Italy “have the weapons to win” against England in Euro 2025 semi-final, says Soncin | OneFootball

Andrea Soncin has insisted that Italy are capable of toppling England when the sides meet in Geneva on Tuesday.

The Azzurre, competing in their first European semi-final since 1997, have a tough test ahead of them as they must find a way past the defending champions if they’re to book their place in Sunday’s final.

But in the pre-match press conference, Soncin revealed that while Italy have “a great respect” for the Lionesses, he feels his side “are strongly convinced and aware that we can compete against them”.

“We are focused on what we want to achieve which is the final. In such a match, people say are they no favourites but they are the champions and of course they have this burden but we want to put all of our passion on the pitch to win this game.”

There’s no secret recipe, though. The 46-year-old, a former striker who enjoyed a storied career within Italy’s domestic leagues, explained that following their stunning victory over Norway, “the main aspect was to recover and find all the right energy for this match.”

“The [semi-final] will be highly physical, athletic and it’s a match in which we have a full focus and attention that no aspect is more important than another.”

“We are serene and these are the qualities which have accompanied us so far. We’re sure we have the weapons to win the match. We respect the quality of the England players, they have international experience. Our goal over the last few days was to recover our energy,” he reiterated.

Soncin didn’t dive too deeply into Italy’s strengths, but highlighted England’s ball possession as “one of their weapons” before adding that “they’re also a very vertical team. When they can release the ball, they exploit the space.”

The buildup to the semi-final has been overshadowed by abhorrent racial abuse suffered by England’s Jess Carter, who has made the decision to step away from social media. The Lionesses have revealed that they will not take the knee on Tuesday, and Soncin affirmed that there “is the greatest solidarity towards her” from the Italian squad.

“Any type of violence is not acceptable [and] cannot be tolerated. Because of the role we play, we have strong and huge responsibilities in giving positive messages and educational messages, first of all for the children that will be the adults of tomorrow.”

He continued: “There is maximum solidarity from out side and we are ready to take part in any campaign against this violence.”

Italy’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 semi-final against England gets underway in Geneva on Tuesday, with kick-off at 20:00 BST [21:00 CEST].