Cesc Fabregas insists that Spain face a ‘difficult’ encounter when they take on Italy in the Euro 2016 Last 16 at the Stade De France on Monday.

In head-to-head battles between the two side’s, Spain have come out with the better record, winning 11 match to Italy’s eight.

The midfielder expects a difficult encounter but he is confident Spain’s attacking options give them a fantastic chance of setting up a quarter-final showdown against Germany, reports the Chelsea website.

‘Today’s will be a tough game. We will have to do very well if we want to go through to the following round,’ Fabregas said.

‘They play with a difficult tactic, which means that we will have to do something else in defence. On an offensive level we have several alternatives, it’s not going to affect our style. I think that it’s our style and untouchable.

The 29-year-old went on to praise Italian coach Antonio Conte’s ability to surprise opponents, but insists that his side are confident of progressing to the next round of the tournament.

‘They have a good team and a really great coach. From what I know about him, he studies a lot and knows how to surprise an opponent. I am sure that they will have their mind set on beating us, just like we are confident we’ll go through to the quarter-finals.’

Kick-off has been set for 18:00.