EURO 2008 INFO

    The Valencia striker, who have scored four goals including a hat-trick in the team's Euro opener, injured his calf while executing the 29-minute free kick in Thursday's semifinal against Russia and thus is forced out of Sunday's final.

    Cesc Fabregas, who substituted Villa on Thursday, will be trying to reduce the impact of Villa's absence along with all of the talent that Luis Aragones has in midfield.

    The Arsenal playmaker, just 21 years old, showed the world how good he could be on a big stage by orchestrating Spain's first goal by Xavi Hernandez on 50 minutes and assisting the other two later by Daniel Guiza at 73 and David Silva in the 82 mark in Spain's convincible 3-0 victory of Thursday's semi against Russia.

    He and Fernando Torres, who should not have any problem getting some service from the former, will be keen in Sunday's final on exploiting the two central defenders of Germany, who have shown some weaknesses, while Spain try to stretch Germany's winless streak in major competitions for at least another two years and exorcising the ghosts of their own past failures at Ernst Happel.

    "We know Germany are a very competitive team, one of those national teams that we will have to give our all to beat," said Fabregas. "We are all together tight as a fist, a very strong fist. I won't get tired of saying that. We are a team that has a great unity on and off the pitch."

    Spain, hoping to become the first team since France in 1984 to capture the Euro championship following a clean sweep of wins in the group stage, now have the chance to end a 44-year wait. They last lifted the European cup in 1964 on a final victory over the former USSR _ their only triumph in major tournaments, and haven't reached the Euro final since 1984.

    Although football history gives Germany the advantage, the three-time European champions, who are in their sixth Euro final but ended the previous three World Cups and three Euros without a trophy, are now rated lower against an impressive Spanish team.

    Having knocked out Portugal 3-2 in style in the quarterfinals, Germany labored to beat Turkey by the same score.

    The Germans, living up to their heritage as intimidating fighters when they found a way to beat Turkey, survived not so much through endurance as by spurts of flair.

    Playmaker Michael Ballack has lacked consistency but still raised his team, while Bastian Schweinsteiger, who was on the bench for the opening game and sent off in the second against Croatia, was back in form with goals in the victories over Portugal and Turkey.

    Even the team's general manager Oliver Bierhoff, who was the scoring star when the Germans won a major championship 12 years ago, is playing down Germany's chances.

    "We have demonstrated what capabilities we possess, although we should put Spain one step above us," he said ahead of Sunday's final, hoping that the underdog status will take some of the squad's pressure away.