The Three Lions of England will be aiming for their first international title in 55 years when they set up the Euro 2020 final encounter against the Azzurri of Italy at their famous Wembley Stadium home ground on Sunday.
Both teams have been nothing short of excellent the whole competition and they really deserve their place in final.
While England – although they have scarcely had to leave the comfort of their home ground – conceded only one goal en route the final, Italy have shown similar doggedness in defence and only in their last game (against Spain in the semi-finals) were they held to a draw at the end of regulation time. But alas, only one would be crowned champions of Europe on Sunday.
England have never been to a European Championship final and the last time they lifted silverware was in the 1966 World final against West Germany. Italy, on the other hand, have won the Euro only once, and that dates way back to 1968. The drought both teams have endured will definitely held set up a fierce encounter come Sunday.
England’s route to the final
England 1-0 Croatia W Group stage
England 0-0 Scotland D Group stage
Czech Rep. 0-1 England W Group stage
England 2-0 Germany W Round of 16
Ukraine 0-4 England W Quarter-final
England 2-1 Denmark W (AET) Semi-final
Italy’s route to the final
Turkey 0-3 Italy W Group stage
Italy 3-0 Switzerland W Group stage
Italy 1-0 Wales W Group stage
Italy 2-1 Austria W (AET) Round of 16
Belgium 1-2 Italy W Quarter-final
Italy 1-1 Spain W (Italy win 4-2 on pen.) Semi-final
What the Managers Say
England coach Gareth Southgate:
“It’s an exceptional team and I think, without doubt, the two best teams in the tournament have made the final, and now it’s whoever performs well on the day.
“Once you get to a final, you have to win, and that’s going to be very difficult, we know that, but that has to be our ambition, and that has to be our belief. We will have to be at our best to win the game.”
Italy coach Roberto Mancini:
“Having reached the Final is already a good achievement, but it’s not enough. It will only be a success if we manage to win on Sunday. We’ve done well, but at the end of the day, it’s the winning that counts.
“We must put pressure on England and try to take the lead. Clearly, they are a great team, strong both physically and technically, a side that fights hard. It will be a battle to the end.
“This remains a football match, so we must play with concentration and also joy. You can’t play football when tense or irritable, you need the right kind of pressure and try to enjoy yourself too. It’s the only way to win a final.”
Prediction & Betting Tips
Just like they did against Spain, Italy will most likely absorb pressure from the hosts – who’ve got pacy forwards – while looking to capitalize on the break.
The game is actually a pretty tricky one to predict but when you consider how good both sides have been defensively in this competition, you would find it smart going for the Under 2.5 bet.
Regardless, you would find on NetBet Nigeria hundreds of market from which you can choose to make your bet on Euro 2020 and even the Copa America final.
