Italy vs. England Preview
The finals of the European championship will take place on Sunday night at Wembley. Italy and England clash in search of glory and immortality. Two teams with entirely different approaches to the game will no doubt bring excitement. Believe it or not, Italy is the one that attacks and plays efficient football, while England prefers to defend and wait for counter-attacks and set-pieces.
Italy vs. England Schedule
- Where: Wembley, London, England
- When: Sunday, July 11, 3pm ET
- How to Watch: ESPN, CBS, BT Sports
Italy vs. England Odds
| Italy | Draw | England |
|---|---|---|
| +180 | +200 | +165 |
The Mancini Effect
Roberto Mancini is one of the best head coaches in the history of the Italian national team. The former Manchester City and Inter coach changed pretty much everything in the organization, starting with the formation, mentality, and, at last, replacing a vast number of players with young, hungry kids. That is why we have Donarrumma, Chiesa, Pessina, Insigne, etc.
The new faces brought a new identity to the Italian national team, who now plays modern and offensive football, which is totally the opposite of what we saw in the past. Traditionally, the Azzuri were a dull team who preferred to defend and steal time. They are now anything but that.
At the moment, the Italians have scored 12 goals, most of all the teams in the championship. And to make it even more interesting, six players have hit the back of the rival’s net exactly twice.
Tactical England
Never have we seen the English national team playing tactical and conservative as they are at the moment. Gareth Southgate was once a very good defender, and he used all his knowledge to build up arguably the best defense in the world right now. England allowed just one goal since the beginning of EURO 2020.
That one was from the free-kick, not the play, which only tells how good Albion’s defenders were. But not just them, as the entire team defends well, with the process starting way up front, from the forwards and the midfielders.
Once mentioning the forwards, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling have scored seven goals combined. Sterling was the leading weapon of the English side in the group stage, and the captain took over when the eliminations have started.
Italy vs. England Head to Head Games
Italy has 11 wins in history against this opponent. England posted eight, and eight events saw a draw. The most recent clash was in 2018, and that one, too, ended without a winner, 1-1.
Italy vs. England Prediction and Pick
Like in every match so far at EURO 2020, England will be ultra0defensive and will try to score from some counter-attack or set-piece. No matter the cost, they won’t attack first, be sure in that. Southgate will allow Italy to have the initiative and the ball in its feet, but he won’t be pleased to open first. Mancini, too, isn’t going to be in the mood for risking anything as well, which is why we suggest betting on under 2.5 goals in this game.
Pick: Under 2.5 goals -195
