History beckons as England, Italy vie for Euro glory

It's quite rare for the "the two best teams" to meet in the final of a major international tournament but that's exactly what's set to transpire when England face Italy at EURO 2020 on Monday (1am, Bangladesh Standard Time).

For the Euro 2020, it is either 'It's coming home' for England or 'It's coming to Rome' for Italy. The two phrases have dominated the tournament since it began on June 11. England will battle for the trophy in their first-ever final in 55 years and will enjoy home advantage, playing at Wembley Stadium in London.

This will be Italy's 10th major tournament final after appearing in 6 World Cups, 4 Euros. For the Euros, they have only won once in 1968 and lost twice in 2000 and 2012.

For all the differences in style and approach, there is a remarkable symmetry to the journeys taken by England and Italy towards tonight's final.

Both nations found themselves at historic low points with fans despairing at their decline and then discovered men who could bring change and quickly lead them on a path to success.

For England, that nadir was elimination from Euro 2016 in the last 16 at the hands of Iceland while Italy's despair came two years later when the four-times world champions failed to even qualify for the World Cup in Russia.

Gareth Southgate was not the man chosen to lead England's revival. The FA had selected Sam Allardyce for that role but when his reign was cut short by ill-judged comments to a hidden camera, the Under-21 coach was given the job.

Southgate was able to draw on an exciting young generation of talent emerging from the Under-21 team and from the academies of Premier League clubs but his most significant decision was to change the culture around the England team.

Roberto Mancini had a different history to confront after Italy's dismal qualifying campaign for Russia under Gian Piero Ventura ended with the humiliation of a playoff loss to Sweden.

Like Southgate, Mancini turned to youth, but his biggest impact has been on the style of football produced by the Azzurri.

Italy use a 4-3-3 formation, with two playmakers in midfield, usually Jorginho and Marco Verratti, supporting two wingers who like to cut inside and full backs pushing forward to offer width.

There has been a greater emphasis on aggressive pressing and the result has been one of the most enjoyable Italian teams to watch in years.

The final showdown will be watched by around 65,000 fans at Wembley and millions more on television. The anticipation is great in England, as the hosts sense that this is their time to end a 55-year wait to add a second major trophy to their 1966

World Cup.