England to host Italy in first Euro 2020 warm-up friendly

Italy will play England at Wembley on March 27, as the Azzurri and the Three Lions begin their preparations for Euro 2020.

England and Italy will face off in a friendly at Wembley in March.

England will face Italy in the first of four warm-up matches for Euro 2020, with Gareth Southgate's side set to host the Azzurri on March 27.

The Three Lions secured qualification for next year's finals in style with a 7-0 thrashing of Montenegro in November, before rounding off their campaign by defeating Kosovo 4-0.

Southgate's side will face Croatia, victor in the 2018 World Cup semifinal meeting between the teams, and the Czech Republic - which inflicted England's only defeat of the qualification campaign - in Group D, with Scotland, Israel, Norway or Serbia set to complete the pool.

Four-time world champion Italy has won 11 straight games under Roberto Mancini, its longest run of consecutive victories, and will play Turkey, Switzerland and Wales in Group A, with all of the Azzurri's group matches to be played in Rome.

England has also lined up friendlies against Denmark on March 31, Austria on June 2 and Romania five days later, with its Euros campaign set to kick-off at Wembley on June 14.