Semi-finalsWednesday Brazil vs Uruguay 9pm Thursday Spain vs Italy 9pmBRASILIA. World champions Spain meet Italy in a repeat of the Euro 2012 final, while hosts Brazil are up against Uruguay in the Confederations Cup semifinals.The pairings ensure there will be a final between teams from Europe and South America at the Maracana stadium.Spain’s 3-0 win against Nigeria left them top of Group B with a maximum nine points to face Group A runners-up Italy in Fortaleza on Thursday.The reigning world and European champions beat the Super Eagles to extend their streak without loss in competitions to 28 games.That run of 24 wins and four draws, which stretches back to the 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in the opening fixture of their victorious 2010 World Cup campaign, surpasses the previous record set by France.Uruguay hammered Tahiti 8-0 to finish second behind Spain, putting the 2011 Copa America champions up against Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.Five-time world champions Brazil topped Group A with maximum points after defeating Italy 4-2 in Salvador on Saturday.Wednesday’s all-South American duel will recall Brazil’s bitter defeat to Uruguay at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana in the final deciding game of the 1950 World Cup.Brazil needed a point to be world champions and were clear favourites, but Uruguay came from behind to stun the home side 2-1 in a game before a record crowd of almost 200 000 known as the Maracanazo, or “the Maracana blow.”Brazil will also be favourites against a Uruguay side coached by Oscar Tabarez, which has been struggling in World Cup qualifiers and began the Confederations Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Spain before beating Nigeria 2-1.However Brazil coach Felipe Luiz Scolari says his observer has studied Uruguay closely and believes they are the “most complete team” in the tournament.“Uruguay are coming to the boil. They have been put together well by Tabarez and have a style which is tough to play against,” Scolari said.Tabarez already had one eye on Brazil when preparing for minnows Tahiti, who leave the tournament after conceding 24 goals in three games following their 10-0 and 6-1 defeats to Spain and Nigeria respectively.“We rested a few players because if they’d played today it would have been trickier for them to recover in time (for the semifinals),” Tabarez said.Italy need no reminder that they have a difficult task against Spain, who beat them 4-0 in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev a year ago.Balotelli outItaly coach Cesare Prandelli cited fatigue as a reason for the heavy defeat after the Azzurri had done much better in a 1-1 draw with Spain in their opening game of the tournament.This time they will have had a day longer to recover, and should have Andrea Pirlo back after injury in midfield along with the suspended Daniele de Rossi.However striker Mario Balotelli looks set to miss the game because of a hamstring injury, team doctor Enrico Castellacci said following a scan on the player’s left thigh.While the winners go to Rio for the final on Sunday, the losing teams will face off in Salvador the same day in the game for third place.
