HEAD TO HEAD

WILL GERMANY JIVE OR SPAIN REIGN?

GRIT VS FLAIR: EURO 2008 HEADS FOR A FITTING FINALE

SPAIN
STRENGTHS: Technical quality,
confidence in each other and a
system that has taken them on a
21-match unbeaten run.
WEAKNESSES: Little aerial power either in attack or defence, though it has not troubled them unduly so far.
KEY PLAYERS: Cesc Fabregas (left), David Silva, Marcos Senna.
HISTORY: Spain's sole previous success on the international stage came in 1964, when as hosts they defeated the USSR to win the UEFA European Championship. Romania is the last side to beat them in a friendly, 1-0 in Cadiz, Spain in Nov 2006.
CHANGES: David Villa, the tournament's leading scorer, will miss the final with a thigh injury. Fabregas should start in his place with coach Luis Aragones opting to play Fernando Torres as a lone striker.
GERMANY
STRENGTHS: As they showed in the lastgasp semi-final win, they are formidable right till the final whistle.
WEAKNESSES: Unusually ragged for long spells against Turkey. Keeper Jens Lehmann, 38, looked past his sell-by date.
KEY PLAYERS: Michael Ballack (right), Lukas Podolski, Bastian Schweinsteiger.
HISTORY: In a record sixth final. Aiming to lift the Henri Delaunay trophy for the fourth time after triumphs in 1972, 1980 and 1996.
CHANGES: Midfielder Torsten Frings is set to return in place of Simon Rolfes.
I’m very happy for the team because they deserve to be champions but there's one more hurdle because there are the Germans.
— Luis Aragones, SPAIN COACH
Throughout the tournament they (Spain) have played at a high level and been technically strong. Compared to the Portuguese they play a more variable game.
— Joachim Loew, GERMANY COACH