England’s U19 European Championship campaign got off to a disappointing start on Monday evening, when two second half goals saw the host nation Czech Republic win the opening match of the competition in Jablonec.
The Young Lions take on Italy tonight in what could be a make or break fixture depending on the outcome of the 5pm Czech Republic v Greece encounter.
A win for the Greeks would see England needing to take the spoils against the Italians two hours later at Jablonec in order to maintain an interest in the Championships.
The team spirit remains high within the squad and knowing that a win will put them into a good position to qualify for the semi-finals their determination will be put to the test.
The FA’s Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking believes that England have a good chance of victory against Italy.
Speaking to TheFA.com he said:
“I think we’re quite capable of beating Italy. Defensively, they weren’t as strong as I’ve seen them in the past so from an attacking point of view I think we can get at them.”
“They have one or two good players though, so it will be a good test but certainly at present, England are more than capable of getting back and qualifying from this group but we need to perform well against Italy.”
