MX23RW : Tuesday, October 1 03:40:48| >> :600:113658:113658:

Gareth Southgate believes fixture away from Wembley is "probably a good thing"

Gareth Southgate believes fixture away from Wembley is
© Reuters
The Three Lions play Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals at the Stadio Olimpico.

Gareth Southgate believes England's first Euro 2020 road trip could be a help rather than a hinderance as they head to Rome for the quarter-final against Ukraine on the back of the emotional Germany win.

Having topped Group D unbeaten, the Three Lions secured a mammoth last-16 result against Die Mannschaft as Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane secured a 2-0 triumph at a rocking Wembley.

Tuesday's victory has seen hope and expectation increase that this could finally be the year that England add to the World Cup triumph of 1966, when Sir Alf Ramsey's side played all six of their games at the national stadium.

Gareth Southgate's side claimed an emotional win over Germany on Tuesday
Gareth Southgate's side claimed an emotional win over Germany on Tuesday (Mike Egerton/PA)

Southgate's men would play all but one of their matches at Wembley if they reached the Euro 2020 final, with Saturday's quarter-final against Ukraine at the Stadio Olimpico the only game they would play away from home.

Logistical headaches and hot weather replace home comforts and a partisan crowd, but the England boss believes that could provide the kind of shock they need after the Germany triumph.

"I think there was clearly a big emotional toll from the game and everybody enjoyed the day but, even in the dressing room afterwards, the players were already talking about the next game and the need to prepare well," Southgate said.

"So we have shifted the mindset quickly onto that next challenge.

"We've achieved one challenge but that's not the Everest we set ourselves, really. We want to push on from where we've got to now.

"I think the psychological freshness is key. We've obviously got a strong squad as well.

"It's actually, for us, probably a good thing to be going away now. It would've been very hard, three days later, to replicate that experience at Wembley.

"So now we've got a different sort of test.

"We've got to go away from home, play a good team, without many English fans in the stadium, so it's all about our group, it's all about our team and what we do, and the energy and focus that we create."

All 26 players trained at St George's Park ahead of Friday afternoon's flight to Italy, where they are overriding favourites with bookmakers to progress to the semi-finals.

Ukraine are 24th in the FIFA world rankings โ€“ 20 spots below England โ€“ and progressed to the last 16 as the luckiest third-placed side.

Andriy Shevchenko's men beat 10-man Sweden 2-1 in extra-time on Tuesday and Southgate is ready for a tough evening.

Andriy Shevchenko's Ukraine will face England in Rome on Saturday
Andriy Shevchenko's Ukraine will face England in Rome on Saturday (Stu Forster/Pool via AP)

"I think we know that Ukraine are a good side," he told UEFA. "I've been really impressed with what Andriy's done with them.

"They had a couple of sticky results through the autumn, through the Nations League but they've bounced back, and they got a very good result in France, in the World Cup qualifiers and, again, this week against Sweden.

"So if we give them space to play, they'll play, and they've got some dangerous forwards."

ID:453722: cacheID:453722:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8059:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
The New England Revolution huddle prior to the start of the game on May 29, 2021
Read Next:
England boast fully-fit squad for Ukraine quarter-final
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
12.30am
Titans
@
Dolphins
1.15am
Seahawks
@
Lions
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool65011221015
2Manchester CityMan City6420146814
3Arsenal6420125714
4Chelsea6411157813
5Aston Villa6411129313
6Fulham632185311
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle632187111
8Tottenham HotspurSpurs6312125710
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton623110829
10Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest62316519
11Bournemouth622289-18
12Brentford6213810-27
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd621358-37
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham6123610-45
15Ipswich TownIpswich6042510-54
16Everton6114715-84
17Leicester CityLeicester6033812-43
18Crystal Palace603359-43
19Southampton6015312-91
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves6015616-101


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!