Euro 2012: Early Preview of the 2 Semifinal Matchups

Has everyone caught their breath from the drama of that penalty shootout between Italy and England?

Well, with that victory, Italy has filled the final spot of the Euro 2012 semifinal picture, setting up the two big matches to determine our finalists.

So what should we expect from these all-important battles on Wednesday and Thursday?

Here are early previews of the Iberian derby and the match between the two most successful European nations with respect to the World Cup.

Portugal vs. Spain: Wednesday, 6/27

How they got here

Portugal recovered from a loss to Germany in their first match of the tournament to win three straight matches.

In the group, they outgunned Denmark in a 3-2 classic before dispatching of the Netherlands in a 2-1 victory in which they thoroughly dominated play.  As a result, they found their way out of the "Group of Death" in second place.

In the quarters, they controlled the play against a very defensive-minded Czech Republic, but had trouble finally getting the ball in the back of the net.  When Cristiano Ronaldo netted a header deep in the second half, it was lights out for the Czechs, who never really threatened the Portuguese net.

Spain started off the tournament playing without a striker.  The strategy didn't seem to work too well against Italy, who put up a good fight before drawing 1-1 with the defending champions.

The next match was more straightforward, as Spain changed their system and routed Ireland 4-0 in a match that was never in doubt.

In the final group match, the Spanish showed their heart.  After 75 minutes of a hard-fought match with Croatia, they were one conceded goal away from exiting the tournament.  Instead, they fought back and won the match 1-0.

In the quarters, it was back to the "false nine" for Spain, as they went strikerless like in their first match.  The result was total domination of a French side who didn't seem to be able to string two passes together.

Players to watch

For Portugal, how can it not be Cristiano Ronaldo?  

The Real Madrid striker has three goals this tournament, all of which were scored in the past two matches.  He seems to have finally found his way with his national side and can swing this match with one kick.

If you're looking for someone else on Portugal, look to Pepe.  

The feisty defender has quite a history with a lot of the Spanish players.  He will be vital to Portugal's game plan, as they look to defend and counterattack.  Hopefully he can keep his head and not kill the game with a mindless or hot-tempered tackle that reduces his side to 10 men.

For Spain, watch out for Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique.  

The central defense pairing has been fantastic for Spain, yet haven't yet faced an attack as potent as Portugal's.  They will have a lot to do in the back.

Further, Portugal's conceded goals against Germany and Denmark suggest they may have a problem dealing with headers.  Ramos and Pique will provide such an attack on set pieces.

Last meeting

The last competitive meeting between these two Iberian cousins was two years ago at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In the round of 16, Spain came up against an overly defensive Portugal and finally broke them down with a David Villa goal, earning a 1-0 victory on their way to the cup.

Since then, though, Portugal have made quite a few changes to their tactics and benefited from the return of Nani (who was injured for the World Cup).

In fact, in November of 2010, Portugal defeated a strong Spain side (with every starter except Andres Iniesta) by a 4-0 score in a friendly.

Underlying storylines

Of the starting 11 for Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich, four will start for Spain and three will start for Portugal.

In fact, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Coentrao of Portugal will be running at Spanish defenders Arbeloa and Sergio Ramos and trying to score on keeper Iker Casillas.

Hence, these players will know each other pretty well, allowing for this to be an even more interesting matchup.

To boot, Spain also started five Barcelona players in their match with France.

If you like El Clasico battles, this one will be for you.

After all, almost all of the same characters will be present.

Germany vs. Italy: Thursday, 6/28

How they got here

Germany have swept the competition thus far.

They defeated Portugal 1-0 in a hard-fought first match that came down to the wire.

It has been easier since then, as they swept the Netherlands aside 2-1 and got past Denmark 2-1 en route to a perfect record in the "Group of Death."

In the quarters, they thoroughly dominated Greece and won 4-2.

For Italy, it's been a bumpier ride.

Two 1-1 draws, against Spain and Croatia, meant they entered their final match of the group stage needing a victory.  They got that victory against Ireland and made their way into the quarters.

There, they controlled much of the play against England, but could never find the breakthrough.  However, they also held England quiet and sent the match to penalties, where they won 4-2.

Players to watch

For Germany, Mesut Ozil is a clear pick for a player to watch.  

He is the chief creator for the German attack and must have a good match for his side to break down the organized Italian defense.

Another person to watch would be coach Jogi Low.  Whom he will start up front is a big question, as Mario Gomez, Miroslav Klose, Thomas Muller, Lukas Podolski and Marco Reus fight over three positions.  It's a decision he must get right.

Italy's player to watch must be Andrea Pirlo.  

The dazzling midfielder put on a masterclass against England, controlling the ball and even pulling a Panenka in the penalty shootout.

Striker Mario Balotelli will also be someone to watch.  

You can never know what to expect from him, but the temperamental forward played quite well against England.  Will he keep it up against Germany?

Last meeting

The two nations' last competitive meeting came in the 2006 World Cup semifinal, where Italy took out host Germany.

The match was a cagey affair to say the least, as it went 118 minutes without a goal.

Finally, in the 119th minute, Fabio Grosso booked the Italians' trip to the final before Alessandro Del Piero put an exclamation point on their 2-0 victory.

Underlying storyline

The underlying storyline of this semi has to be the timing of the competition.

Somehow, it was planned that the Germany/Greece quarterfinal winner would get 48 hours more rest than the Italy/England winner, as their matches were separated by that length of time.

As Spain did not seem to need much effort in their throttling of France, it probably won't be a huge factor in the other semi.  However, as Italy needed 120 minutes and a mentally exhausting penalty shootout to get past England, it is a big factor in this one.

Can the Italians recover to the same extent as the Germans?  Even if they do, can they stop the German attack?  If not, how can they possibly compete?

UEFA seems to have dropped the ball on this one.

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