2022 Under-19 EURO semi-final preview: France vs Israel, England vs Italy

The 2022 Under-19 EURO semi-finals will be contested on Tuesday 28 June as France meet Israel and England take on Italy for a place in Friday's final in Trnava.

All four semi-finalists have booked their tickets to the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, while third-placed group finishers Austria and hosts Slovakia will go head to head on Tuesday to decide Europe's fifth slot in the tournament.

France vs Israel

In a match pitting together two of the competition's most attack-minded outfits, semi-final debutants Israel face three-time champions France.

This will be Les Bleuets' 11th appearance in this round of the tournament. They were defeated on the two most recent occasions in 2018 and 2019; however, they have gone on to capture the title three of the four times they have been the victors – in 2005, 2010 and 2016.

Having won all three of their group matches – recording 11 goals and conceding only two in the process – France coach Landry Chauvin wants to "keep this momentum going" and their "win, win, win" state of mind.

Keen to rotate and experiment with formations, Chauvin has fielded every one of his 20 players, which will certainly give Israel coach Ofir Haim a lot to think about.

That being said, Israel won't sit back. They have thrived under Haim and his philosophy of "play fast, enjoy the game and have fun", and the coach has lauded his squad's unity, resilience and dogged determination during qualification and the group stage.

France's possession-based approach versus Israel's counterattacking savvy will certainly make for an intriguing spectacle.

• France forward Loum Tchaouna is the finals top scorer so far with four goals.

England vs Italy

The Azzurrini pipped the Young Lions to the showpiece when the sides met in a 2016 semi-final in Mannheim.

Italy have, in fact, never lost a last-four tie, winning four from four. Contrastingly, England have a 50% success rate in the fixture, taking victory in just three from six.

However, despite numerous appearances at this stage, both sides have only gone the whole way once: Italy in 2003 and England in 2017.

The Young Lions logged a perfect group stage, recording three victories with three clean sheets. They have proved to be well-drilled, structured and disciplined, but also clinical in the final third with seven goals scored by five different players. Nevertheless, coach Ian Foster still wants to see his team "more ruthless in the final third".

Carmine Nunziata's charges, on the other hand, recorded narrow wins in their first two matches but enter the tie on the back of a heavy loss to France. Will they be able to find their form in time to face an assured England on Tuesday?

• England won 2-0 when the sides met in a friendly in September 2021.