UEFA EURO 2020 – Semi-Final previews

Wembley stadium hosts the UEFA EURO 2020 Semi-Finals this week, with Italy, Spain, England and Denmark going head-to-head for their place in the final.

ITALY VS SPAIN 

Tuesday 6th July, 8pm – Wembley Stadium, London

Italy finished top of Group A with 3 wins and 0 goals conceded. An extra-time win in the Round of 16 against Austria and a gutsy 2-1 victory over top-ranked Belgium seen the Italians book their place in the EURO 2020 Semi-Final. They are the only team to win all 5 of their opening matches and are the second highest scorers in the tournament with 11 goals. Forwards Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile both have 2 goals each in the tournament and will be looking to continue their goal scoring form on Tuesday evening. Manager Roberto Mancini has led the Italians to a record unbeaten 32 matches in all competitions. Italy have also broken a UEFA EURO record of 15 consecutive wins across the tournament and qualifying.

After a slow start to the tournament, it seems the Spanish have now found their form, scoring 11 goals in their last 3 matches. Luis Enrique’s side needed a penalty shoot-out to overcome Switzerland in the last 16 but put 5 each past Croatia and Slovakia. With 12 goals, Spain are the highest scorers in the tournament so far and are unbeaten in their 5 games. Álvaro Morata, Pablo Sarabia and Ferran Torres all have 2 goals each, and the Spanish front 3 will be under pressure to perform on Tuesday evening.

The 2 sides have met 10 times at major tournaments, most notably in the EURO 2012 final, with the Spanish coming out 4-0 winners. The game is set up for goals as the tournaments highest scoring teams meet at Wembley. 

ENGLAND VS DENMARK

Wednesday 7th July, 8pm – Wembley Stadium, London

England finished top of Group D with a draw against Scotland and wins over Croatia and Czech Republic. A 2-0 win over a strong German side secured their place in the quarter-final which resulted in a 4-0 hammering of Ukraine. Forwards Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane both have 3 goals each, and Kane is in fine form after a slow start to his EURO 2020 campaign. Gareth Southgate’s team are unbeaten in the tournament and will certainly fancy their chances against the Danes.

Denmark have been in inspired form since their painful opening match defeat to Iceland. Denmark have won their last 3 games, seeing off the Czech Republic in the Quarter-Finals and putting 4 past both Wales and Russia in their previous matches. Striker Kasper Dolberg has 3 goals in the tournament and will be the focal point of the Danish attack on Wednesday evening. The Danes will be looking to repat the feat on EURO 92, where they went all the way to lift the trophy.

The 2 sides met in last years UEFA Nations League, with Denmark earning a 1-0 victory at Wembley. The reverse fixture was a 0-0 draw, with England’s last victory over the Danes being in 2014. England will favour the home advantage, but both teams will certainly feel they are capable of reaching the EURO 2020 final.