With the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 semi-finals in Switzerland coming up, there are just three games left. Current champions England will play Italy in an attempt to defend their title, while Spain, the current world champions, will play eight-time European champions.
Three weeks of football action has been captivating thus far, and there is still more to come.
Since FIFA began its women’s rankings in 2003, Italy has never fallen below 19th place, despite currently being eight spots below England in 13th place in the world rankings. Although England has lost both of their head-to-head matches in the Euros, in 1987 and 2009, both by a score of 2-1, they have won seven of their past ten games against Italy across all competitions.
England’s Defence
A recurrent theme throughout England’s tournament has been the defense’s vulnerabilities, with France and Sweden posing a threat due to their speed. Jess Carter has attempted to address the problem by playing as a left-sided centre-back, a right-sided centre-back, and a left-back on three separate occasions. In addition, Alex Greenwood moved from centre back to full-back, and defender Esme Morgan made an impact in the victory over Sweden after coming off the bench. In addition to having a selection dilemma because Morgan is vying for a starting spot, Wiegman may decide to shield Carter from the racial abuse.
Captain Leah Williamson’s availability was also questioned after she was spotted on crutches and wearing a protective boot on Thursday. However, Wiegman acknowledged that Williamson was fully trained on Monday and that she had fully healed from an ankle ailment. After falling down by two goals in their victory over Sweden, England became the first team to advance from a knockout match at the Euros. In the meantime, Italy had taken the lead in each of their first four games.
Italy’s challenges
Even though Italy’s top women’s football league was created in 1968, the domestic sport has only recently become completely professional. The national squad have never slipped below 19th in Fifa’s world rankings , however they failed to qualify for four successive World Cups between 2003 and 2015. In recent encounters, England has out victorious. After winning 2-1 in the Arnold Clark Cup in February 2023, Wiegman’s team lost 5-1 in a friendly a year later. However, Italy has a player in form in captain Cristiana Girelli, who has scored three goals in the competition thus far.
When and Where to watch?
The match would begin at 12:30 AM IST and would be available on Fancode for viewers.
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