JAKARTA - After eliminating arch-enemy Germany in the last 16, facing Ukraine in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, Sunday morning at 02.00 a.m. Indonesian time, for England, it might be like a heartbeat because on paper the class of Andriy Schevchenko's team is still under Germany, who is good at tactics and strategy will advance to the next round.
However, England must remember that their brilliant performance against Germany was helped by the huge support from the supporters who dominated Wembley Stadium who kept on cheering for the Three Lions, even provoking coach Gareth Southgate to field their favorite player, Jack Grealish, which in fact did change the course of the classic match.
But for the first time in the Euro 2020 finals, when facing Ukraine in a country whose authorities have warned England fans to come to Rome strictly following health protocols, England will play without the support of Wembley.
Therefore, the match against Ukraine could be England's toughest test during Euro 2020 which was delayed by a year due to the pandemic.
The Italian government's warning to England supporters could be a major blow to the Three Lions. "This is a big challenge for us. We had to leave Wembley where there might not be a lot of fans", Southgate said.
But the English players who are used to playing without the support of anyone, are reluctant to be seen as a big loss due to the loss of large audience support. "We have to create our own atmosphere on Saturday in Rome which we are able to create", England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was quoted as saying by the AP.
On the other hand, for the Ukrainian coaching staff, playing in Italy is like going home. Their coach, Andriy Shevchenko, is an AC Milan legend, even his native Roma assistant, Mauro Tassotti, started his playing career at the Stadio Olimpico with Lazio, before having a successful career at Milan both as a player and assistant coach.
"If Italians support us because we are a weaker team, then that's great. I really expect the fans to give us great support", said Tassotti.
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Still, it is not easy against England because beating the Three Lions anywhere is still a very difficult task. However, the lessons learned from the collapse of the Netherlands and France at the hands of more inferior teams, make Ukraine confident that it can surprise England.
"They are really difficult to break into but their strength must not frighten us", Shevchenko said.
Shevchenko is likely to rely on the counter-attack and rely on the solid catenaccio defense that Tassotti may have whispered, to prevent the deadly duo of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane from wreaking havoc in the Ukraine penalty box as they thrashed Germany with their two goals.
England is aiming for a second major tournament semi-final in succession after the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, while the last time they made the top four at the Euros was at Euro 1996.
But England's biggest goal is to repeat the success of the 1966 World Cup champion, especially unlike Spain, Germany, Italy, and France, the Three Lions have never won the European Cup.
With a burden like this, the victory over Germany did not ease the swing of England's steps. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. Every game is tough, so we have to be prepared", said Pickford.
Match scenario
Andriy Schevchenko received mixed news between being happy that his players who were banned had been allowed to play and sad because they could not install Oleksandr Zubkov and Artem Besedin.
However, Heorhiy Bushchan kept the goal in a 3-5-2 formation which could turn into a 5-3-2 when defending. This system is supported by a trio of central defenders Illya Zabaryni, Serhiy Kryvtsov, and Mykola Matviyenko.
They were flanked by two full-backs Oleksandr Karavaev and Oleksandr Zinchenko who became the center of creative attacks from both sides of the field once the team launched the offensive. But they will also quickly shift to a defensive five-back position once England pushes into the Ukraine area.
Meanwhile, Serhiy Sydorchuk, Taras Stepanenko, and Mykola Shaparenko became mainstays in the second line which became the transition to attack and defense.
As for the attack, Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk are almost certain to start in the final third of the pitch. On the other hand, Artem Dovbyk, who was the decisive winner over Sweden, is likely to come off the bench.
From the English side, the only player who is doubtful for appearance is Bukayo Saka who suffered a slight impact during training.
Beyond that, Southgate will return to a 4-2-3-1 formation after setting up a 3-4-3 while taming Germany in the last 16.
That means England will have to cut back on what looks like Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker started at right-back and Luke Shaw will definitely continue at left-back. The two wing-backs overlook the central defender duo of John Stones and Harry Maguire who are increasingly solid in protecting the England goal.
Southgate also has not thought about changing the starting midfield line that will still be occupied by Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips so Jordan Henderson must return to the field as a substitute.
For the attack line, what worries Southgate the most is finding the right replacement for Saka.
But after playing an important role in the win against Germany, Jack Grealish is likely to be Saka's replacement. He will level with Raheem Sterling and captain Harry Kane in the final third of the pitch with Mason Mount spearheading him.
Stats of the meeting of the two teams
England reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 after eliminating Germany at Wembley in the last 16, while Ukraine beat Sweden in extra time at Hampden Park. They are fighting for tickets to the semifinals to face the Czechs or Denmark at Wembley on July 7.
Ukraine has only won one of seven meetings against England. Four defeats suffered by Ukraine occurred in the group stage of Euro 2012. Andriy Yarmolenko and coach Andriy Shevchenko also played in this match.
The two teams have drawn in their last two meetings, 1-1 in London and 0-0 in Kyiv in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Taras Stepanenko, Roman Bezus, and Yarmolenko played in that time, as did Kyle Walker of England.
Both teams won their home games in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers. England won 2-1 at Wembley on 1 April 2009. Ukraine won 1-0 in Dnipropetrovsk on October 10 2009 and this win is still the only one Ukraine has achieved from England.
Southgate and Shevchenko faced each other as players as England won 2-0 in a friendly at Wembley on May 31 2000.
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