Euro 2012 - England vs Italy - QF Preview

Roy Hodgson's men come into this game with what is still a low level of expectation, whereas the Italian press believe that the loss of Chiellini at Centre-Back will cause problems for the Italian team against the upfront two of Rooney and Welbeck.
Taking into account the injuries in the Italy team here are our proposed lineups:

Both teams are largely dependant on a solid midfield partnership, the double act of Parker and Gerrard could provide a key component for England in trying to combat the Italian trio of De Rossi, Pirlo and Marchisio, each of whom are having good tournaments thus far. The wildcard replacement for Thiago Motta in the Italian team would appear to be in the form of AC Milan star Antonio Nocerino. After a fantastic season for the San Siro club, he was called up to the Italian squad and has had little game time at the Championships so far however, tonight could be his time to shine.
Should England stand a good chance of triumphing in this game, we believe the performance of not only the Central Midfield but also the fast paced Ashley Young and James Milner will be key. Both of these players have been less than impressive thus far during the tournament, each turning out average performances in the previous three games. Young easily has the ability, but has struggled to perform against physically stong opponents and Milner has looked tired. They could easily fire and provide creative spark for the English forwards but if not, expect to see Theo Walcott and the young Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain introduced in the second-half.
Outside of the Midfield, Joe Hart has been a calm head both on and off the pitch so far, giving solid peformances all round. The undoubted class of the old head Buffon for Italy will provide an interesting backdrop to the outfield battle.
England's defence will most likely play the typical deep line employed by many Roy Hodgson teams, however, if it works, there is no problem with this at all. Should the Italy attack fail to cause opportunities for their front two and England go ahead, we may see Hodgson push the defensive line slightly higher up the pitch. For Italy, there is one change in the defence with Bonucci in for Giorgio Chiellini who is out injured, he has had game time at the Euros so far and so shouldn't be out of practice.
Finally, the front two for each side should technically ooze class with the talisman Rooney and young apprentice Welbeck providing good finishing options for England. Their success could depend on how sharp Rooney is after missing the first two games through his ban. He will likely play just behind Welbeck, picking up the ball just infront of the Midfield.
The Italian front two are often hot and cold with the maverick Balotelli expected to play, this could result in disaster or brilliant success. Cassano, the Lionheart, just backk in Football after Heart Surgery in the 2011/12 season has already showed his threat thus far in the Tournament, he could provide issues for the English defence.

Prediction: England 2-1 Italy