Spain vs. Italy: Confederations Cup Semifinal Will Be a Mismatch

Spain and Italy will face off in the semifinals of the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil, and this match looks like a mismatch from the start.

No disrespect to Italy, but even a healthy squad would have a hard time beating Spain. According to Football-Italia.net, striker Mario Balotelli will miss Thursday's match due to a thigh injury.

Italy beat Spain 2-1 in a friendly, which was their most recent meeting, last August. However, Spain beat up on Italy 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final. David Silva got Spain on the board early, and they were able to keep a 2-0 lead until the final minutes. A pair of late goals made the game look ugly, but it wasn't as bad as the score might indicate, especially since Italy played with only 10 men for about 30 minutes.

That was last year, and this is a new challenge for Italy. The team fought against the odds to keep it close against Spain in the Euro 2012, but it just didn't have enough to pull through.

Balotelli's injury will make it even tougher for Italy to pull off the upset. Spain is the No. 1 team in the world, according to the official FIFA rankings. Italy isn't far behind at No. 8, but this match doesn't look pretty on paper.

Spain cruised through Group B. They beat Uruguay in the opening game, thumped Tahiti and handled Nigeria. Their group was much easier, but they handled Uruguay with ease.

Italy, on the other hand, was tested in every match. The Italians needed late goals in their first two matches to escape with victories, including overcoming a two-goal deficit against Japan.

Brazil and Italy battled for the majority of their match before Brazil pulled away to win Group A. Brazil was able to win 4-2 despite not scoring until stoppage time in the first half.

The 2013 Confederations Cup hasn't been pretty for Italy. They have managed to find ways to win, but they can't afford to get down early to Spain.

Replacing Mario Balotelli won't be easy. Sebastian Giovinco, Alberto Gilardino and Stephan El Shaarawy are all candidates to take over for the injured star. None of them can make an impact like Balotelli, but whoever gets the call needs to put pressure on the opposing defense.

Italy doesn't rely just on Balotelli. However, it's important to be healthy when facing Spain. A star striker would help Italy's chances, but they will have to find a way to adjust.

Spain is loaded. Their roster includes Silva, Xavi, David Villa and Fernando Torres to name a few. They have too many offensive weapons for Italy to handle, and the match could feature an offensive explosion by Spain.

Even Spain's defense has played well during this tournament. A late goal by Uruguay is the only score the team has allowed in three games. The competition hasn't been tough, but they haven't had any mental lapses.

Spain is focused on winning the Confederations Cup, and there's no doubt they will prove to be a tough matchup for Italy. It would be a total shock if the Italians are able to hang around with Spain throughout the entire game.