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England and Italy will battle for continental glory in the final of Euro 2020 on Sunday.
It has taken England more than half a century to come within touching distance of a major international trophy. The Three Lions are up against a formidable Italian side that has played some of the most attractive football at the tournament.
After cruising through to the knockout stages, England dispatched Germany 2-0 in the Round of 16 to silence their critics. They thumped Ukraine 4-0 in the quarterfinals before squeezing out an invaluable goal in extra-time to beat Denmark 2-1 in the semifinals.
Italy beat Austria 2-1 in the Round of 16 before eliminating Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals. The Azzurri faced a tough test against Spain but they got the better of Luis Enrique's men in the shootout.
Both sides have had several standout performers and have unquestionably earned their place in the final. The showdown at Wembley promises to be an absolute cracker. It's difficult to pick which way this one is going to go. But we're putting our money on England.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five reasons why Italy will struggle against England in the Euro 2020 final.
#5 England have conceded just one goal at Euro 2020
England have been extremely difficult to break down at Euro 2020. Gareth Southgate has received criticism for being too cautious and pragmatic in the past. He has definitely got his team playing more of an enterprising brand of football now but it has not come at the cost of defensive stability.
England have conceded just a single goal at Euro 2020 in six games. That goal was an unstoppable direct free-kick taken my Mikkel Damsgaard of Denmark in the semi-finals. England centre-backs Harry Maguire and John Stones have been excellent so far and have truly stepped up to the task.
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips have been neat in possession and have doggedly swept up in front of defence. Italy's frontline will meet their match against England.
#4 Ciro Immobile's form
Ciro Immobile was a star for Italy in the group stage, scoring two goals and providing an assist in three appearances. However, he has not been able to replicate that form in the knockout stages. The fact that he hasn't received an adequate amount of service has definitely contributed to the problem.
Italy will need moments of brilliance to get the better of this English defence and it doesn't help that their striker hasn't scored in the last three games. In fact, he was arguably Italy's worst player in the quarter-final game against Belgium. He wasted multiple chances over the course of the game and hasn't looked very sharp in recent outings.
Immobile is almost certain to start the final and Roberto Mancini will be hoping that his star striker kicks into form when his team needs him most.
#3 Italian defence's toughest test yet
Italy have had to face Belgium and Spain in successive games. The Azzurri did just about enough to knock both European giants out of the tournament. But neither Belgium nor Spain had as much momentum as England have right now.
England's attackers have been in fine form. Raheem Sterling has been one of the players of the tournament so far. He has scored three goals and provided an assist in six appearances so far. The Manchester City winger's trickery, passing and movement have helped England gain an edge over the opposition.
He is ably supported on the left-wing by Luke Shaw, who has also been one of the stars of Euro 2020. Bukayo Saka and Kyle Walker will also give Emerson Palmieri a tough time on the right flank. Harry Kane has looked sharp and has hit his stride right when it mattered as well.
The Italian defence will have their work cut out against the most in-form attackers at Euro 2020 at Wembley on Sunday.
#2 England's bench strength and dynamism
England's incredible bench strength has helped them dominate the second half of several games. Southgate has used Grealish as an impact substitute and his introduction has helped swing the momentum in England's favour multiple times.
He turned in brilliant performances against Czech Republic and Germany and he started the former and came off the bench in the latter. He also assisted Kane's goal against Germany.
Southgate has players like Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Kieran Trippier, Jude Bellingham, Ben Chilwell and Reece James, among others, on his bench.
This means that England can afford to be tactically flexible and it facilitates better in-game management. At the same time, Italy do not have as many players on their bench who can reach the levels of their starters.
#1 Harry Kane's knockout stage form and home adv
On his day, Harry Kane is almost unplayable. Over the course of the knockout stages, we've seen one of the best strikers in the world settling into his groove. Sunday could very well be the day when Harry Kane helps England make history.
After going goalless in the group stage, Kane has now scored four goals in three knockout stage matches. There was a bit of good fortune involved as he sent the rebound home after Kasper Schmeichel had saved his spotkick in the semifinal against Denmark.
But it was the perfect way to cap off a brilliant performance. He played a defence splitting pass to release Saka in the move that culminated in England's opening goal of the game. He had also whipped in a couple of lovely crosses for Raheem Sterling but neither were converted.
England desperately needed their captain to find form and he has truly delivered in the knockout stages. If the Tottenham Hotspur striker can do the same in the final then Italy will struggle to contain him.
The fact that the game is going to be played at Wembley is the biggest and most obvious advantage that England have over Italy. It's not every day that a major cup tournament is played at one of the team's home stadiums, is it?
