Played
June 24, 2012 7:45 PM BST
NSK Olimpijs'kyj — Kyiv (Kiev)
Referee: Pedro Proença
Attendance: 64340
June 24, 2012 7:45 PM BST
NSK Olimpijs'kyj — Kyiv (Kiev)
Referee: Pedro Proença
Attendance: 64340
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| England | 2.88 | 11.00 | 2.88 | 2.88 | 2.80 | 12.00 | 2.90 | 2.87 |
| Draw | 2.90 | 1.14 | 3.00 | 2.88 | 2.95 | 1.12 | 2.95 | 3.00 |
| Italy | 2.88 | 11.00 | 2.80 | 2.88 | 2.75 | 9.00 | 2.86 | 2.78 |
England - Italy Preview: Three Lions and Azzurri clash to set up Euro 2012 semi-final date with Germany
Roy Hodgson's side have performed above expectations by topping Group D, but face their toughest test yet against the 1968 winners, with a place in the last four at stake
By Adam Scime
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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ENGLAND
 Hart Johnson, Terry, Lescott, Cole Milner, Gerrard, Parker, Young Rooney, Welbeck |
ITALY  Buffon Abate, Barzagli, Bonucci, Balzaretti De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio Montolivo Balotelli, Cassano |
England are on a high after two consecutive wins to emerge top of Group D and Wayne Rooney will lead the line again after he returned to score the only goal in the triumph over Ukraine, despite not looking particularly impressive.
Meanwhile, winger Ashley Young is winning his race for fitness after taking a knock to the shin in that match, so coach Roy Hodgson is likely to stick with the same starting XI that featured in Donetsk, although Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be hoping to pip James Milner to a place on the right wing.
At the back, defender Glen Johnson is being treated with antibiotics for a toe infection, but that should not keep him out the last four clash on Sunday.
On the other side, Italy coach Cesare Prandelli is likely to stick with the 4-3-1-2 formation he utilised during the victory over Ireland rather than the 3-5-2 seen in the draws with Spain and Croatia.
However, he will definitely have to leave out centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, who is suffering with a thigh problem he aggravated in the 2-0 win over Republic of Ireland and is now likely to miss the remainder of the tournament, should the Azzurri advance.
Thiago Motta is a slight doubt after suffering from muscle fatigue and skipping a recent training session, and could be replaced by Alessandro Diamanti or Riccardo Montolivo in the role of No.10 if not passed fit.
Up front, Mario Balotelli will come up against some of his Manchester City team-mates, as he is reinstated in the starting XI at the expense of Antonio Di Natale to partner Antonio Cassano, after scoring a spectacular volley in their previous match.
No players are suspended for this match, but Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Young (all England) as well as Balotelli, Federico Balzaretti, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele De Rossi, Christian Maggio, Montolivo, Thiago Motta and Gianluigi Buffon (all Italy) are one booking away from a semi-final suspension should their team progress.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- England have only won one of their last nine meetings with Italy and have an overall record of W6 D7 L9 against them.
Rooney's winner against Ukraine was his 29th for the national team and he needs just one more to become the country's joint-fifth top scorer of all-time level with Tom Finney, Nat Lofthouse and Alan Shearer.
- Left-back Cole holds the England record for number of appearances without a goal, currently at 97 caps.
- The Three Lions were one of only two teams (the other being Greece) in the group stage not to have an opponent waved offside.
- Italy defeated England 2-1 at World Cup 1990 in the third-place playoff match.
- Antonio Di Natale is the Italy player with the highest number of goals (11) for the national team in the squad. Antonio Cassano, Daniele De Rossi, and Andrea Pirlo are all on 10.
- At the quarter-final stage in major tournaments, Italy have only been eliminated on two occasions out of nine, both times on penalty kicks.
- Prandelli has yet to lose a competitive match while in charge of Italy, recording nine wins and four draws since taking over in 2010.
