'It's definitely our time' - England fans confident ahead of Italy quarter-final

 Ash Sharma
 In Kiev
 

When England face Italy on Sunday evening, they will be battling for the last remaining slot in the Euro 2012 semi-finals, and with eyes all over the world trained on the game, the Three Lions fans are in confident mood.

With only five teams left in the competition, both sides are in with a chance of lifting the trophy, but one set of supporters in the Kiev fanzone was slightly more bullish than the other.

"I've been here for two days now and am loving it," says Tom, an England fan and warehouse manager from London. "I think we can go all the way. It's definitely our time.

"I don't think we've got a great team but I do think we have the right spirit and that is what you need as much in these types of competition."

However, as I move down the fanzone away from the main crowd, one group who have come on a tour from Nottingham seem more concerned about England's chances. Pete, who is retired, is the only one willing to talk in front of a microphone.

"I give our chances as 50-50, just 50-50. It could go either way and will probably just be 1-0.

"I think Roy Hodgson is very defensive-minded for my liking. We need to be much more attacking. But so far he's got the results and it's paying off. So we'll see."

Those sentiments are echoed by the very few Italians who have made the trip. Marco and his brother Filipo, who are students and out here with a couple of friends, also seem nervous.

"The problem with Italy is that we look worried as a team all the time. Against Ireland it was also tense for us. But why? I don't understand," says Marco.

Filipo chips in: "I am worried about the England attackers. Rooney is very dangerous and Welbeck is so fast and we now don't have [the injured Giorgio] Chiellini, but I still think we will win!"

As I move still further down the fanzone I find some more fans, the two Johns, father and son from Folkestone. They express their anger at the BBC 'Panorama' documentary and the warning issued by Sol Campbell.

"It's a joke what that Campbell said, he should be made to apologise. We've been here for a few days now and it's been fantastic," John senior tells me.

"I mean fancy telling people that they will go home in a coffin. We've been going around everywhere wearing our England shirts. No one has been anything but really friendly."

John junior seems as fascinated by the Ukrainians as they are about the English: "There was this one guy last night and he was talking to the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. I am well impressed by them here." Both father and son burst out laughing.

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