England manager Gareth Southgate believes playing away from Wembley will help the team.
England face Ukraine tonight at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, following a 2-0 win over Germany on Tuesday at Wembley.
The Three Lions will be deprived of the bulk of their fans at the stadium, as the British have been urged not to travel to Italy for the clash due to coronavirus restrictions.
The England team coach in Rome on Friday. Photo: AP
If Southgate’s men reach the Euro 2020 final, the quarter-final against Ukraine would be their only away game.
He said: “I think there was clearly a big emotional toll from the game (against Germany) and everyone enjoyed the day but, even in the locker room afterwards, the players were already talking about the next game and of the need to prepare well, “Southgate said.
“So we quickly changed our mindset towards this next challenge.
“We pulled off a challenge, but it’s not really Everest that we set our sights on. We want to continue where we are now.
“I think psychological freshness is key. Obviously we also have a strong team.
“It’s actually probably a good thing for us to leave now. It would have been very difficult three days later to replicate that experience at Wembley.
Southgate with Harry Maguire and Harry Kane during training
“So now we have a different kind of test.
“We have to leave home, play a good team, without a lot of English fans in the stadium, so it’s all about our squad, our squad and what we do, and energy and focus that we create. “
England are the favorites to advance to the semi-finals – 4th in the FIFA world rankings against 24th for Ukraine.
Ukraine beat Sweden 10 in overtime on Tuesday and are only in their second major tournament semi-final.
Southgate, however, said they were “a good team,” telling UEFA: …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-07-02 21:32:00
