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Live blog on RTÉ Sport Online and the RTÉ News app.
TV
Live coverage on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player from 7pm, with highlights on the same channels from 11.35pm.
WEATHER
It will be a warm, humid evening in north-west London with a chance of light rain. Temperatures will top 20 degrees around kick-off, with the British Met Office warning that millions of flying ants could descend on Wembley.
IS IT REALLY COMING HOME?
England has been whipped into a football frenzy ahead of their first appearance in a major final since Bobby Moore paraded the Jules Rimet trophy around Wembley in 1966.
The Queen has written to Gareth Southgate, Boris Johnson has urged England to 'bring it home' and hinted at an emergency bank holiday should they win Euro 2020, while a recent poll found Southgate is more popular than Winston Churchill among Britons. Faint praise indeed.
As UK supermarkets struggle to cope with the soaring demand for beer and barbecue food, and Frank Skinner and David Baddiel lament UEFA rejecting their request to perform ‘Three Lions’ on the pitch before kick-off, Southgate and his players must try and maintain focus as they prepare to face the most in-form team in international football.
Italy extended their unbeaten streak to 33 matches with their semi-final shootout victory over Spain, a run that stretches back to September 2018.
CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
The tournament’s best two defences go head to head on Sunday. Jordan Pickford, despite his jittery performance against Denmark, has already clinched the Golden Gloves with five clean sheets, which equals Spain goalkeeper Iker Cassilas’ record for a single European Championship.
Mikkel Damsgaard’s superb free-kick for Denmark is the only goal England have conceded, but they face their toughest task against an Italian team who have scored 12 goals in five Euro 2020 matches.
Italy have shifted away from an overly-defensive style under Roberto Mancini, whose more adventurous tactical approach is paying dividends. His players are thriving under the extra freedom afforded to them.
WING WONDERS
Raheem Sterling has been widely tipped for the player of the tournament award while Lorenzo Insigne has excelled for Italy in a similar role coming off the left wing.
Sterling shouldered the goalscoring burden while Harry Kane struggled through the group stages. The Manchester City man scored England’s first three goals and has completed more dribbles than any other player in the tournament with 29.
Napoli captain Insigne scored one of the goals of the tournament against Belgium, curling the ball home after running from halfway, and also scored with a top-class finish in Italy’s opening group win against Turkey.
The diminutive forward is the practical joker in Mancini’s squad, but a serious talent that has been linked with a move to Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.
KEY BATTLE
There are many individual battles worth keeping an eye on but none more than the two captains, Harry Kane and Giorgio Chiellini.
Kane is England’s talisman and after a slow start has looked a different animal in the knockout stages, scoring four goals, including the winner against Denmark.
His hold-up play against the experienced and wily Chiellini will be imperative to England’s success.
Kane scored against Chiellini’s Juventus in the Champions League in 2018, giving the veteran centre-back a tough evening in Turin and will be keen for more success.
However, Italy's captain is the embodiment of his nation’s spirit, a physical, imposing defender willing to go above and beyond for the cause.
Follow the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England this Sunday via our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app, or watch live on RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player from 7pm.
