Euro 2020 - Final!!

Italy V England kicks off at 2000 From Wembley Stadium. Live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, ITV and ITV Hub.

Here we go then. After a month of top quality football we are down to two excellent teams in the fight to become European Champions. Italy for the second time in their history and England for the the first time ever. Both teams are very strong at the back, have fast attacking players and can score goals. Each side has a great team spirit throughout the squad and seem to completely buy in to what their Managers want from them. That is so often not the case in either International or club football.

These teams also have out and out strikers who can both lead the line and score goals. So many Countries haven't had that in this competition and it's cost them, particularly Spain in the last round. England, of course, have Harry Kane and Italy Ciro Immobile. Some pundits have mentioned that Immobile looks tired but over 90 minutes he can still cause problems with his technique and clever runs. Even if he’s not fit they can bring Andrea Bellotti in to play up front. The Torino Striker has been a bit part player for Italy during this tournament but he is a goal scorer and will be a danger to England if he plays. Spain caused Italy problems by having an attacking midfielder up front. Dani Olmo kept coming deep and created an abundance of chances for his teammates. He combined brilliantly with Morata for Spain's only goal but other chances were spurned or saved well by Donnarumma. Harry Kane is only too happy to play in a deeper role if he has to. Something that his ex-Club Manager Jose Mourinho has been keen to point out this week. By dropping deep he could link up well with Saka and Sterling to create chances as Spain did. If England can be more clinical than the Spanish then they'll have a real chance in this game.

The Italian centre back partnership pf Bonucci and Chiellini has been brilliant to watch. Their communication, organisation, timing of tackles and confidence in playing from the back is a lesson in how to play at Centre Half. They both lack pace yet no teams have really taken advantage of it. England have pace particularly with Sterling and Saka. Both players have shown how good they are in running at speed with the ball. They beat Danish defenders for fun in the semi final and should test the veteran Italians. It will be interesting to see how that battle plays out. The Italian's main threat has come through their wingers Chiesa (sometimes Balerdi) on the right and Insigne on the left. Both have pace and skill and have two goals apiece in the tournament. Insigne has lost the dynamic partnership he had with left back Spinazzola after the latter was injured in the quarter finals. He will also be up against Kyle Walker who has more pace than most right backs in the competition. Chiesa (pictured below) will be up against Luke Shaw is having an unbelievable tournament but is not as quick. That will be another interesting facet of this game. Shaw himself has been very effective in getting forward with three assists in the tournament. Chiesa may have to work hard himself to stop those runs.

Another strength of Italy's, they have little weakness anywhere, is their midfield three. Barella, Jorginho and Verratti have been excellent in winning the ball and protecting their back four whilst getting the ball forward quickly. They are the engine room that makes Italy tick. The trio are all superb in the tackle but also technically adept and comfortable on the ball. If Italy go 1-0 up they will be very hard to get the ball off. England have their own ball winners in midfield in Phillips and Rice who have both had a good tournament. They'll be up against the best here and it's another feature of the game that will be compelling to watch. They'll be intriguing battles all over the pitch but both Goalkeepers have been outstanding. Jordan Pickford has just let nerves creep back in to his form though over the past two games. He's shown much more composure during this tournament than he ever has for Everton. Against Denmark in particular however a few mistakes crept in and his kicking went astray. He just needs to relax a little so his nerves don’t spread in to his back four. He’s had such a good tournament, Hopefully we see the best of him in the final.

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been the Keeper of the competition. He's been composed throughout and pulled off some outstanding saves. Interestingly he is currently out of contract after six years with A.C Milan. He was supposed to be close to signing for PSG but this seems to have gone quiet. Whether he signs a new contract at Milan or moves he's going to have no shortage of offers after the tournament he's had.

England have home advantage here and Wembley will be rocking. Italy will not be bothered by that in the least. They will relish the challenge of beating England on their own patch. Italy manage games better than anyone and have an extreme will to win. England during the Euros have managed their games better than at any other time I've seen them. They've kept the ball well at times which they've always struggled with in the past. That makes the first goal here crucial. Whoever takes the lead is capable of keeping the ball and waiting to hit the other team with pace on the break. This could be such a close game and hopefully it lives up to the expectation.

Frenchfooty prediction: Italy 1 V England 2.