I read something earlier that had a ring of truth to it - what most people consider exciting matches happen when teams attack and/or make a lot of mistakes. Spain make few mistakes, and no-one attacks against them.

Personally I find tactical battles more interesting than end to end stuff with bad play allowing chance after chance.

If Spain are boring, then give me boredom.

Wrote this a while ago about how rlBarcelona's brilliance has become banalrl, but it could equally apply to Spain

Interesting isnt the same as entertaining though, is it???

To all the students of the game, the Spain way is a fantastic watch, but for those after entertainment, which I honestly believe is the majority, it is painfully tedious.

Let's be honest, if you had 2 TV channels, one showing last night's game and one showing the Man Utd/Everton 4-4 game played recently, then which one would get the most viewers????

Big game tonight. Thoughts?

My heart (obviously) says england. But thinking about this truthfully, it's going to be a cagey, chess like game. Very few chances, very tactical and probably goes to penalties, probably with england losing.

I will be shouting at the telly, and the England players will willfully ignore me.
Win or lose it will be an ordeal.

where can I live stream it in Oz?????

2/1 for the draw after 90 minutes looks a good bet - You would think at least one of the quarter finals would need extra time?

As for the game, I think it could be a bit more entertaining than most are anticipating....Two evenly matched sides (which hasn't been the case in the other 3 rather boring quarter final games), I think it will be tense and likely to have at least one or two controversial moments.

Neither side will get past the Germans in the semi, but victory tonight will be the difference between an acceptable and a great campaign for both teams.

England to win on penalties, with Ballotelli to miss the deciding penalty in the shoot out.

I agree with most of that.

I think England have an advantage with pace. If the right players are selected, we really could cause the Italians problems.
England have showed that they can sit back and soak up pressure, but that IMO would be suicide with Pirlo dictating play.
Also, it would be criminal not to have Carroll and Rooney up front and really bully their make-shift centre half.

Here's hoping...

Jurgen Klinsman certainly seemed to think it would be an exciting game, maybe he sees something in the way the teams have/will set up that we haven't, i just can't see it myself.

Italy are famed for their pragmatic disciplined approach, although they are transitioning to a more attacking style as the serie A has shown.

England under hodgson have set up much the same way.

Italy to win in extra time for me.

Like others have said its likely to be cagey.

Well at least Ashley Cole consolidated his image with regard to the rest of the country.

Looks like Ashley Young has been struck down with the Lucozade endorsement curse like John Barnes was....

Best team by a mile have gone through.

Disappointing but not entirely unexpected. On the plus side it was good experience for some of the newer faces and despite being a way off our best we still could have made the semi-finals. Rooney's absence from the first two games probably disrupted things for him a bit which is a shame (self-induced I know but still a shame).

Thought Roy of the Rovers, Hart, Johnson, Parker and Lescott were our best overall.