The final of Euro 2020 is within touching distance for England after a resounding 4-0 victory over Ukraine in Rome.
Having previously only reached six semi-finals in their history, Gareth Southgate has guided the Three Lions to the last four at consecutive tournaments – and the remainder of this summer’s Championship is essentially “at home” with all remaining fixtures taking place at Wembley.
England’s national stadium will host Italy and Spain on Tuesday 6 July, before Southgate’s side play Denmark the following evening. The final takes place on 11 July at 8pm.
To get there, one half of the draw has been particularly ruthless, but mercifully England have thus far been spared clashes with the likes of Belgium or Portugal, Italy or Spain.
That does mean, however, that one of the favourites will be lying in wait in the final. England or Denmark will play either Spain or Italy on Sunday night – and here’s what they can expect.
Spain
For Spain, it all began with uninspiring draws with Sweden and Poland, before they scored 10 goals in their next two games – albeit it took extra time for La Roja to overcome Croatia. Then came one of the worst penalty shootouts at this level in memory against Switzerland.
Yet here they are in the semi-finals and Luis Enrique’s men have proven their attacking threat with six different goalscorers so far. After missing the start of the tournament with Covid-19, Sergio Busquets has been a typically composed influence in the middle and Pedri, 18, has continued where he left off at Barcelona this season.
England, of course, are yet to concede a goal but they will be tested if they face a Spain side who rank among the top nations for winning the ball high up the pitch.
Italy
Since their opening victory over Turkey, Italy have been widely recognised as the team to beat. Resurgent since the arrival of Roberto Mancini, Gli Azzurri are not a team of superstars, but one constructed from the riches of Serie A who have conceded just twice in their five games so far.
Jorginho has set the pace in midfield, though Marco Verratti has also excelled in that department when he’s played. In attack, the clinical Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa have been outperforming Italy’s xG and their opponents in the later stages of the tournament cannot afford to present them with even the lowest quality of chances.
That said, much of their strength has been in their wing-backs and their system has suffered a huge blow after it was confirmed Leonardo Spinazzola has ruptured his Achilles tendon, ruling him out of the rest of the tournament.
More from i on Euro 2020
- Why there have been so many own goals – from tiredness to lazy defending
- We need to talk about Jordan Pickford – the unsung hero of this England team
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3ysxV97
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