Great Spain move leads to Ferran's second goal
In what is a repeat of last summer's semi-final at the European Championship, Italy and Spain meet again, this time at the Stadio San Siro, in the Final Four of the Nations League. The Azzurri and La Roja will both be keen to win the match and advance to the final, where they will meet either France or Belgium. Stay with us for build-up to Italy vs Spain and then updates from the match itself, which gets underway at 19:45 BST.
Italy vs Spain LIVE SCORE: 0-2
This is the start of our live blog for Italy vs Spain. We'll have build-up and preview news here and then minute-by-minute updates once the ball gets rolling, with the entries nearest the top being the most recent.
HALF TIME: Italy 0-2 Spain
Italy look down and out going into the half-time break, as they are two goals down and a man down, following Leonardo Bonucci's sending off. Ferran Torres has scored both of Spain's goals and looks dangerous whenever La Roja go on the attack, while Mikel Oyarzabal is causing all sorts of problems for the Azzurri's defence. Marcos Alonso has been really impressive at left-back, too. It's hard to imagine Italy coming back into this based off that first-half performance.
Minute 45+1: GOAL FOR SPAIN!
Ferran Torres has got his name on the scoresheet once again after an excellent Spain move. Alonso played a cross in for Sarabia, with the No.22 cushioning it off for Oyarzabal, who dinked a cross towards the back post for Ferran to then head back across goal and into the back of the net. Italy 0-2 Spain.
Minute 45: Azpilicueta booked
Cesar Azpilicueta has been shown a yellow card after bodychecking Emerson Palmieri, who he knows well from their time together at Chelsea.
Minute 41: Bonucci sent off!
Leonardo Bonucci, who was already on a booking, has been shown a second yellow card after leading with his arm and elbowing Sergio Busquets in the face. Italy are down to 10 men.
Minute 35: Insigne misses chance to equalise
Insigne had acres of space in the middle of the box and was picked out by Chiesa, but he fired his shot wide of the goal. It looked harder to miss. Big opportunity missed by Italy.
Minute 34: Bernardeschi almost scores
Bernadeschi came in from the right-hand side of the box, using Chiesa as a decoy, and fired a left-footed shot towards the bottom right corner of Unai Simon's goal, but the Spain goalkeeper got down well to save it.
Minute 33: Marcos Alonso to the rescue
A quick one-two between Chiesa and Verratti led to the Juventus forward bearing down on goal and looking as though he was going to be one on one with Unai Simon, but Marcos Alonso turned on the afterburners and managed to get there first to quell any danger.
Minute 27: Italy with a rare attack
Italy have looked toothless since Ferran's goal for Spain, yet from a rare attack they were able to earn a corner. Di Lorenzo then ran to the near post and made a good contact with the cross, but he saw his header go comfortably wide.
Minute 23: Marcos Alonso impressing
Marcos Alonso's place in the Spain squad - let alone the starting line-up - seemed a little strange, but he has been terrific so far tonight. Whenever he pushes forward he is causing problems for Italy.
Minute 19: Donnarumma fumbles the ball
Marcos Alonso's shot was fumbled by Donnarumma onto the post and then Bonucci cleared it from under the crossbar and behind for a corner. The boos for Donnarumma, which haven't quietened down, could be part of the reason behind his lapse in concentration there.
Minute 17: GOAL FOR SPAIN!
Ferran Torres has given Spain the lead here at the San Siro. Spain once again had joy down their left flank, with Marcos Alonso playing a pass down the side for Oyarzabal, who put in an excellent cross that Ferran volleyed home. Italy 0-1 Spain.
Minute 13: Oyarzabal shot blocked
Marcos Alonso played a pass down the line for Sarabia, who pulled it back for Oyarzabal in the area, but Bastoni got in the way to block his shot. From the following counter-attack by Italy, Chiesa got away from a couple of players before being brought down by Gavi. The youngster has been given a warning by the referee.
Minute 8: Italy progressive and purposeful
Spain had a fair amount of the ball in the opening minutes, but whenever Italy regain possession they are attacking with purpose. With neither team having a recognised No.9, it will be interesting to see if we're treated to many goals tonight.
Minute 5: Chiesa tests Simon
The in-form Federico Chiesa received the ball from Emerson 25 yards out from goal and opted to try his luck, but Unai Simon was able to push it away with relative ease.
Minute 4: Boos for Donnarumma
Gianluigi Donnarumma left AC Milan and joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free in the summer, and some of the Rossoneri fans inside the San Siro tonight are booing him whenever he is on the ball.
