GARETH SOUTHGATE will put his trust in teenager Bukayo Saka once again in England’s date of destiny in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
The Arsenal starlet, 19, has started both the second-round win over Germany and Wednesday’s extra-time semi-final win over Denmark.
⚽ Follow ALL of the latest news and updates from Euro 2020 with our live blog
And the boss looks to have been impressed enough to name Saka in his XI for Sunday’s final – England’s first in 55 years – at Wembley.
That means the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford will have to be content with a seat on the bench once again.
Saka missed the trip to Rome to beat Ukraine due to injury, with Sancho impressing in his place as the Three Lions romped to a 4-0 win.
Phil Foden will be absent through injury, after picking up a foot issue in training.
The Manchester City starlet was pushing for a start after a lively camo in midweek but sat out training today after picking up a knock.
Saka meanwhile will be rewarded for his stunning tournament that reached new heights with his assist against the Danes.
He will once again be flanked by Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, with the former just one goal away from matching his Golden Boot rivals.
Mason Mount’s role as the furthest of the middle three means Jack Grealish will be left sat on the bench waiting to be unleashed.
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips will be the deep-lying midfielders – with their partnership a huge part of England being tough to break down.
⚽ ENGLAND vs ITALY EURO 2020 FINAL BETTING SPECIAL ⚽
THREE CRUCIAL CHASHES
Harry Kane vs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci
The two Italian warhorses will be looking to rough England captain Kane up at every opportunity but will not enjoy the Tottenham striker dropping deep.
However, if the four-goal hitman can find the runners in behind, the ageing Juventus duo — with a combined age of 70 — could well be in trouble.
Raheem Sterling vs Giovanni Di Lorenzo
Azzurri right-back Di Lorenzo is really growing into this tournament but will have his work cut out with the pacey Manchester City striker.
The Napoli man is a solid defender though and he will relish the one-on-one battle. He promises to give the England flyer his toughest test yet.
Luke Shaw vs Federico Chiesa
Juventus winger Chiesa started the Euros as a sub but has become Italy’s most dangerous option on the right.
Manchester United left-back Shaw has been superb going forward but will need to be disciplined and watch out for the speedster’s darting runs.
Harry Maguire will again be partnered by John Stones at the heart of the defence, with Kyle Walker right-back and Luke Shaw on the left.
A rejuvenated Jordan Pickford is between the sticks – and looks to cap off his Golden Glove success with his sixth clean sheet out of seven.
However, Gareth Southgate will have a decision to make over which of the three players he will be forced to leave out of his matchday squad.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
