Italy centre-back Francesco Acerbi has claimed that it is harder to mark Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku than it is to defend against Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Lazio defender has experience of playing against both Lukaku and Ronaldo after facing them in Serie A, when the Rome outfit come up against Inter Milan and Juventus.
Roberto Mancini's side progressed in the Euro 2020 tournament with a 2-1 win against Austria after extra time, and will now face Belgium in the quarter-finals after they defeated Portugal 1-0 on Monday.
However, prior to Belgium's clash with Portugal, Acerbi hinted he would have preferred to face Ronaldo rather than Lukaku, and told reporters: "Maybe Lukaku. Because he's a complete player, as well as Cristiano Ronaldo, who always scores.
"As a centre-forward, Lukaku is more difficult to mark because he has more physique, he has power and is a bit more of a striker. Cristiano Ronaldo is the classic forward, but he is more markable than Lukaku."
Italy will face Belgium in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 on Friday in Munich.
Sammy Wynne
