Euro 2012 Schedule: Spain vs Italy in Sunday's Final Match
Italy will face reigning champion Spain at the Euro 2012 finals in Kyiv on Sunday at 2:45 p.m. EST.
The teams played against each other at the Euro 2012 opening match for Group C on June 10 ending with a 1-1 tie. The match averaged more viewers than any match in the Euro 2008 championship except the final, according to ESPN figures.
That year, Spain took the Euro 2008 title defeating Germany 1-0 and two years ago it won the World Cup in South Africa.
If Spain wins Sunday it will make history since no country has won in the Euro championship twice in succession, according to the UEFA and its even been 36 years since the previous occasion the holders even made it as far as the final.
Both teams have won Euro championships Spain also won the Euro 1964 and Italy won the Euro 1968.
All eyes will be in Italy's striker Mario Balotelli who must be stopped if Spain wants to win.
"I really liked the way he played and he will be, of course, a threat as well as (Antonio) Cassano or any other forward who plays with Italy," Spain's Cesc Fabregas said in a media conference in Kiev today, according to Reuters.
As for Italy, the team will try to take advantage on Spain's weaknesses.
"We will look for Spain's weak points and work on those areas, even if it won't be easy because they are the world and European champions and here they are in the final again," Italy's coach Cesare Prandeli said today.
"That shows their qualities aren't just in terms of technique but also on the level of morale and character. They are a reference point in many different ways but we have also improved with time," he added.
ESPN and ESPN2 will air a 30-minute pregame show in the final featuring Spain and Italy walking onto the pitch, the national anthems and ceremonial handshakes as well as all symbolic traditions of signature international soccer competitions.
ESPN3 will begin live streaming the final at 2:30 p.m. EST in English and Spanish. The match can be viewed online Sunday at: ESPN3 LIVE STREAM.
ESPN Deportes Radio will present one-hour pre-game special editions of Jorge Ramos y su Banda.
