England v Italy Euro 2012 Preview & Tips

England and Italy lock horns on the last quarter-finals matchday. The game is on June 25, 19:45 GMT.

Teams News

England

The Three Lions found themselves on the summit of Group D after winning against Ukraine, 1-0, with France their own game in the other matchday fixture. The resulting win gives England some sort of a benefit; instead of facing title-defenders Spain they face Group C runner-up Italy. As such this will be a very good match between two teams with colourful footballing histories.

Wayne Rooney announced his return with a blaster from close range following a corner. And then there’s that England defense that silenced critics at least in this game. John Terry’s stability at the back coupled with his leadership earned him the man-of-the-match accolade. Against Italy Hodgson will have no problem then; he has a healthy squad and his preferred 4-4-2 is a great match to Italy’s tactical ploys and playing style.

Italy

The Italians only win of the group stages came at the expense of Ireland. Antonio Cassano’s first-half goal was followed up by Mario Balotelli’s goal at the death. The only problem that the Italians are facing now is that Giorgio Chiellini was forced out of the Ireland match due to an injury. Chiellini’s condition will see him miss the quarters against England; it’s a blow that could prove costly to the Italians.

Andrea Pirlo moved back the hands of time against Ireland to register another excellent performance. Pirlo’s accuracy finally shone through in the 35th minute when his corner found Cassano for the ensuing goal. Against England Pirlo will hope to get more time on the ball and do the same kind of damage he did against the Irish.

England v Italy Betting Preview

This is a great match between two equally match teams looking to find their form in this tournament. England has been underperforming in the last two games, and Italy just couldn’t get their form going in the group stages. If for anything, expect this game to go down the wire, perhaps to be decided on penalties. On that note, Italy might just end up qualifying. England doesn’t have a good history when it comes to shootouts, and history has a knack of repeating itself for the drama.

Betting Tip

Verdict: Full time result 1-1, Italy to win through penalties.

Tip: A draw at full time is at 3.00, with Italy winning on penalties at 10.00. The game almost looks very certain to finish under 2.5 goals at 1.44, with Wayne Rooney getting on the scoresheet. Rooney is at 3.25 to score anytime. For the Italians, Mario Balotelli is a good candidate to match up Rooney’s goal-scoring prowess. The Manchester City man is at 3.75 to score anytime.

All odds are from Bet365.com (£200 FREE BET!).