ENGLAND are in Rome for a huge Euro 2020 quarter-final clash against Ukraine.
The Three Lions beat Germany in the last-16 to set up this match in the Italian capital, while Ukraine left it late to beat Sweden.
- Kick-off time: 8pm BST
- TV channel: BBC ONE
Follow ALL the latest build-up and action as it happens with our live blog below…
England vs Ukraine betting special
What time does England vs Ukraine kick-off?
- England’s massive quarter-final match-up with Ukraine will kick-off at 8pm TONIGHT.
- The game will take place at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy.
- NO England fans are allowed to travel to Rome for the game.
What TV channel is England vs Ukraine on and can I live stream?
- England’s clash with Ukraine is live on BBC One in the UK.
- You can live stream the action from the BBC iPlayer app, which is available for download onto your mobile device, tablet or Smart TV.
Can I watch for FREE?
- Yes, the game is available for FREE on BBC One, so long as you have a TV licence.
- You can also catch the action on the BBC iPlayer.
What is the team news?
For England, Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are in contention to play again after ending their self-isolation but Gareth Southgate is expected to stick with Luke Shaw on the left.
Mount hasn’t played since England’s 0-0 draw with Scotland but Southgate looks to have since put his faith in a front three consisting of Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and Bukayo Saka.
Should Southgate stick with a back three, it could mean another start on the bench for Jack Grealish, who affected the game brilliantly against Germany on Monday.
Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips are expected to start again but are one yellow card away from missing a potential semi-final.
Southgate may look to include Jordan Henderson or Jude Bellingham in the midfield instead.
And reports suggest new Man Utd star Jadon Sancho is set to start in place of Bukaryo Saka, who has a knock.
Head-to-head
England have the superior head-to-head record against Ukraine with four wins, two draws and one defeat in their seven mettings.
However, in competitive fixtures things are more even with England having won twice, two matches ending in a draw and Ukraine winning one.
Last time the two sides met, England held out for a 0-0 draw in 2013, which proved crucial in their qualification for the 2014 World Cup.
KICK-OFF IN BAKU
The game has kicked off in Baku….. who will England be potentially facing next Wednesday?
Denmark have struck first inside five minutes! Delaney of Borussia Dortmund fires the Danes in front.
GOAL ACHIEVED
Ukraine manager and football legend Andriy Shevchenko has stated that his team has already achieved their goal.
Speaking ahead of today’s quarter-final clash against England, he said: “We have achieved our main goal already and everything else will be a bonus.
“Probably, there is a different pressure on England.
“They are seen as favourites but everyone perfectly knows that anything can happen in football.
“We are preparing very seriously and we want to surprise England. We can see the great job done by Gareth Southgate.
“Beyond all doubt, they are one of the best teams at this moment. So we perfectly understand how strong our opponent is and how hard the game will be for us.”
Credit: GETTY IMAGES ALL EYES ON BAKU
All eyes are on Baku as the Czech Republic take on Denmark in the third quarter-final of Euro 2020.
Whoever wins will face either England or Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday night.
Czech Republic XI (4-2-3-1): 1 Vaclik; 5 Coufal, 3 Celustka, 6 Kalas, 18 Boril; 9 Holes, 15 Soucek; 12 Masopust, 7 Barak, 13 Sevcik; 10 Schick.
Bench: 16 Mandous, 23 Koubek, 2 Kaderabek, 4 Brabec, 8 Darida, 11 Krmencik, 14 Jankto, 17, Sima, 20 Vydra, 21 Kral, 24 Pekhart, 25 Pesek.
Denmark XI (3-4-2-1): 1 Schmeichel; 6 Christensen, 4 Kjaer, 3 Vestergaard; 17 Stryger, 23 Hojbjerg, 8 Delaney, 5 Mahle; 9 Braithwaite, 14 Damsgaard; 12 Dolberg.
