THE PREVIEW : ENGLAND vs ITALY (EURO 2020 FINAL)

On June 10, 1940, Italy had declared war on Great Britain. Fast forward thirty one years and it seems as if England have returned the favor, this time in footballing terms. England defeated Denmark 2-1 with a Harry Kane penalty scored on the rebound to book their place in the finals, but that is a very narrow slice of the whole picture. A controversial penalty decision in the first place, with allegations of diving being placed on Raheem Sterling and then the green laser light being shone in Kasper Schmeichel’s eyes. The England win was marred. But for the fans, a win is a win and on Sunday night the Wembley is going to roar as loud as it ever has. Probably even louder.

The emotional significance of this match can barely be expressed in words but I am inclined to try either way. For Italy, it is redemption. It is reclaiming their lost throne as one of, if not, the greatest footballing powers in the world. And with their rock at the back Leonardo Bonucci already 34 years old, this might be their last chance to give him the bow out he deserves while at the same time extracting every last bit of that defensive genius and maturity for their own benefit. For England, the fact that this is their first International final since 1966 should say it all. The humiliating truth that they have never been able to “Bring It Home” has always clouded the England National Team and this is their biggest chance in over half a century to wipe this slate clean. They have an excellent crop of both young and experienced players and Gareth Southgate has shown excellent maturity in his tactics and game management so far. They have received their recognition, but they deserve more than that. They deserve silverware.

As for how it is going to play out, it is going to be Southgate’s 4-2-3-1 against Mancini’s 4-3-3. Both the systems utilize attacking left backs with centre backs capable of being set piece threats and pacey, dynamic wingers. So in my opinion it all boils down to the midfield battle. England using two solid holding midfielders while Italy deploy Jorginho as the Regista with Barella and Verratti flanking him. But it is easier said than done, both teams deploy a high press and it is going to be an end-to-end game. Barring a complete collapse by either side, it would be extremely shocking if this game had a total of more than 3 goals in it.

To highlight how close I expect this match to be, I am going to simply give my verbal predictions here. The game is a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes after which it goes to penalties. From there, luck and ability play an equal role and any predictions are basically the toss of a coin. So there you have it, a match that is balanced on a knife’s edge with an atmosphere and emotion behind it that will be remembered for the ages. A true game of epic proportions awaits us all.

PREDICTED LINEUPS :

ENG : Pickford, Shaw, Maguire, Stones, Walker, Phillips, Rice, Mount, Saka, Sterling, Kane

ITA: Donnarumma, Emerson, Chiellini, Bonucci, Di Lorenzo, Jorginho, Insigne, Verratti, Berardi, Insigne, Immobile

PREDICTION : ENGLAND 1:1 ITALY (England win on penalties)