Italy ready to test England's mettle
Saturday, June 23, 2012
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• Roy Hodgson remains unbeaten in his five games as England manager but will face his biggest test yet against Italy in the last UEFA EURO 2012 quarter-final tie in Kyiv.
• England finished top of Group D after following a 1-1 opening-day draw against France with narrow victories over Sweden and Ukraine.
• The Azzurri, who will be without Giorgio Chiellini because of a thigh injury, also came through a tough opening fixture in Group C, holding Spain to a draw, picking up another point against Croatia before edging through with a 2-0 triumph over the Republic of Ireland.
• It is the teams' first meeting for ten years and only once before have they met at a UEFA European Championship final tournament, Italy winning 1-0 in 1980 to eliminate England.
• The winners will play Germany in the semi-finals in Warsaw on 28 June.