MATCH INFO
Roberto Mancini's side qualified for the final after winning a tense penalty shootout against Spain, while England required 120 minutes to beat Denmark 2-1 in the semi-finals.
It's been 53 years since Italy won the trophy, and Gareth Southgate's Three Lions are attempting to make their own chapter of history in their first major tournament final in 55 years.
Team News
While Roberto Mancini prepares an almost totally fit squad for the Euro 2020 final, no one will be thinking about Leonardo Spinazzola, who drew attention with his performances at left-back before rupturing his Achilles tendon against Belgium.
In his place, Emerson Palmieri is preparing to return to familiar surroundings, while Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, both 70 years old, will protect soon-to-be Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Locatelli's efforts in the group stage drew interest from Arsenal and Juventus, among others, but Marco Verratti's return to fitness has forced the Sassuolo man to take a back seat in the engine room, where the smooth PSG player hooks up with Jorginho and Nicolo Barella.
Ciro Immobile's theatrics against Belgium made headlines for all the wrong reasons, but the Lazio man isn't under any pressure from Andrea Belotti up top as Mancini sticks with the attacking trio of Chiesa, Immobile, and Lorenzo Insigne.
With the exception of Spinazzola, the Azzurri coach has a full complement
of players available to him following their semi-final victory over Spain,
and despite two exhausting 120-minute matches, an unchanged lineup should
take to the field.
England also survived 120 minutes of football against Denmark, and Southgate, as he has done all summer, must choose between a 4-2-3-1 formation and the three-man defense that worked so well against Germany.
Despite his penchant for tinkering with formations, the Three Lions coach has largely settled on his strongest XI, with the biggest question for the backline being whether Kyle Walker moves in centrally in a three or continues out on the right-hand side in a four.
As Harry Maguire and John Stones form a more youthful centre-back pairing than their opponents, Luke Shaw will have the unenviable task of keeping Chiesa quiet, while Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips are poised to reprise their midfield partnership.
Despite pressure from the likes of Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, and Jack Grealish, Saka was given the nod on the right for the semi-final and played a key role in his side's equalizer.
Kane is chasing a piece of his own personal history in this tournament, as a goal in the final would see him pass Gary Lineker as England's most prolific goalscorer in major tournaments, and he is just three goals away from breaking into the top five of the Three Lions' all-time scoring charts.
Italy possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma;
Emerson, Bonucci, Chiellini, Di Lorenzo; Jorginho, Barella, Verratti;
Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Shaw,
Stones, Maguire, Walker; Mount, Phillips; Saka, Rice, Sterling; Kane
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