In 1990, Italy and England ended up playing for the wooden spoon of the Italia 90 World Cup tournament. Everyone said that the final of that tournament should have been between hosts Italy and an on fire England. Paul Gascoigne and Toto Schillaci were the two players that stood out as being the most entertaining in the tournament, one for his sheer brilliance, tears and antics, the other for his knack of scoring goals, his wide eyed look, and his ability to score goals with his head, despite his miniature build.

They were fond memories indeed. Malta was undergoing something of a political renaissance at the time, and things were looking up – Italy vs England was a treat – but it was not really a competitive game.

For the first time since 1980, Italy will meet England in a competitive tournament fixture. England has never beaten Italy at a major tournament, and will be looking to register their first win. Italy, as usual, will gain in confidence from having passed the group stage.

While many English and Italian people will be cheering their teams on to win, the atmosphere will probably not be as tense as it will be here in Malta. The vast majority of Maltese support England and Italy, with Italy fans probably edging it in numbers. The England fans, almost more English than the English, will make up for the numerical disadvantage through the use of colour, beer consumption and song.

It will surely be a day to remember, whichever side wins. Those that stand to gain the most, of course, are the bars, which will be ready to cater for the thousands of people who will seek a little bit more atmosphere in the hotspots of St Paul’s Bay. Tears will be shed on the night, and both sets of fans will try to antagonise each other. If this is done in a reasonably good spirit, there is no harm in it, but tempers will fray and the police might do well to have a fair amount of extra officers on duty on the night.

Banter will be thrown about, and one is sure that while England and Italy fans might choose their own ‘home’ bars, there will be places where both might congregate. One supposes that Malta will literally be a sea of white and blue – the two teams’ colours – and will also offer a great spectacle for tourists. Indeed, some have already remarked that there seems to be a lot of English and Italian people in Malta right now. Those of us who live here, of course, know better.

While the England and Italy fans’ rivalry in Malta is purely sportive and cultural nowadays, it used to be political back in the early 1930’s. The chances are that those of you who are reading this article will support one team or the other – and we say from now, may the best team win. We sincerely hope that Sunday will provide the sporting spectacle that Italy and England fans have clamoured for, for years. There can only be one winner and there also has to be a loser. We are sure that the teams will behave gracefully on the pitch. We can only hope that Maltese fans will behave gracefully too. Good luck to both!