England defender Kyle Walker has warned Italy he and his teammates are after some "payback" when the Azzurri visit Wembley on Tuesday night in Euro 2024 qualifying.
The sold-out clash is the first time the two teams will have met at Wembley since the Italians beat the Three Lions on penalties in the Euro 2020 final.
The teams have faced off in Wolverhampton, Milan and Naples since that heartbreaking night for the English but Walker says this reunion in London is that bit more poignant.
“Listen, we fell short on that night,” the Manchester City and England right-back said. “This is the first time they’re coming back to Wembley, so hopefully we can go out there and put a good performance on and maybe get a little bit of payback.
“I think you learn from occasions where you’ve been in finals and lose finals and setbacks, and you go on and achieve something great.
“We get a draw and we go through, so it’s about managing the game. Obviously, first and foremost, it’s about going out and putting a performance on and winning."
Walker was speaking alongside manager Gareth Southgate at a pre-match press conference on Monday night and both emphasised the importance of securing the point needed for qualification for what would be the fourth major tournament under the 53-year-old coach's command.
“Ultimately, the first objective is always to qualify for the tournaments,” Southgate said. “Our performances earlier in the group have put us in a really strong position.
“The first thing we want to do is to play well and win the game, but we know if it’s the 87th minute and we’re level then we don’t need to lob the goalkeeper into the box at the end of the game.”
Southgate says his players have learnt lessons from that cruel climax to their Euro 2020 campaign.
“Experience,” the 57-cap former defender said of the difference in his side. “Experience of winning big matches, consistent performances. We’ve been ranked in the top five in the world now since 2018, so I don’t think there’s been any other period over the last 30-40 years where that’s been the case.
“These boys are consistently producing big nights, memorable nights, good performances, exciting performances in general and we want to keep doing that.”
Southgate has a full 25-man squad to select from. Decisions over players struggling for club game-time like Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips have been debated, as has a role for John Stones, who hasn't featured much for Manchester City because of a hip problem.
“John, we’re working closely with his club in terms of his recovery,” Southgate added. “He’s been out a long time, so we’ve got to keep assessing him.
“Marc [Guehi] is doing really, really well. He’s played with great maturity in the two games last month.
“He’s a very calm player, positionally excellent. At times he might not catch the eye in the way that some other players do because he’s in the right place, so he’s not having to tear around and cover for something that he’s got wrong.
“He’s composed with the ball, very good mentality, so we think he’s developing really well.”
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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