Minute 3: Early indications
As predicted from the line-up, Federico Bernadeschi is acting as the false nines for Italy, whereas for Spain it seems that it is Ferran Torres, not Pablo Sarabia. Both teams seem to be trying to figure each other out in these opening minutes.
19:51 BST: Kick off!
Spain get us underway here at the San Siro. It should be a good one, so make sure to keep checking this blog to see the latest updates from the Italy vs Spain match.
19:20 BST: The San Siro is ready
We are just 25 minutes away from kick off at the San Siro. What a stadium.
19:05 BST: Gavi to make history
At the age of 17 years and 62 days old, Gavi will become Spain's youngest-ever player to make his debut.
18:45 BST: Italy's XI is here
Ciro Immobile had to withdraw from the Nations League squad due to injury, so Italy boss Roberto Mancini has gone for a false nine system, with Federico Bernardeschi set to play in this position.
Italy's starting line-up (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Bastoni, Emerson Palmieri; Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne.
18:35 BST: Gavi named in Spain's starting XI
Luis Enrique has named Gavi in Spain's starting line-up for tonight's match, despite the 17-year-old only having played 363 minutes as a Barcelona first-team player. Elsewhere in the XI, Pablo Sarabia is down as a false nine, while Marcos Alonso starts at left-back.
Spain's starting line-up (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Cesar Azpilicueta, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres, Marcos Alonso; Koke, Sergio Busquets, Gavi; Mikel Oyarzabal, Pablo Sarabia, Ferran Torres.
18:15 BST: The full penalty shootout
Linked to the update below, here is the full penalty shootout between Italy and Spain, which saw Gianluigi Donnarumma and Jorginho become the heroes for the Azzurri.
17:50 BST: Italy and Spain's last meeting
Three months on from Italy's penalty shootout victory against Spain, which famously saw Giorgio Chiellini kidding around with Jordi Alba as the referee flipped a coin prior to the shootout, the two nations meet again. That day they played at Wembley Stadium in London, England, whereas now the Azzurri will be on home soil as the match is at the Stadio San Siro in Milan.
17:30 BST: Spain's squad and shirt numbers
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding some of Luis Enrique's call-ups, such as that of Barcelona youngster Gavi, and that talk has not quietened down after Spain's shirt numbers for the Nations League were announced. Gavi, a central midfielder, will wear the No.9, with Sergi Roberto as No.10, to name just two.
17:10 BST: Italy's squad for the Nations League Final Four
Roberto Mancini named his 23-man squad for the Final Four of the Nations League on September 30, but since then there have been three changes: Ciro Immobile, Matteo Pessina and Rafael Toloi are out injured and have been replaced by Moise Kean, Sandro Tonali and Davide Calabria.
16:45 BST: Italy vs Spain preview
There is a massive UEFA Nations League match taking place on Wednesday night, as Spain take on Euro 2020 winners Italy in Milan. The pair met at last summer's European Championship at the semi-final stage, where the Azzurri came away victorious on penalties.
The pair never fail to produce enthralling encounters and so often tend to meet on the big stage. With the Euro 2020 semi still fresh in the memory of both sets of fans, Wednesday's game promises to be both a fascinating technical and emotional duel.
Roberto Mancini and Luis Enrique still continue in their respective dugouts after the major tournament and, ahead of next year's World Cup in Qatar, this meeting is yet another chance for either coach to test out new players but also to test the squad in a high intensity match-up.
While it is far from as significant as a major tournament, both sides will want to clinch the silverware that's on offer, when facing either Belgium or France in the final. Here are all the details you need to know so you can watch and enjoy this match.
Italy vs Spain predicted line-ups
Italy's predicted line-up: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Emerson Palmieri; Nicolo Barella, Jorginho, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Lorenzo Insigne, Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Spain's predicted line-up: Unai Simon; Cesar Azpilicueta, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Torres, Sergio Reguilon; Koke, Sergio Busquets, Pablo Fornals; Ferran Torres, Mikel Oyarzabal, Pablo Sarabia.
Italy vs Spain: When does it start?
This is the big Wednesday night game, kicking off at 20:45 CEST. That's 19:45 BST for those in the UK, while the kick off time will be 14:45 EDT for those watching on from the east coast of the USA.
Italy vs Spain: Where to watch it?
Football fans in the United Kingdom can watch Italy vs Spain on Sky Sports on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, those in the USA can tune in through ESPN2, UniMas, TUDN, fuboTV, Sling Orange, Hulu + Live TV and Vidgo.
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