England V Italy: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream & TV Info
England and Italy commence a straight shootout for what is likely to be the second qualifying spot from Group B on Wednesday at the European Under-21 Championship. It's a winner-takes-all scenario unless Sweden pull off an unlikely victory against Portugal in the other game, making this fixture a nervy and vitally important encounter.
The Details
Group B
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Venue: Andruv Stadion, Olomouc
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
TV and Live Stream: BT Sport 1 & HD (UK) / UEFA.tv live stream
England Preview
England fluked their way away from disaster on Sunday, relying on a Jesse Lingard wonder-strike to keep them in contention to qualify for the semi-finals. Gareth Southgate likely has more questions than answers ahead of this tie with Italy, with the midfield selection in particular a veritable headache for the former Middlesbrough manager.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek's cameo performance against Sweden was very good, introducing drive and impetus to a midfield entirely lacking in tempo or thrust. He surged forward and played Danny Ings into a good position in the box—a move that should have earned a penalty after the striker was fouled—and minutes later played a role in winning the corner that Lingard scored from.
Any of England's starting midfielders could be candidates to drop out for RLC, with Tom Carroll arguably the most ineffectual of the bunch so far. Southgate may retain Nathaniel Chalobah for balance and ask Loftus-Cheek to push forward.
John Stones should return to the XI post-concussion, while Ings is pushing for a start and could be played in a support-striker role just off Harry Kane. Alex Pritchard is injured and Lingard should fill in.
Italy Preview
Italy were significantly better against Portugal than they were against Sweden, and Luigi Di Biagio appears to have worked out what his best options are. Stefano Sturaro is still banned for raising his hands to an opponent's face in round one, but otherwise there's a clean slate to pick from.
Andrea Belotti could be in trouble after missing a fair few chances against The Seleccao, although Marcello Trotta is hardly the most inspiring replacement. Lorenzo Crisetig, Danilo Cataldi and Marco Benassi have done nothing that warrants dropping from the midfield three.
Federico Bernardeschi was substituted on in the second half on Sunday to good effect, and if his injury issues are behind him, he could perhaps replace Cristian Battocchio. Alessio Romagnoli and Daniele Rugani were excellent in defence as a pair, and the Cristiano Biraghi-Davide Zappacosta full-back combination looks better than the one involving Sabelli.
Where the Game Will Be Won
Good forward runs from clever forwards have been causing England issues in this tournament, with the centre-back pairing of Liam Moore and Ben Gibson struggling positionally. John Stones is set to come in so things could improve, but the fact Italy have such a good runner in Belotti sparks cause for concern. If Isaac Kiese Thelin can slip in behind unnoticed, stretching the pitch, then Belotti could really enjoy himself here.
Luke Garbutt and Carl Jenkinson will come under defensive scrutiny from the marauding Italy full-backs too, with Zappacosta's byline-to-byline play and tendencies a major feature in how the Azzurrini move up the pitch.
England need to close the gaps between their midfield and attack, with Harry Kane cutting one of the most isolated figures at the tournament thus far. Ings could bridge that gap, but if he doesn't start, the third midfielder (furthest forward in a 4-3-3, No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1) cannot be dropping between the centre-backs to spark passages of play. It kills the spacing of the team and stymies final-third play.
Up against Rugani and Romagnoli, it will not surprise if England struggle to carve out clear-cut chances, long or shot. Another golazo strike from outside the box may end up being the only way to get near goal.
Prediction
Both teams have put in one good performance and one bad one, and both have only scored one goal across 180 minutes of play. You get the impression that both have underperformed in this tournament so far, too, further clouding the judgement.
A draw would secure qualification for England, and that's what we'll tip here.
England 1-1 Italy