Bench: 16 Lossl, 22 Ronnow, 2 Andersen, 7 Skov, 11 Skov Olsen, 13 Jorgensen, 15 Norgood, 16 Wass, 19 Wind, 20 Poulsen, 21 Cornelius, 24 Jensen.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Fancy being in with a chance of winning £250 cash? Predict the full-time score correctly before kick-off to enter our prize draw…
It couldn’t be easier, so why not have a go? You’ve got to be in it to win it! Good luck.
MAG-NIFICENT
Man Utd defender Harry Maguire has insisted that England are focussed on tonight’s game against Ukraine.
He said: “We had a great night the other day but we have done nothing. We’re fully focused on the game against Ukraine.
“You’ve seen in this tournament that if you don’t perform to a high level, you lose your spot in the tournament.
“So, mentally we’ll be focused, we’ll be ready. Ukraine have got good principles.
“They like to play, build up. They’ve got a threat at the top end of the pitch with Yarmolenko so they’re a good team with a good structure.”
Credit: GETTY IMAGES THREE LIONS
A housing estate in London has covered the estate head-to-toe in England flags ahead of tonight’s game against Ukraine!
RAHEEM THE DREAM
Raheem Sterling is England’s top-scorer at Euro 2020.
The Man City winger is two goals behind competition top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY
Will Southgate lead England to back-to-back semi-finals in major international competitions?
We will find out tonight!
HONEST SOUTHGATE
England boss Gareth Southgate has praised Ukraine as a “good side” ahead of tonight’s quarter-final clash.
He said: “Ukraine are a good side. I’ve been really impressed with what Andriy’s done with them.
“They had a couple of sticky results through the autumn, through the Nations League but they’ve bounced back, and they got a very good result in France, in the World Cup qualifiers and again this week against Sweden.
“If we give them space to play, they’ll play, and they’ve got some dangerous forwards.
“We’ve achieved one challenge but that’s not the Everest we set ourselves. We want to push on.”
Gareth Southgate masterminded a historic winCredit: Richard Pelham – The Sun
CZECH REPUBLIC VS DENMARK
Czech Republic vs Denmark in their Euro 2020 quarter-final kicks off in just over an hour…
And remember, the winner could face England (fingers crossed) in the semi-final at Wembley!
Follow every kick from that game over in Baku with SunSport’s live coverage right here…
OH JACKY BOY
Jack Grealish says he would be a club promoter in Spain if he was not a professional football player.
Asked what he would do for work if he did not become a footballer, Grealish said: “My dad is a plasterer. I dunno if he is any good.
“I couldn’t be a plasterer. I would be a club promoter.
“Tenerife. Or Ibiza. I would be getting everyone into the club.”
Credit: Reuters GAZZA EXCLUSIVE
Paul Gascoigne says England can win the Euros if we throw all our support behind boss Gareth Southgate.
Legend Gazza told fans and players ahead of tonight’s quarter-final with Ukraine in Rome: “If we trust in Gareth, everything else will come good.”
Urging supporters at home and in Italy to play their part, he told The Sun: “The crucial thing is for as many England fans as possible to get to the game and, most importantly, get behind Gareth.
“He’s the answer to everything for us, and we need to believe in him.”
Gazza, now 54, was England’s hero in the 1996 tournament and rallied to Southgate’s side after his cruel penalty miss against Germany in the semi-final.
The ex-Spurs and Lazio ace added: “I know Gareth well and we’re still good mates so I know he’s got what it takes to take us all the way. He’s the key.”
WAYNE’S WORLD
Remember this from Rooney at Euro 2012?
WHEN IN ROME
It is a beautiful sunny day in Rome as we build towards the quarter-final tonight.
Staff are putting the final cleaning procedures in place for the huge tie in just a few short hours.
WE PACK A PUNCH
Ukrainian boxing champ Vitali Klitschko reckons his nation’s footie side can pack a punch, but admitted: “England are one of the best teams in the world.”
