Confeds Cup: Brazil Seeks Final’s Ticket …Spain Faces Italy,’morrow

Brazil’s bid for a third straight FIFA Confederations Cup title continues with a semi-final against Uruguay in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.

The hosts have featured in the showpiece of the intercontinental competition on four previous occasions, but are sure to be tested when they aim to reach a fifth at the Estadio Mineirao.

They face a Uruguay side whose place in the competition was assured by victory at the 2011 Copa America – a tournament which Brazil exited at the quarter-final stage.

However, the two teams have enjoyed vastly different fortunes since then, with Uruguay struggling in World Cup qualifying and Brazil already assured of their place by virtue of their status as hosts.

Oscar Tabarez’s men had lost five of their last 10 fixtures in the run up to the Confederations Cup, winning just three in the process.

But 2-1 and 8-0 wins over Nigeria and Tahiti respectively sealed their place in the last four, in spite of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of world champions Spain.

Brazil, meanwhile, have cruised through on home soil, beating Mexico, Japan and Italy to grab a semi-final berth.

Three goals from Neymar in as many games have provided the foundations for those successes, with the Barcelona new-boy underlining his credentials on the international stage with some excellent performances.

Uruguay boast a superstar of their own ahead of the clash, however, in the form of three-goal Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

The 26-year-old became his country’s all-time leading goalscorer by notching twice against Tahiti – overtaking Diego Forlan, who regained his outright lead with a goal earlier in the tournament against Nigeria – and will be keen to extend his new-found advantage with goals against Brazil.

The teams last met in June 2009, with Brazil running out 4-0 winners away from home in a World Cup qualifying clash.

Meanwhile, Italy and Spain will meet in a re-run of the UEFA Euro 2012 final, when they clash in the FIFA Confederations Cup semi-finals on Thursday.

Many people’s favourites for the tournament, Spain breezed through their group games, thrashing Tahiti 10-0, and controlling games against Uruguay and Nigeria, winning 2-1 and 3-0 respectively, setting a new world record of 28 international games undefeated in the process.

Italy, however, enter on a different vein ending their group campaign with a 4-2 loss against Brazil to follow up their single-goal victories over Japan and Morocco.

The semi-final of the tournament, which will be played in Fortaleza, give the Italians a chance to avenge the Euro 2012 final, which they lost 4-0.

Spanish striker Fernando Torres, who scored the third goal in that encounter, may have done enough to earn himself a starting spot after missing out to Roberto Soldado in the tournament opener, before coming in for theoretically easier games against Tahiti and Nigeria, as an upsurge in form has seen him score five goals in the opening three games, four against the Pacific minnows.

Italy will be without their star striker as Mario Balotelli has flown home following a thigh strain sustained during their fixture against Brazil.

The Milan star scored in his side’s first two group games and his likely replacement will be Alberto Gilardino, if coach Cesare Prandelli sticks with a single-striker line-up.

Unfortunately, Balotelli is not Italy’s only injury concern, with influential playmaker Andrea Pirlo also battling a muscle strain.

Spain are not injury-free themselves and will hope Cesc Fabregas and Soldado recover from their niggles to battle through the semi-final clash.

Despite Spain being widely expected to win the match, the side’s previous encounters have actually been fairly even.

Of the 27 games that the two have played since 1924, they have both picked up eight wins with the other 11 fixtures ending in draws.

Brazil Fred (middle) scoring his side’s fourth goal against Italy at the weekend in the last group A match of the Confederation Cup.