A game of two halves. 55 years of hurt... countless cliches have been aired about tonight’s match but we’ve compiled some much more intriguing insights.
For example, the two Harrys in England’s team (Kane and Maguire) are among 33 players with that name to have represented England – along with 61 Jacks and 60 Williams.
Auspiciously, Gareth Southgate could today become the first England manager to win 40 matches, surpassing the great Sir Alf Ramsey who won 39.
A game of two halves. 55 years of hurt... countless cliches have been aired about tonight’s match but we’ve compiled some much more intriguing insights. Pictured: Atomic Kitten, who released a new version of their song Whole Again for Euro 2020
STATS BACK ENGLAND
According to the Fink Tank computer model, England have a 57.8 per cent chance of victory compared with Italy’s 42.2 per cent, largely down to the home advantage of playing at Wembley.
The boffins also worked out that we have an edge of 0.22 goals... whatever 0.22 of a goal is.
Meanwhile, investment bankers Goldman Sachs analysed 6,000 matches since 1980 and believe England have a 58 per cent chance of becoming Euro champions – although the bankers previously predicted Belgium, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals, would win the tournament.
England and Italy have played each other 27 times, with Italy winning 11 games to England’s eight victories and eight draws. Worryingly, Italy has never lost against England at a major tournament.
According to the Fink Tank computer model, England have a 57.8 per cent chance of victory compared with Italy’s 42.2 per cent, largely down to the home advantage of playing at Wembley
THREE PROUD LIONS
The Three Lions emblem of the Football Association has its roots in the time of Henry I, whose coat of arms featured a lion rampant on a red background. Proudly adopted by Richard the Lionheart during the Crusades, three lions still fly on the UK’s Royal Standard.
The badge has been worn on England football shirts since 1872. In 1949, there was a minor change when a crown above the lions was removed, to differentiate it from the one used by England’s cricket team.
The FA recently came up with a new ‘inclusive’ logo for the grassroots game that features a lion, lioness and cub.
DODGY TATTOOS
Scientific research shows that tattoos impede perspiration and can lead to overheating – with footballers suffering a drop in performance of up to five per cent.
Italy’s Lorenzo Insigne’s many tattoos include a crude drawing on his neck of three stick figures, believed to represent a mother, father and child
While Harry Kane doesn’t have any, team-mate John Stones has a tattoo of his hero, former Barnsley player Norman Rimmington – and an image of his ex-girlfriend, among others.
Italy’s Lorenzo Insigne’s many tattoos include a crude drawing on his neck of three stick figures, believed to represent a mother, father and child.
Team-mate Francesco Acerbi has a leg tattoo of a lion – having been called ‘the lion’ of football after recovering from testicular cancer.
ELECTRIC ‘BALL BUGGY’
Tonight's match ball will be delivered to the centre circle by a tiny, remote-controlled Volkswagen mini-ID.4 as the motor giant uses its Euros sponsorship to promote electric vehicles.
PLAYING CATCH-UP?
Ever wondered why you sometimes hear people down the road cheering a goal when it hasn’t yet happened on your TV?
The answer is that there can be delays in transmission, depending on the source.
Comparison site Uswitch says analogue radio coverage is almost instantaneous, delays for digital radio and satellite TV are up to two seconds, cable is five seconds and between ten and 45 seconds for web streaming.
PUNDIT BINGO
Prepare yourselves for a night of clichés from the TV pundits.
For fun, you could compile a list of the most often-used and tick them off whenever you hear one from either Gary Lineker’s BBC commentary team or their ITV rivals led by Sam Matterface.
Some examples: ‘…on the edge of your sofa’, ‘the big Italian’, ‘Sterling is unplayable’, ‘It was a great ball in, but there was no one on the end of it’, ‘engraving their name on the trophy’…
VEXED BY VAR?
VAR – the Video Assistant Referee – is used to help and correct referees.
Officials based in Nyon, Switzerland, have a bank of TV screens to review on-pitch incidents and feed back their judgment to the referee.
Other jargon you might hear from pundits include ‘high line’, a style of play where defenders position themselves high up the pitch, near the halfway line – and ‘catenaccio’, the bedrock of
