England will earn a spot in the Euro 2020 semi-finals if they beat Ukraine in Rome on Saturday evening.
Gareth Southgate’s side go into the clash as favourites after earning their quarter-final slot with a 2-0 victory over Germany, thanks to goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane.
And if they do secure a victory, they will back themselves to make it all the way to the final from the weaker half of the Euros draw.
However, they shouldn’t underestimate their opponents, coached by legendary Ukraine striker Andriy Shevchenko, who progressed from the last-16 stage with a dramatic extra-time 2-1 victory over Sweden – here’s how you can watch the action live.
How to watch England vs Ukraine
England’s quarter-final clash with Ukraine kicks off at 8.00pm (UK time) on Saturday 2 July at the Stadio Olimpico.
All fixtures in Euro 2020 are being broadcast live and free on the BBC and ITV, with the quarter-final on BBC One – the TV coverage starts at 7.00pm.
You can a live stream online through BBC iPlayer here, while there will be highlights on ITV at 10.45pm on Saturday night.
England team news
England’s clash with Germany began with Southgate facing derision for tactical negativity, and ended with the manager being hailed as a genius.
Had his side been outplayed by their opponents, his cautious approach – with Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka offering most of the attacking threat – would have been pilloried.
However, Southgate was vindicated in leaving some of his most exciting talent on the bench, while the introduction of Jack Grealish paid dividends, with the Aston Villa star having a hand in both goals.
Despite this, supporters may be less enthused by the prospect of a similarly defensive line-up against Ukraine, given their limitations.
After playing a back three on Tuesday the manager is likely to revert to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation in the quarter-final with a creative player taking the place of one of the full-backs, likely to be either Kyle Walker or Kieran Trippier.
Grealish would be a popular choice to start, while Phil Foden could also be in with a shout, despite his impact on the tournament so far being minimal
But of all the gifted, technical midfielders at Southgate’s disposal, it is perhaps Mason Mount who has the best chance of returning to the starting line-up.
Ukraine’s key players
Oleksandr Zinchenko
The heart of the Ukraine team, who can pretty much play in every position. Passion oozes out of him.
Andriy Yarmolenko
Ukraine’s Miroslav Klose. An Average Joe for West Ham, Yarmalenko turns into a different beast when he dons the Ukrainian yellow.
Ruslan Malinovskiy
Like Southgate does with Jack Grealish, Ruslan Malinovskiy has become Shevchenko’s weapon in reserve. Energy, intelligence and major goal threat.
Who will England play if they beat Ukraine?
If England edge out Ukraine, they will then face either the Czech Republic(who beat Netherlands 2-0 in the last 16), or Denmark (who trounced Wales 4-0) in the semi-finals.
And if they make it all the way to the final, they will face one of the four quarter-finalists in the formidable other half of the draw: Belgium, Italy, Spain or Switzerland.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3hsaHJn
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