Roberto Mancini’s Italy take on Gareth Southgate’s England in the final of the UEFA Euro 2020 at the iconic Wembley Stadium in the early hours of Monday, July 12.
Italy are no stranger to playing in a cup decider. Monday’s clash is going to be their fourth appearance in a UEFA Euro final. For England, however, it is not only going to be their first Euro final, but also a first appearance in any major final since winning the 1966 FIFA World Cup. This is the longest gap (55 years) between a final (including World Cup and Euro) for any European team.
Road to the final
Italy had a rather easy group, to say the least. Slotted in Group A, the Azzurri defeated Wales, Switzerland and Turkey to book a place in the knockout round. They beat Austria 2-1 in the round of 16, Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-final and Spain on penalties to seal their place in the summit clash.
England, on the other hand, managed to finish at the top of Group D standings with seven points from three games. The Three Lions started off their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Croatia and followed it up with a disappointing goalless draw against Scotland. Harry Kane and his men ended the group phase with another 1-0 win against the Czech Republic in front of their home fans. In the round of 16, goals from Kane and Raheem Sterling helped England secure a memorable 2-0 win over Germany as they booked their place in the final eight.
A sumptuous performance against Ukraine saw them getting better of Andriy Shevchenko’s men 4-0 before they overcame a stern Danish test to get their way into the final.
Italy vs England head-to-head
England’s record against Italy hasn't been particularly good. The two teams have crossed paths on 27 occasions and the Three Lions have won just eight times. Italy though have won 11 while eight games have ended in a draw.
Since the turn of the century, England have beaten Italy just once in seven games. It is to note that England have never beaten Italy in a major international tournament. Although they did beat them 2-0 in November 1977 in a World Cup qualifier.
Italy team news and injury update
Italy are set to be without their maverick full-back Leonardo Spinazzola who was ruled out of the competition after suffering a serious injury against Belgium. Chelsea wing-back Emerson Palmieri did well against Spain and will be expected to keep his place in the final.
England team news and injury update
England welcomed Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in the starting XI against Denmark after the youngster had missed the quarter-final game against Ukraine. The 19-year-old repaid the faith by playing his role in England’s equalizer.
Southgate also switched to a four-man defence against Denmark after playing with a three-at-the-back formation against Germany. So it remains to be seen how the manager would approach this fixture. The Three Lions have a clean slate of injury bills and Southgate will want to churn the best out of his players.
Where to watch Italy vs England UEFA Euro 2020 final in India?
The Italy vs England UEFA Euro 2020 final match will be telecast live at 12:30 AM IST on Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3, Sony Ten 4 and Sony Ten Six TV, and their corresponding HD TV channels in India. Note that the match can be viewed in five different languages including English, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
Live streaming of Italy vs England Euro 2020 final will be available on SonyLIV and Jio TV.
SportsAdda will bring you Italy vs England Euro 2020 final live score.
Featured photo: AFP / Laurence Griffiths
