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Euro 2012 Quarterfinal No 3 - Spain v France - Lineups and Game Thread

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LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 05: (L-R) Dider Drogba, Salomon Kalou, David Luiz, Michael Essien and Florent Malouda of Chelsea celebrate with the trophy after the FA Cup with Budweiser Final match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on May 5, 2012 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Spain Lineup (4-6-0): Iker Casillas; Jordi Alba, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Piqué, Alvaro Arbeloa; Xabi Alonso, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernandez; Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva

France Lineup: (5-4-1?): Hugo Lloris, Anthony Réveillère, Adil Rami, Laurent Koscielny, Gael Clichy, Mathieu Debuchy, Yann M'Vila, Yohan Cabaye, Florent Malouda, Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema

Chelsea interests: Obviously, Florent Malouda, and Fernando Torres, should Vincente Del Bosque decide to bring him on, with Juan Mata available, but unlikely to feature.

Spain and France face off with a semifinal against Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal at stake. Spain are the epitome of modern football, and are, frankly, better than France. They haven't been brilliant at Euro 2012, to this point, only truly beating a poor Ireland side in the group stages. If France can cut off Spain's production and remain strong, they have a chance to win.

France aren't without their own problems, though. Following a 2-0 Group D loss to Sweden which saw them finish second in the group behind England, reports have suggested there has been fighting in the French camp, similar to the fighting which ultimately derailed their 2010 World Cup Finals campaign.

All in all, expect Spain to do their thing, unless France can play well to expose Vincente del Bosque's deeply-stupid tactics. [Seriously, VdB is a lucky clownhole.]

Side Bet: Will Spain's excessive circular passing actually stop time?

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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