England are looking to avenge their Italian counterpart, who suffered a painful defeat in last summer’s European Cup final, when they host them at Molino Stadium on Saturday in the third round of Group C of the European Football Championship.

The match will take place behind closed doors in full view of fans following the unrest that accompanied the Continental Final at Wembley Stadium in London last summer and ended with the Azzurri’s penalty shoot-out victory over the hosts 3-2 after a 1-1 draw in regular and overtime.

The balance tilted in favor of Italy in 28 matches with England, where they scored 12 defeats to 8 and drew the same number.

The last loss of the four-time world champion to the “three lions” is also associated with his defeat with a score of 1: 2 in a friendly match in Switzerland in August 2012. Brazilian Cup in the opening match of group D with a score of 2-1.

The Three Lions enter into a long-awaited showdown not only to avenge the opponent who shattered his continental dreams, but also to secure his first win in the third edition of the European Nations League after he started his career with a loud defeat. against Hungary 0–1 before equalizing with a penalty from captain Harry Kane ahead of Germany 1–1, finishing last in their group standings with a point lost.

-The right person in the right place-

Despite humble beginnings, coach Gareth Southgate has proven to be the right man in the right place as he has led him to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and to the final since taking over the technical duties of the 1966 world champion. European nations last year.

In response to a question about whether a certain degree of realism is needed in regards to the setbacks of playing 4 matches in 11 days, Southgate explained the importance of sticking to his beliefs, saying “I know what I want from these matches”. “I also agree that in England the referee will referee. You have to win every game.”

Due to the intensity of matches, Southgate will make many substitutions against Italy and Tuesday’s second leg against Hungary, which is why he said: “You’ve seen all of Europe: France made 10 substitutions, Spain eight, Portugal seven.”

He concluded: “This is a unique series of matches where teams are to some extent thinking about the health and freshness of the player, but they are also preparing for the World Cup because they know very well what is waiting for them and what they have not received. in friendly matches before competitions.

At a time when doubts hover over the possibility of Calvin Phillips being involved after he was forced off the pitch in Munich with an injury, Southgate is likely to release Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, who played his best 20 minutes in his country’s shirt. against Germany after coming off the bench.

It will also give Roma’s Italian striker Tammy Abraham a chance to step forward and comfort the “greedy” Kahn to break the national team’s top scorer Wayne Rooney (53 goals in 120 games from 2003 to 2018) after he scored his 50th Goal. “Manshaft” in 71 international matches.

-Attack Dilemma-

For its part, Italy are looking to regain their luster after declining their level after winning the continental title as they failed to reach the World Cup final for the second time in a row and lost the Finalicima match it put together against Argentina. , champion of the America’s Cup, 0-3.

However, in the Nations League “Atsuri” appeared differently as he is at the top of the “death group” with 4 points after a 1-1 draw with Germany and a 2-1 victory over Hungary.

Roberto Mancini infused new blood into the national team by replacing veteran players with others. Defender Leonardo Bonucci (35) and striker Andrea Belotti (28) were not included in the starting XI on Thursday.

The attacking line poses a dilemma for the Italian coach: after he chose not to call up 32-year-old Ciro Immobile, four-time top scorer in the Italian league, the trio of Belotti, Gianluca Scamaca and Giacomo Rasbadori failed to hit the net in the previous three matches.

And Mancini has decided not to call Marco Verratti, Jorginho, Emerson Palmieri and Lorenzo Insigne earlier this month to rest.