Gareth Southgate expressed England’s “huge sympathy” with the people of Ukraine ahead of Sunday’s “crucial” European Championship qualifier between the two sides at Wembley.
Three days after kicking off Group C with an impressive 2-1 victory at reigning champions Italy, England step out in front of a sell-out crowd under the arch looking to take a major step towards the finals.
Sunday’s match is Ukraine’s first in this qualification campaign and comes with war still ongoing after Russia's invasion last February.
Asked if that backdrop made their opposition more unpredictable, England boss Southgate said: “I would say it is entirely predictable.
“They are very proud. We saw that right at the beginning of the war when they went to Scotland for the (World Cup) play-offs and Wales.
“They are a very proud group of players, you can see that. Totally committed to bringing enjoyment to their public.
“We, of course, have huge sympathy with what’s going on and support for what’s going on, but tomorrow’s a game of football and we are fully focused on trying to win the game.
“It’s a crucial game in the qualifying group, frankly. If we can follow on what we did the other night and win this one, then we’re in a really good place.”
Italy v England - player ratings
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ITALY RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6. Displayed excellent reflexes to tip a Bellingham shot over the bar in the 12th minute. Had next to nothing to do in the second half. AFP -
Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 4. Carelessly handled the ball while challenging Kane to give the Three Lions a penalty. Reuters -
Leonardo Spinazzola - 5. Endured a torrid first half against the in-form Bukayo Saka. Had very little defensive work to do in the second half but got forward well to support in attack. Getty Images -
Rafael Toloi - 5 Gave Rice too much space to get a shot off and give England the lead in the 13th minute. Looked more solid after that early gaffe. Getty Images -
Francesco Acerbi - 6. A quiet game for Acerbi in the middle of Italy's backline. Stuck to his job well and had a half chance to draw Italy level in the second half. EPA -
Nicolo Barella - 6. His combative spirit saw him get into a number of scuffles in the first half. A tireless runner, but he lacked that bit of quality to provide the final pass to breach England’s backline. AP -
Jorginho - 5. Worked hard at the base of Italy’s midfield but got overrun by England's more athletic midfielders in the first half. Improved in the second half. AFP -
Marco Verrati - 7. Played a brilliant pass to find Pellegrini in the box early in the second half. Helped Italy win the midfield battle after the break. EPA -
Domenico Berardi - 5. Struggled against Shaw and failed to provide much of a threat to Pickford’s goal. Getty Images -
Lorenzo Pellegrini - 7. Delivered two dangerous corners to cause panic in the England penalty area at the beginning of the second half. Found Rategui with a disguised pass to bring the Azzurri back into the game. Getty Images -
Mateo Retegui - 8. Should have at least tested Pickford from a corner in the sixth minute. Capped off his debut with a side-footed finish into the bottom corner to bring Italy back into the game. EPA -
SUBS: Matteo Politano (Berardi, 62) - 6. Almost got on the end of a Gnonto cross in the 77th minute. Getty Images -
Bryan Cristante (Barrela, 62) - 6. Worked hard after coming on but couldn't help Italy grab the equaliser. Getty Images -
Wilfred Gnonto (Pellegrini, 69) - 7. Came on and caused a lot of problems for England on the right-hand side. Getty Images -
Sandro Tonali (Jorginho, 69) - 6. Denied by a Stones block in the 75th minute. Added an extra body to the Azzurri midfield to help the dominate the game in the second half. Getty Images -
ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford - 6. Displayed his sweeper-keeper role to deny Berardi in the 30th minute. Made two decent saves to deny Italy an equaliser. Getty Images -
Kyle Walker - 6. Had a good game against Pellegrini in the first half but really struggled against the more tricky Gnonto as Italy piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser. Getty Images -
Luke Shaw - 5. Defended and attacked well in the first half. Picked up a first yellow card for time wasting in the 78th minute and just a minute later, picked up a second booking for a foul. EPA -
