Italy and England set for Euro 2020 final showdown

Italy vs England - 11/07/2021

Euro Championship | Preview

09/07/21

Italy and England set for Euro 2020 final showdown

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Following an unforgettable month of European Championship football, Italy and England meet at Wembley on Sunday for the final of Euro 2020.

With many believing the best two sides in the tournament have reached the final, it is no coincidence the Azzurri come up against the Three Lions in the showpiece event.

😎 The EURO 2020 final is set!

🇮🇹🆚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Italy versus England at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 🔥

Who is lifting the 🏆❓#EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/tYSEzNjAkI
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) July 7, 2021

England secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Denmark in extra-time to book their place in Sunday’s final, thanks to Harry Kane’s winner.

The day before, Spain pushed Italy all the way in the first semi-final before Roberto Mancini’s men advanced on penalties.

The Italians kicked off their Euro 2020 campaign with three straight wins in the group stage, seeing off Turkey (3-0), Switzerland (3-0) and Wales (1-0).

Mancini’s side then beat Austria 2-1 in the Round of 16 before beating Belgium in the quarter-finals by the same scoreline.

Italy’s victory over Spain in the semi-finals means they head into the Euro 2020 final on a remarkable 33-game unbeaten streak in all competitions.

Along the way, they have blown away opponents – scoring countless goals while keeping a phenomenal number of clean sheets.

The Azzurri’s resilience is underlined by the fact they haven’t trailed at half-time in any of their previous 21 matches in all competitions.

Meanwhile, England recorded two wins and a draw in the group stage – beating Croatia (1-0) and the Czech Republic (1-0), along with a goalless draw against Scotland.

After beating Germany 2-0 in the Round of 16, the Three Lions crushed Ukraine 4-0 in the quarter-finals to book their place in the last four.

England were forced to come from behind for the very first time at Euro 2020 last time out, yet they were able to overcome Denmark after extra-time.

Gareth Southgate’s men are now unbeaten in each of their last 12 matches in all competitions, drawing just twice after 90 minutes during that period.

With Harry Kane (four goals) and Raheem Sterling (three goals, one assist) in red-hot form, England will be confident of bringing it home.

Head-to-head: England have failed to win any of their previous three meetings with Italy, recording two draws and one loss between 2014 and 2018.

The overall record between these two nations stands at 11 wins for Italy, eight wins for England and eight draws.

Team news: With Leonardo Spinazzola out of the tournament, Chelsea’s Emerson is likely to start at left-back for the Italians, who have no other injury worries.

Southgate has made very few changes to his starting XI throughout the competition. With no injury concerns, the biggest question is – will he opt for four at the back or go with three centre-backs?

England have conceded just one goal in five matches at Euro 2020, while Italy have conceded two. Needless to say, Sunday’s final is destined to be a low-scoring encounter.