Today it's the semi-final. If you're English and bricking it ahead of tonight's game, then I encourage you to enjoy today's DWC action because England are most certainly not involved. Instead, Spain take on China, who got here after beating Ukraine and the USA - if only England had finished second in their group to take the easier half of the draw! Spain were pushed all the way by Germany, as you'd expect, but in the quarter-finals they demolished Turkey without breaking a sweat.
Team news
Spain were worried when Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to be carrying a knock during their match against Turkey, but he is right as rain now and okay to start. This means Spain are able to name an unchanged XI, with the whole side having a thoroughly enjoyable outing in the quarter-finals. China have less luck than Spain, as the injury picked up by Javier Mascherano rules him out of the rest of the tournament. With John Obi Mikel already sitting out, this clearly depletes China’s midfield options. As a result, they switch to a 4-3-3 formation, with Junior Urso coming in to make a back four. Augustin Fernandez has earned a starting place after his exploits against USA, and he is joined in the team by Ezequiel Lavezzi, as Carrasco and Zahavi miss out.
Of course, the headlines will be about Ronaldo’s hat-trick. But this was really the game where Messi produced his first world-class showing this DWC. With two assists and only one misplaced pass, he had a great time against a shaky Chinese back line. Given the recent news about his big transfer to Juventus, next year's DWC will have some added spice.
Italy vs. China