Harry Maguire - 4. At fault for Italy’s first goal as he made a misplaced pass, needlessly jumped in to foul Barella whilst trying to recover the ball, and left Rategui in acres of space to bring the Azzurri back into the game. Looked shaky as the Italy piled on the pressure. Getty Images -
John Stones - 7. Made a good last-man block to deny Retegui in the 39th minute. Made a number of last-ditch blocks to deny Italy in the second half and looked like the more assured defender next to Maguire. AFP -
Declan Rice - 9. Had a very busy start to the game with Italy applying early pressure. Gave England the lead with a close-range left-footed finish in the 13th minute. Made a well-timed sliding challenge to stop Barella at the edge of the box in the 27th minute. AP Photo -
Jude Bellingham - 6. Tested Donnarumma with a rasping shot in the 12th minute. Enjoyed a lively first half but struggled to get involved in the second. Getty Images -
Kalvin Philips - 6. Had a chance to play Kane through on goal but chose to shoot and hit his shot wide in the 32nd minute. Provided good cover for the Three Lions backline next to Rice. AP Photo -
Jack Grealish - 5. Inexplicably missed an open goal when Kane found him with a low cross in the 46th minute. Failed to really get into the game in the second half. Getty Images -
Bukayo Saka - 7. Had England's first shot on target with a tame shot in the eighth minute. Was a thorn in the flesh of Spinazzola all through the game. AP Photo -
Harry Kane - 8. His blocked shot from close range ricochetted into the path of Rice to give England the lead. Became England’s top scorer from the penalty spot on the stroke of half-time. Getty Images -
SUBS: Phil Foden (Grealish, 69) - N/A. Surprisingly subbed off early in the 81st minute due to a red card to Shaw. Getty Images -
Kieran Trippier (Foden, 81) - N/A. Came on to try and help England close out the game with 10 men. EPA -
Reece James (Saka, 85) - N/A. A solid short cameo as Southgate looked to hold on for the win. Getty Images -
Conor Gallagher (Bellingham, 85) - N/A. Wonderful cameo. Was everywhere, breaking up play, tidying up. Getty Images
Thursday’s trip to Euro 2020 final conquerors Italy in Naples and this clash against Ukraine, ranked 26th in the world, are comfortably the hardest pair of fixtures in a group that is completed by North Macedonia and Malta.
England are expected to get maximum points against the latter nations in June, meaning progress may be all but secured when September’s reverse fixture against the Ukrainians comes around.
The ongoing war at home means Ukraine have had to play international fixtures on the road, with the venue for their home games yet to be determined.
“I have not even thought about that,” Southgate said when asked if he hoped the match could take place in Ukraine.
“I am only thinking about tomorrow at this moment. Other people will have those discussions. We have got several matches before we get to that point.”
The immediate focus is on Sunday, with England heading into the qualifier with a depleted squad.
Marcus Rashford, Mason Mount and Nick Pope withdrew from the initial selection, with Reece James pulling out of the squad on Saturday for an assessment on what the Football Association called an “ongoing issue”.
Luke Shaw trained with the group on the eve of the game but is suspended following his sending-off for two yellow cards in Italy.
Southgate is hopeful they have “just about got enough to get through the game”, downplaying concerns over midfielders Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham and Kalvin Phillips.
“They’re all good,” the England boss said. “With Kalvin, (Italy) was his first 90 for a little while. He had 90 at Bristol City in the cup, so we’ll just have to assess freshness as much as anything.
“But that’s the same with the whole group. It is that time of the year and we have got to get the balance right of continuity, consistency, but also freshness.”
A special presentation will be made to skipper Harry Kane on Sunday after he scored his 54th international goal in Italy to become England’s all-time record scorer.
Brentford striker Ivan Toney will be hoping for a memorable moment of his own against Ukraine as the only uncapped member of the group looks to make his debut.
“He’s been very good,” Southgate added. “We really like him and he’s very much in our thoughts.
“You know the numbers we’ve got with us now, so there’s always the dual objective.
“There’s, of course, a desire to see players, but we are in a qualifying group, where the priority is to win the game first and foremost, so whatever we decide is with a view to doing that.”
