KRAKOW, June 20: Italy haven’t met England in a major tournament in 22 years, and the excitement among the Azzurri for Sunday’s European Championship quarterfinal is palpable.

Midfielder Daniele De Rossi can’t wait to measure himself against his idol, Steven Gerrard while reserve forward Alessandro Diamanti calls the match in Kiev “a dream” that he thought could only be realized on PlayStation.

De Rossi, sometimes described as the Gerrard of Serie A, started the first two games at Euro 2012 in the unusual position of central defence before returning to midfield in the 2-0 win over Ireland which sealed second spot in Group ‘C’.

“Gerrard is the symbol of their team, he has been playing for 10 years. Gerrard is the symbol of this ‘universal’ player because he can play well in defence and in attack,” he told a news conference on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, I haven’t seen England much (at this tournament). They have young, very strong wingers. It won’t be easy.

“The coach has had a career which also brought him to Italy. They know how to be defensive but to attack. They are a strong side.”—AP