Spain vs. Italy: Star Power Will Dominate Confederations Cup Semifinal

The 2013 Confederations Cup semifinal will be dominated by star power, which means Spain has the advantage over Italy heading into Thursday's match in Brazil.

Group A was a battle in almost every match, and Group B presented no problems for Spain. 

According to the official FIFA rankings, Spain is the No. 1 team in the world. Uruguay, No. 19, was the only other team in the group ranked in the top 30. Meanwhile three teams in Group A were all ranked in the top 22. 

Italy got a tough draw with Brazil, Japan and Mexico. Each match was a battle, but the Italians managed to escape the group with two tough victories. They were defeated by Brazil 4-2 in the final match of group play. 

Why does what happened in group play matter now? 

By losing to Brazil, Italy finished as the runner-up of Group A. They made it out of the stage, but now they have to deal with Spain.

To make matters worse, Football Italia reports that star striker Mario Balotelli has been sent home with a thigh injury. Going up against the No. 1 team in the world was already a difficult task, but now it seems to be near impossible to come away with a win.

Spain is loaded with stars: David Villa, David Silva, Xavi and Fernando Torres headline the roster. Villa and Torres both recorded hat tricks in a 10-0 thrashing of Tahiti, and Silva was right behind them with a pair of goals. Torres has five goals overall in the tournament, with four coming in the Tahiti blowout.

Spain is the heavy favorite entering this match. They have the superior roster and have played well all tournament. Italy struggled through the group stage and is without its best offensive threat.

Balotelli led the Italians with two goals in group play, including a game-winner against Mexico. No other player on the team has more than one goal in the 2013 Confederations Cup.

Not only was nobody else scoring, but Balotelli's teammates weren't shooting much. Only Sebastian Giovinco has multiple shots, but he has only taken two shots in three games. Balotelli took six shots, while the rest of his team took a total of eight.

No player on the team has more than one assist in the 2013 Confederations Cup. Italy needs to have a team effort against Spain to have any chance. Unfortunately for Italy, Spain's stars will control this game.

Balotelli would have made this game interesting. Italy still would have had a tough task, but they would have had a real offensive threat. Now they are forced to find someone who can fill in for their injured striker. 

Spain has the better roster and has more stars, and this semifinals match will be controlled by the star players on the field.

*All stats are courtesy of ESPNFC.com