Both England and Italy can advance to the semi-final stage of the European under-21 Championship with a victory, although the latter’s chances relies on Sweden’s result later in the evening.

The penultimate fixture in a captivating Group B will either see one of these nations advance, or both jettisoned from the competition. A win for the English would guarantee a place in the last four, possibly as group winners, but anything less opens the door for both Italy and Sweden.

Optimism will be severely higher in both camps following improved results in their previous outings, with the Three Lions securing victory and the Italians showcasing a truer reflection of themselves during a draw with Portugal.

England leave it late, but volley could prove crucial

A late, technically brilliant Jesse Lingard volley secured all three points for England’s under-21 side at the expense of the battling Swedes on Sunday evening. The goal, England’s first from open play in this tournament since a Danny Welbeck strike in 2009, managed to somewhat rectify the mistakes made against Portugal three days prior.

Although the performance was not as glamorous as Gareth Southgate would have liked against a seemingly inferior team, the former Middlesbrough manager claimed the Young Lions’ first win at the Euros in five attempts.

The two time winners have now put themselves in a prosperous position following those three points, despite losing to first placed Portugal in their opening match. The defeat, after such a profound qualifying campaign, threatened to derail the nation’s tournament at the first hurdle.

Although the quality of the Portuguese’s quality cannot be questioned, the England might have made more from their 22 attempts at goal. Nathan Redmond and Harry Kane tested Jose Sa on separate occasions, but the goalkeeper stood firm to deny the two Premier League starlets before efforts from Lingard and James Ward-Prowse flashed wide of the net.

The team were eventually punished when a Bernardo Silva shot rattled the post before falling to the feet of Joao Mario, the Sporting Lisbon man making no mistake in putting Esperancas in front just before the hour mark. Southgate, head coach since 2013, called for a response against their upcoming opponents and targeted the lack of accuracy shown in their first game in the Czech Republic.

Portugal secure the points.

The 44-year-old brought Alex Pritchard and Will Hughes into the starting line-up to give them more attacking potency, The latter, alongside the impressive Carl Jenkinson and Tottenham striker Kane, produced some great opportunities but neither could find the net.

The resilience of the Blagult would have made the headlines once more, had it not been for Lingard’s strike. Similar levels of defending are not expected to come from the Italian outfit tomorrow evening however, with the opposition needing all three points to give the Azzurrini a fighting chance of survival.

Gareth Southgate will be without the services of Alex Pritchard

This could provide space up front for the English, and a possibility of the counterattack with formidable pace in the form of Redmond and Lingard. The two wingers are expected to start at the Andruv Stadion, with Alex Pritchard sustaining an ankle injury to add to the country’s already worrying injury woes.

His under-21 boss had cited the loss of the Brentford loanee as a huge shame for the youngster, and for the team. He went onto tell the FA’s official website that “he had a good impact on the tournament on the back of a really good season for him” and that “it is a shame he will not be able to display his talents on this stage”.

The management team were dealt terrible blows before the European Championships began, losing the services of top goalscorer Saido Berahino and defender John Stones to knee and head injuries respectively. While Benik Afobe was chosen to replace Berahino within the squad, Stones is in contention for a starting spot in Southgate’s starting XI once again.

Although all three have experienced playing in tournament football with England at various age levels before, Ruben Loftus-Cheek thoroughly impressed on his international tournament debut against Sweden. The 19-year-old has had an ineffable season for Chelsea, winning the FA Youth Cup whilst making a handful of appearances for the senior team that went on to be crowned Premier League champions.

Coming on for Tom Carroll, Southgate has a selection dilemma on his hands and the midfielder shows no signs in making it easy for him either. He proclaimed that he “wants to do his best in every game and every training session” before stating he wants to “help the team go far in the tournament.”

Watford’s Jonathan Bond returned to full training on Monday after picking up a knock before the Sweden encounter, but is now available if needed. Arsenal right-back Carl Jenkinson and Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson are both a booking away from suspension, missing the semi-final if booked.

Italy much improved after Swedish nightmare

The Little Blues have had a dissatisfactory opening to life at the European Championships, a competition they have won a record five times in the past. An upset in the form of Sweden caused turmoil within the press back in Italy, targeting the manager for selecting his team based upon reputation rather than form.

Controlling the game in terms of possession, the favourites went in front when a Alexander Milosevic challenge resulted in a penalty and a controversial red card. Domenico Berardi, Italy’s star player of the competition, calmly slotted the ball away to earn the lead.

A typically fighting performance from their Swedish counterparts, showcased in the play-off game with France, saw them equalise through John Guidetti before Isaac Kiese Thelin won the game from the penalty spot.

Luigi Di Biagio rang the changes against the impressive Portuguese, five in total, and that helped contribute to a fine performance. Newcomer Marco Benassi made an impact after coming into the side, forcing Jose Sa into a fine save before the interval, while Domenico Berardi and Davide Zappacosta caused havoc on the right flank.

Frustration for Benassi.

Failing to break the Reds down however, sees them bottom of Group B with one game to play. A victory is required to salvage progression to the next round but only if the Portuguese can continue their fine start and defeat Sweden, with a draw not enough due to the head-to-head rule.

Despite two poor performances thus far, Francesco Bardi is likely to remain in goal while the defense is expected to line-up how it did against Portugal. Zappacosta and Cristiano Biraghi had outstanding games in an attacking sense whilst the pairing of Daniele Rugani and Alessio Romagnoli remained solid throughout.

A three man midfield is likely to be deployed once more, with Stefano Sturaro still ruled out due to suspension. Benassi should retain his place in the team as should Lorenzo Crisetig and Danilo Cataldi, although tiredness to the midfield three crept in on Sunday and may see part of the trio replaced.

The latter spoke ahead of the game in a press conference, the Lazio man said that the team “are already focused on England and will not worry about what will happen in Portugal and Sweden”. The 20-year-old remained realistic though stating that the chances of the Azzurrini “reaching the semi-finals are not very high but things can change quickly in football”.

His manager alluded to the fact that Berardi will start the game despite tiring after being an ever-present in the side thus far. He will start alongside Andrea Belotti and either Federico Bernardeschi or Christian Battocchio in a customary 4-3-3 formation.

Di Biagio was also in good voice ahead of this mouthwatering clash, the former Inter Milan and Roma midfielder stated: “I think if we play as we did against Portugal, we have a great chance of winning this game.

“We've shown we always want to play our football, and we succeeded in doing that against Portugal and in parts against Sweden. We are ready to impose our style of play.

“Tomorrow we have no choice – we have to win. Then we'll see [what happens]. I am convinced the other game will not end in a draw but we have to think only about ourselves, otherwise we risk losing our game here.”

This will be the 13th competitive encounter between the duo, Italy topping England by five wins to four. The last of which came two years ago, in matchday one of the Euros held in Israel. Lorenzo Insigne scored the only goal of the game as the Italians reached the final that year.

This game will prove to be even more decisive than in 2013, ultimately determining who will advance from the group stage. Both sides have the quality to win the game and could perhaps cancel each other out, with tensions running high in Olomouc.

Prediction: England U21 2-2 Italy U21

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About the author
Conor de Smith
Trying to make it in journalism. Contributing to VAVEL since July 2013.