After three hilarious one-sided quarterfinals, we should be getting closer to a real contest as Roy Hodgson's England take on Italy, who managed to edge Croatia for the runners-up spot in Group C. England are unchanged from their 1-0 win over hosts Ukraine, while Italy are playing Riccardo Montolivo in place of the injured Thiago Motta, which should make for a more creative, if less defensively solid, central midfield.
The lineups essentially mean that England will be attacking down the flanks while Italy dominate the centre and, presumably, possession. This is not a surprise. It's an open question as to whose system will work better, though. Less than an hour until kickoff now ...
England starting lineup (4-4-1-1): Joe Hart; Ashley Cole, Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Glen Johnson; Ashley Young, Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker, James Milner; Wayne Rooney; Danny Welbeck.
Italy starting lineup (4-3-1-2): Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Federico Balzaretti, Leonardo Bonucci, Ignazio Abate; Daneil de Rossi, Andrea Pirlo, Claudio Marchisio; Ricardo Montolivo; Antonio Cassano, Mario Balotelli.
We'll have live coverage in our England vs. Italy, Euro 2012 quarterfinals StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.
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