England’s Momentum Can See Three Lions Emerge Victorious in Turin
England will be hoping to continue a successful run of recent form by all accounts as they prepare to take on one of international football's biggest names on Tuesday night.
The Three Lions travel to Turin to take on Italy in a clash that is described as an 'international friendly' on the fixture list, but in reality this tie could be far from a romantic affair between two old friends.
On the face of it, the game presents a stern challenge for Roy Hodgson's side. If the Italians perform to anywhere near the level that we all know they can reach, then it will offer England fans an insight into just how far our nation has come in the last eight months or so, and will answer the question of just how may lessons have been learned since a dismal (even by our standards) World Cup campaign, that in reality never really got going.
Yet while the Azzurri have a strong performance history on the competitive international stage (and they have four World Cups and a European Championship to prove it, as well as two runners-up medals in each), the Italians haven't quite looked the the threat they once were since their last taste of success in the 2006 World Cup final.
Even that fixture is perhaps better remembered for Zinedine Zidane bowing out of world football by using his head (literally) to floor Marco Materazzi rather than a sterling Italian performance, as Italy found glory through the means of a penalty shoot-out.
The Azzurri did, in fairness, follow this up by making the Euro 2012 final, but their performance against England in the quarterfinals was far from inspiring. They looked even worse as they edged past us again the 2014 World Cup group stages; only to join us at the airport after they too suffered an early departure.
Therefore, Hodgson will certainly be fancying England's chances, particularly if he's paid close attention to the Italians recent form.
After a solid 2-0 win against Netherlands in a friendly last September, Italy have only just scraped victories against Azerbaijan (2-1), Malta (0-1), and Albania (1-0). They also needed a late equaliser to steal a 2-2 draw against Bulgaria on Saturday.
Italy currently sit 2nd in Group H, 2 points either side of Croatia (1st) and Norway (3rd).
In contrast, England appear to have put their World Cup nightmare behind them and have produced some thoroughly professional displays and a solid run of consistency to put themselves firmly in control at the top of Group E.
A comfortable 4-0 win against Lithuania on Friday night continued England's 100% winning record in Euro 2016 qualification, making it 7 out of 7 for Hodgson's men in all fixtures.
It was a tie in which the younger generation shone, as Raheem Sterling produced a couple of simply dazzling moments, while Harry Kane burst onto the stage with a bang to score with his first touch in international football at senior-level.
Kane has been simply incredible for Maurico Pochentino's Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, and his goal on Friday was his 30th of the season in just 44 appearances for club and country combined.
While Sterling will miss the Italy game through injury, talents like himself and 21-year-old Kane suggest that the future may yet be bright.
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