Cesare Prandelli said his Italy side had a point to prove when they face Spain in their Confederations Cup semifinal on Thursday.
.
He was however, not looking for revenge, after the 4-0 thrashing Spain gave Italy the last time they met in the final of Euro 2012 a year ago.
.
Asked if he was using revenge as motivation for his team, Prandelli told reporters: "No. Definitely not. I do not like the word vendetta or revenge.
.
"Our ambition is to display our quality, our quantity and our strength. Our objective is to give as good as we get. We want to play a balanced game and to win it."
.
Looking to improve on a poor second half performance when Italy lost 4-2 to Brazil in Salvador on Saturday, Italian goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon reiterated his coach's stance.
.
"I don't have any resentment against Spain so revenge is not our aim.
.
"When you play against a great team sometimes it is a pleasure to see them play and win...as long as you are not on the losing side.
.
"We want to keep the game as evenly balanced as possible which would mean we are improving since last year.
.
Prandelli did say he expected Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque to pull a surprise or two, with Cesc Fabregas and Roberto Soldado still yet to prove their fitness.
.
"I think he will change a little something here or there. We will have to read those changes immediately. And if we do that, well, we will see what happens."
Football is not about revenge. Football is about winning every game u set out to win. Spain must win tonite...