The hard-hitting heavyweight turned adored politician spoke to The Sun ahead of his country’s big quarter-final clash against the Three Lions today.
Proudly wearing his blue and yellow national team shirt, the legendary boxing icon insisted last night: “We are dangerous because of our unpredictability.
“Hardly anyone imagined we would make it to the quarter-finals – for the first-time ever
“This is why the potential of our team can come as a surprise to our competitors.”
UKRAINE LOWDOWN
All you need to know about tonight’s opponents for the Three Lions…
ENGLAND VS UKRAINE HEAD-TO-HEAD
Given that Ukraine didn’t have a national football team until 1992, there are no meetings between the two sides before that date.
However, England and Ukraine have still played seven times with the Three Lions generally having the better of close encounters.
REARS FOR CHEERS
Models from Ukraine’s notorious “Butt Squad” – who were jailed for a racy photo shoot in Dubai – posed in Kyiv to support their country ahead of tonight’s Euro 2020 game against England.
Their cheeky balcony snap on a skyscraper caused outrage when it went viral in April – but now four of the women used blue and yellow Ukrainian flags as props to back their team.
Yana Graboshchuk, 27, a trained lawyer, said: “Our team is our pride, I believe in victory. We will watch and support Ukraine.”
Fellow Butt Squad member Diana added: “Only forward, only victory.”
MY PAL SHEVA
Ukraine could have a “home advantage” in their Euro 2020 clash against England in Rome – thanks to their manager’s own glittering career in Italy.
Andriy Shevchenko spent seven years as a hot-shot striker at AC Milan and is still adored by Italians to this day, a close pal and former team mate of the Ukrainian gaffer revealed.
He told The Sun: “Fan factor is a massive advantage. And I think Ukraine just might have a slight edge in that regard.
“Shevchenko still enjoys particular respect and adoration from Italian fans and is a hero there from his time at AC Milan.”
BY GEORGE, WE’LL WIN
England will make a bid for glory tonight in Rome – and fans across the nation are nervously lifting a glass to toast Gareth Southgate’s Lions.
Expats have flown in from Dubai, Spain, the Czech Republic and other EU countries – as supporters flock to pubs to toast players’ fortunes ahead of kick-off at 8pm.
TIME FOR PENS?
Unlikely style-icon Gareth Southgate has been wearing a high-tech limited edition watch at Euro 2020, that among other things notifies him of PENALTIES.
The England manager has become something of a trend-setter, tracing back to the 2018 World Cup when his suave waist coat saw sales of the M&S garment rocket.
For this tournament, he’s been sporting a Hublot watch – one of just 1,000 made – which helps him to follow matches in real time.
The time-piece allows him to view info on any match at Euro 2020, with info displayed on the large screen face including cards awarded, substitutions and goals.
THUMB WARS
The eagle-eyed among you may have noticed Jack Grealish playing with a bandage on his hand during the Euros so far.
And the Aston Villa playmaker has explained why..
Asked about the injury, England’s No 7 said: “[Japhet] Tanganga from Tottenham threw me on the floor and I broke my thumb.”
Though Grealish has revealed not being able to play his PlayStation has been the worst part of the injury.
ENGLAND XI
SunSport’s predicted England XI for tonight, with Jadon Sancho getting his first call up of the tournament.
Not a bad week at all for the 21-year-old, who’s £73m transfer to Man Utd was confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
PATH TO FINAL
The path to immortality has become clear for Gareth Southgate & Co.
Beat Ukraine tonight then it’s Czech Republic or Denmark in the semi-final.
Then Spain or Italy in a mouth-watering final.
Both the semi-finals AND the final take place at Wembley Stadium.
We. Can’t. Wait!
TODAY’S EURO 2020 MATCHES
It is Denmark vs Czech Republic in Baku in this evening’s first match of the day at 5pm BST
Then Ukraine vs England at 8pm in Rome.
The winners of both games face off in their semi-final next Tuesday night at Wembley Stadium.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
