Spanish must feel they can end this hoodoo and a long run of defeats to Italy.

The Liverpool hitman has a great record against the Italians. He scored against them in the Under-16 European Finals in 2001when Spain knocked themout at the quarter-final stage.

He also put one in the net on his international debut against Italy in Genoa in 2004.

He was part of the Liverpool side that knocked out Marco Materazzi's Inter Milan in last season's Champions League.

And Torres played in Spain's 1-0 win against Roberto Donadoni's side in a friendly last March in Elche.

Torres certainly feels the Spaniards will emerge victorious today and said: "I'm not scared of Italy. Their history means nothing to us.

"It is not a fluke that they keep winning major tournaments. However, they do seem to carry luck in this competition.

"But I always play well against them. My style is admired and feared in Italy.

"However, they are a strategic team and we must not let them suck us in then hit on the counter-attack.

"I'm convinced we'll put them out. We've been playing brilliant football and winning impressively."

Defiant Spain coach Luis Aragones has told his side to believe they can beat their bogey team in their quest for the semi finals.

He is convinced his star-studded squad can finally end their drought against the Azzurri if they win the mental battle with Roberto Donadoni's men.

Aragones said: "We are going to play a national team which, if you take a look at all the trophies they have won and the power of their squad, could make things very complicated for us.

"So what I want from my men, from now until the end of the match, is complete and utter conviction that we are going to win.

"Any side that wants to defeat Italy requires self-confidence.

"Given all my years in football I know one thing for sure - the guy who goes out totally convinced that he's going to win is more likely to play positively.

"If one guy has negative vibes then the whole group can suffer.

"A national coach's job is technical and tactical but sometimes it's also psychological."

Spain will be boosted by the absence of two of Donadoni's key men - suspended duo Rino Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo.

But Aragones (right) played down the fact Italy will be weakened.

He claims it's HIS squad who boast the most talented individuals in the world.

Luis said: "Gattuso's a good worker but if he's a reference point for the Italian team, I'm a priest!

"Pirlo should be a loss to them in a creative sense but Italy are a great team, not a collection of individual players.

"There is a debate around this game having the two best goalkeepers in the world but I'd say that Iker Casillas is out on his own ahead of Gianluigi Buffon.

"That also goes for Sergio Ramos, David Villa, Andres Iniesta - them and the rest of my group are the best players in the world to me.

"I'm their coach and I must believe that." Rumours are rife of rifts in the Spanish camp ahead of the crunch tie with the Italians - something which has hindered them in the past.

Like the Dutch, they've been known to self-combust at major tournaments and news of a bust-up between Aragones and Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos didn't surprise anyone.

But the 69-year-old boss played down the spat and insisted harmony in the camp is fine.

Aragones said: "We were talking about the themes of the team and Sergio expressed his opinion.

"There is an extraordinary atmosphere inside the changing room.

"When there is no news the media talk about things that have no importance."