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Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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England 2-1 Italy
- 20.01 %
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England 1-2 Italy
- 19.89 %
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England 1-0 Italy
- 9.62 %
| International Friendlies (FR) | Aug 15, 2012 | England 2 - Italy 1 |
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| Euro 2012 (EC) | Jun 24, 2012 | England 0 - Italy 0 |
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England
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| Jun 2, 2013 | Brazil 2 - England 2 | FR |
| May 29, 2013 | England 1 - Ireland 1 | FR |
| Mar 26, 2013 | Montenegro 1 - England 1 | WCQ |
| Mar 22, 2013 | San Marino 0 - England 8 | WCQ |
| Feb 6, 2013 | England 2 - Brazil 1 | FR |
Italy
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| Jun 16, 2013 | Mexico 1 - Italy 2 | FCC |
| Jun 11, 2013 | Italy 2 - Haiti 2 | FR |
| Jun 7, 2013 | Czech Rep. 0 - Italy 0 | WCQ |
| May 31, 2013 | Italy 4 - San Marino 0 | FR |
| Mar 26, 2013 | Malta 0 - Italy 2 | WCQ |
| Returns: | England £110.00 |
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| Returns: | Draw £30.00 |
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| Returns: | Italy £110.00 |
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Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
| 1 | Joe Hart | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Glen Johnson | Defender |
| 3 | Ashley Cole | Defender |
| - | John Terry | |
| 15 | Joleon Lescott | Defender |
| 4 | Steven Gerrard | Midfielder |
| 11 | Ashley Young | Midfielder |
| 16 | James Milner | Midfielder |
| 17 | Scott Parker | Midfielder |
| 10 | Wayne Rooney | Striker |
| 22 | Danny Welbeck | Striker |
| - | Robert Green | |
| 23 | Jack Butland | Goalkeeper |
| 34 | Martin Kelly | Defender |
| 12 | Leighton Baines | Defender |
| 14 | Phil Jones | Defender |
| 18 | Phil Jagielka | Defender |
| - | Jordan Henderson | Midfielder |
| - | Stewart Downing | |
| 7 | Theo Walcott | Striker |
| - | Andy Carroll | |
| 20 | Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain | Striker |
| 21 | Jermain Defoe | Striker |
| 1 | Gianluigi Buffon | Goalkeeper |
| - | Federico Balzaretti | |
| 20 | Ignazio Abate | Defender |
| 15 | Andrea Barzagli | Defender |
| 19 | Leonardo Bonucci | Defender |
| 8 | Claudio Marchisio | Midfielder |
| 16 | Daniele De Rossi | Midfielder |
| 18 | Riccardo Montolivo | Midfielder |
| 21 | Andrea Pirlo | Midfielder |
| 9 | Mario Balotelli | Striker |
| - | Antonio Cassano | |
| 12 | Salvatore Sirigu | Goalkeeper |
| - | Morgan De Sanctis | |
| 3 | Giorgio Chiellini | Defender |
| - | Angelo Obinze Ogbonna | |
| 2 | Christian Maggio | Midfielder |
| - | Thiago Motta | |
| 22 | Emanuele Giaccherini | Midfielder |
| - | Antonio Nocerino | |
| - | Antonio Di Natale | |
| 17 | Fabio Borini | Striker |
| 10 | Sebastian Giovinco | Striker |
| 23 | Alessandro Diamanti | Midfielder |
| Steven Gerrard | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 4 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
The Liverpool icon may be getting on in years, but he has certainly thrived wearing the captain's armband at Euro 2012. In centre midfield, Gerrard's passing, relentless effort, and most notably his crossing and set-pieces has seen him be a driving force and set up three goals at Euro 2012. Up against pressure from Claudio Marchisio and Co, he'll need to ensure his side make the best use of the ball when in possession, as he has done all tournament.
| Antonio Cassano | |
| Position: | |
| Squad Number: | 0 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Antonio Cassano has shown flashes of brilliance since returning from minor heart surgery that threatened to rule him out of the tournament, but was something close to his best before running out of gas in the 2-0 win over Ireland. Prandelli will look for more of the same from the enigmatic forward, hoping he can cause confusion in the organised English defence by dropping deep and playing some of his trademark passes into the area for his team-mates to run on to.
With neither attack really clicking in the tournament so far, as well as both having a penchant for keeping a tight backline, expect few goals in this one and possibly even extra time or penalties. Hodgson's men have looked the more fit squad, so the longer the game goes without a goal the more confident they should become, but the Azzurri seemingly have a bit more quality and that could be a telling factor.
Results
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Fernando Torres Striker Chelsea |
3 | 0 |
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Cristiano Ronaldo Striker Real Madrid |
3 | 0 |
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Mario Gomez Striker Bayern |
3 | 0 |
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Mario Balotelli Striker Milan |
3 | 0 |
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Mario Mandzukic Striker Bayern |
3 | 0 |
