Soccer odds: Russia vs. Spain

The second semifinal of Euro 2008 is Thursday and a rematch of group play, where Spain handled Russia easily, 4-1.

However, in that match, Russia was without Andrei Arshavin, who has been arguably the best player in the whole tournament since he got back on the pitch from a two-match suspension, and he makes Russia a different club than that first meeting. He has two goals and two man-of-the-match performances since coming back.

"We tried of course to improve," Russia coach Guus Hiddink said Tuesday. "If we play as we did before, then we don't even have to start this game. We can hand over our wallets to Spain."

David Villa was dominant in that first match, netting a hat trick. But he has only added one goal since and Spain has struggled to play as well again, while Russia has improved with each match, culminating in its 3-1 win over tournament favorite the Netherlands in the quarterfinals.

"The team has learned in a very short time a lot. We hope to continue that," Hiddink said.Hiddink has some injury worries, with midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, forward Ivan Sayenko and Alexander Anyukov all carrying minor injuries from the quarterfinals. Bilyaletdinov and Anyukov did some light running at training Tuesday, while Sayenko trained but finished earlier than the rest of the squad.

While they may be fit for Thursday's semifinal match in Vienna, Hiddink will be without defender Denis Kolodin and midfielder Dmitry Torbinski, who are both suspended after picking up their second yellow cards of the tournament against the Netherlands.

Yet the Spanish, in their first final four appearance since 1984, are no doubt riding high and are the slight money line favorites on WagerWeb.com. They are the last group winner left standing and just ended an 88-year legacy of losing to the Italians.

Yet Spain midfielder Xavi knows Russia is a new challenge.

"The difference between our first game and this encounter is the fact that Russia have gained a lot of confidence having beaten Holland," he said. "Now they believe in themselves, having knocked out one of the favorites for the title and they are highly motivated."

Cesc Fabregas says Spain will need to pay special attention to Arshavin on Thursday.

"I saw him [against Holland], he's a good player" Fabregas said. "I didn't know him before but he looks good so we have to be careful. We know it will be a completely different game. They have quality, they are competitive, young, and I think it will be very tough."

Bet on Russia-Spain at WagerWeb.com