'Italy living up to potential - and could punish England'

England v Italy

Venue: Stade de Geneve, Geneva Date: Tuesday, 22 July Kick-off: 20:00 BST

Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, text commentary and video highlights on the BBC Sport website and app

Before the start of Euro 2025, Italy head coach Andrea Soncin was asked about his goalkeeper Laura Giuliani describing him as a "dreamer".

"I like the term," he said., external "While I'm very practical and grounded, I also like to dream. When I encourage the girls to challenge and beat teams that they might have thought unbeatable, it's because I believe they can.

"I don't know where we'll end up in this Euros but I'm sure we'll be courageous and confident, and play every game to the best of our abilities. Let's see where that takes us."

So far it has taken them to the semi-finals - the first time they have reached that stage of the competition for 28 years - as they have lived up to their pre-tournament label of dark horses.

On Tuesday they will face defending champions England as they look to cause a major upset and secure a place in their first final since 1997.

So who are their key players and how can they hurt the Lionesses in Geneva?

At the heart of Italy's impressive run is their captain Cristiana Girelli, who has scored three goals at this Euros, including a double in her side's 2-1 win over Norway in the quarter-finals.

With 61 goals for her country, she sits third on their all-time scorers list, but her influence runs far deeper than numbers.

"She's so important," Italian football expert Nicky Bandini tells BBC Sport. "She's absolutely iconic.

"Obviously, she's got a long history of doing this for the national team. But she really has taken on that role of being the leader to the group, of being the one who has been there and seen it all before.

"She's a calm presence in a team not used to being in these situations in a major tournament.

"She's really got that know-how, that ability to define spaces that is so important for a centre-forward. She doesn't always have one fixed spot on the pitch. She sometimes plays the number 10, she sometimes plays the number nine.

"But more than that, she's been a figurehead for the group."

The 35-year-old Juventus striker has been ably assisted by her former club team-mate Sofia Cantore, who set up both her goals in that quarter-final.

"She's had such a strong tournament, getting her connection to Girelli from playing together at Juventus is just really important," says Bandini. "You saw that on both goals against Norway - it's just having someone who knows how to look for Girelli in those spaces."

Italy, who have not beaten England since 2012, appointed Soncin in September 2023 despite having only ever worked in men's football, yet he has gradually won over his critics.

"There was a fair bit of scepticism about Soncin because he came in as someone who only had experience in the men's game and who mostly coached at youth level," Bandini says.

"But he has really brought something positive over the last couple of years and you can see that here.

"I felt like coming into this tournament, the energy around the group was much, much better than it had been at past tournaments."

And on the pitch in Switzerland the team have delivered, finishing second in their group behind tournament favourites Spain with performances which have shown tactical flexibility and an ability to capitalise on opponents' weaknesses.

"[Against England] it is going to be a technically fascinating game," says Bandini. "I'm really curious to see how Italy approach it, because one of the strengths of Italy, one of the strengths of the coach at this tournament, is that he's shown he can change things up."

Italy have switched formations depending on the opposition, playing with a back five against the formidable Spain and a back four against Norway.

Against the Norwegians, it was a move to target their weakness at full-back - a strategy that worked to perfection and could be tested against the Lionesses too.

"When we talk about England, we talk all the time about the left-back position being one major headache that's consistently come up for Sarina Wiegman," Bandini says.

"Even when you look at the opposite side, Lucy Bronze likes to go forward. That's part of her game.

"So I can very much see the wide areas being a focus in this game. They really are the strength of this Italy team - the options they have there are really strong."

If Italy go to a back three, Bandini expects the wing-backs - Lisa Boattin and Lucia di Guglielmo - to threaten England with their dribbling skills.

"Italy have so many players who are confident running with the ball," she adds.

While Italy reached the European Championship final in 1993 and 1997, that was when the tournament had just four and eight teams respectively, and the country's support for women's football has since lagged behind other European nations.

It was only after the Azzurre's surprise quarter-final run at the 2019 World Cup that the Italian Football Federation pledged to make the top division professional by the 2022-23 season.

"Football is the first professional women's team sport in Italy, so that in itself was a major step forward," says Bandini, who has an Italian father and English mother.

"It just simply wasn't given the same cultural focus it was in some other countries at the same time."

Two clubs, Juventus and Roma, have led the way in terms of prioritising the women's game and it shows both on the pitch and in the Italy squad. Against Norway in the quarter-finals, four of Italy's outfield starters came from Juve, with three from Roma.

"These are players who are used to being together, working together and understanding each other's strengths and weaknesses," says Bandini.

"This tournament is breaking new ground. It's the first time the team has been able to do it in a bigger tournament."

Though Bandini believes England are strong favourites to reach the final because of their strength in depth, she thinks Italy will be looking to pounce on any slip-ups.

"While England have had moments of weakness, Italy have played up to their potential throughout this tournament," she says.

"They've shown that even in a game where they didn't see much of the ball against a technically superior Spain, they still looked like they might get a result.

"If England are careless, they are capable of taking advantage. Italy are capable of punishing a team on their day, and I think if England are not at their best, they could be punished."