James Milner says he wants to earn the bragging rights over Manchester City teammate Mario Balotelli when England face Italy in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals.

The Three Lions advanced to the knockout stages as winners of Group D after a 1-0 win over Ukraine in Donetsk on Monday.

Balotelli's Azzurri qualified for the next round as Group C runners-up and Milner is looking forward to facing his club teammate in the last eight.

"These are the strongest teams in Europe and you have to work hard to stop them playing football," said Milner.

"We're very organised and have dangerous players.

"I'll be giving Mario Balotelli a bit of banter, and hopefully we can keep him quiet."

England face Italy in the quarter-finals in Kiev on Sunday.