Hello. Football’s on later. Thanks for joining us for our live blog, we will bring you all the build-up, gossip and team news ahead of England’s match against Italy at 8pm.
The news, as reported above by Messrs Law and McGrath above, is that Gareth plans to use a back three, and that Kieran Trippier is going to come into the side.
That’s bad news for young Master Saka, who will make way. Saka has been one of England’s star players for his attacking on the right flank, moving ahead of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho in the pecking order.
Southgate has been training with different formations in the last days and it is thought that some of the work is done in which team is on the pitch at the final whistle against Italy. Jordan Henderson is poised to come off the bench after doing so in the last four matches.
Earlier today, the Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham insisted that England’s “band of brothers” remain calm ahead of the final.
“The mood in the camp is very calm. They are aware of what a fantastic opportunity this is, they are aware of the excitement throughout the country, but the mood in the camp is calm and they are looking forward to it,” Bullingham told The Andrew Marr Show on BBC One.
“I think one of the things that Gareth [Southgate] has managed to do, along with the support team, is build a really strong environment, there’s a fantastic ‘band of brothers’ feeling and togetherness, but there is also a really strong resilience there and they are really supportive of each other.
“He [Southgate] is genuinely calm, he’s one of the calmest people in the country. He is so well prepared and he has a good support team around him. He is in a good place.”
Bullingham believes England’s first appearance in a major final for 55 years goes beyond football.
He continued: “I think they are a fantastic group of people who we are very proud of. What they have done on the pitch has been fantastic but I think it goes beyond that.
“I think there are some individuals who have driven social change and who have been incredibly supportive of charities and, as I said, we are proud to have them as our team.
“I do believe that he and the team have really bought the country and communities together after what has been an incredibly difficult 15 months for everyone.”