MATCH OF THE DAY
There are some things that people simply did not expect to hear at this competition. Perhaps the most notable came on Friday as England supporters celebrated triumph in a five-goal thriller against Sweden. They would settle for another dramatic win against Ukraine tonight which would take Roy Hodgson's side into the quarter-finals.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
An England side brimming with confidence after their first competitive win over Sweden will likely dismiss the co-hosts with a combination of counter-attacking football and defensive resilience. Once Hodgson's side have secured a place in the last-eight, expect to them to start harking on about going all the way. Before all that, however, there will be the usual collection of cliches, majestic pre-match montages and an over-worked summation of how pivotal Manchester United trio Ashley Young, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney will be.
BEST BET
Ukraine require a win to reach the quarter-finals and will need to go all-out attack in their final group match. This tactic will play right into the hands of the English, who will revel in the chance to sit back and pick their moment against the co-hosts. With this in mind, and England in-form, this could be a bigger win than many expect. England -1 at odds of 11/4 seems too good to turn down.
STAR MEN
Despite scoring impressively against Sweden, Andy Carroll's chances of starting tonight's match are similar to those of him getting a short back and sides when he gets back home. This is, of course, because of Wayne Rooney, who will likely trigger an entire reshuffling of his side's attack. That will feel somewhat unfortunate for the Liverpool striker as England's forwards looked extremely well-organised against Sweden, with Carroll holding up the ball and providing an aerial threat while Welbeck troubled the Scandinavians with skill and speed. He is not Rooney, though, and supporters – and Hodgson – will feel they have been made to wait long enough to see the Manchester United striker unleashed on the competition. He will likely prove a conspicuous presence up front.
NUMBERS GAME
43 The amount of times United talisman Rooney scored in league and cup competitions for the Old Trafford side last season. It is an impressive record and one which is likely to be augmented during his involvement in this tournament. He is an obvious pick, but Hodgson should perhaps feel fortunate that others have performed well enough in his stead so that Rooney's absence from the first two group games was largely insignificant.
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