Newspaper headlines: 'Isolation insanity' and 'Beer we go' as England awaits

Many front pages feature good luck messages for the England football team ahead of their Euro 2020 semi-final against Denmark this evening.

"Let's make history" is the rallying cry from The Daily Mail. In a nod to one of Denmark's most famous exports, The Sun urges Gareth Southgate's side to "bring home the bacon".

The Daily Telegraph says the nation is a "land of hope" and one that has a "dream of glory". But the paper's Matt cartoon features a familiar warning for English football fans. "It's the Danes," the caption reads, showing Vikings coming ashore - "and I'm afraid they've been practising penalties!"

The much-anticipated match comes with some eye-watering numbers. Under its headline of "Beer we go," Metro says some 30 million pints will be drunk today, with almost seven million served in bars. The Daily Mirror estimates that there will be 25 million people watching the match on television.

For those wanting to be part of the 60,000 crowd at Wembley, the i has found tickets with a face value of 595 euros being sold online for £4,000.

The Danish paper, Politiken, is in bullish mood. "Denmark has all the right weapons to conquer Wembley - again," is its main headline, in a reference to the 1-0 scoreline the last time the two sides met in London. There's also a cartoon of the players mocked up as Vikings in a traditional long boat.

The online edition of the tabloid, BT, also urges the Danes to summon up the spirit of Sweyn Forkbeard's conquest in 1013. "We plundered England then, and we must do the same this time", is its message.

"Isolation insanity" is The Daily Mail's take on the extension of self-isolation rules in England until the middle of August. The former Conservative leader, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, has told The Daily Telegraph that delaying the changes for the fully vaccinated "makes a mockery" of the idea that all restrictions in England will end on 19 July.

But the Guardian has learned that ministers were told that ending self-isolation for all contacts in a fortnight's time would result in cases being 25% higher than waiting another month.

The Daily Express is upbeat about Sajid Javid's announcement on the end to self-isolating for those who have been fully vaccinated, calling it a "freedom boost". Similarly, the Daily Mirror urges its readers to "wait one more month". But in its leader column, the FT says asking those who have been double jabbed to stay at home "no longer makes sense".

The Times' editorial is even more exasperated: "Pinging hell", is the accompanying headline. It says while the change is welcome, it will not "take effect soon enough to prevent a summer of further chaos".

"Masks were ditched for the economy," is the i's lead. It says ministers were shown an analysis that concluded keeping compulsory face masks could cost the events and hospitality industry in England more than £4bn in lost revenues. Reviews of mass gatherings had found a public dislike for wearing face coverings at sporting, music and arts events. A Whitehall source has told the paper the findings were the "compelling" driving force behind the decision to scrap face masks.

The Times reports that boiling lobsters alive will be banned, as part of an expansion of the Animal Welfare Bill. The draft legislation currently only covers vertebrates - but the government is to back an amendment that would extend the law to cover shellfish and molluscs. Animal welfare campaigners say stunning lobsters with an electric gun or chilling them in ice before boiling are the most humane methods. The amendment is also likely to ban the practices of shrink wrapping live shellfish and sending them through the post.

The Guardian reports that Channel 4 could be allowed to makes its own programmes if it is privatised by the government. Ministers believe the broadcaster urgently needs outside investment to compete with streaming services such as Netflix. Independent production companies have warned about the financial impact of changing Channel 4's model, while the broadcaster has insisted it has a strategy to move away from its reliance on television advertising revenue.

And, while many football fans will be turning to their lucky charms for tonight's big game, the Daily Mail says those of a superstitious nature can do nothing about the fact the match is being shown on ITV. It points out England's record on the channel is "awful", with just six wins from 25 tournament matches since the start of the 1998 World Cup. By contrast, the team's record on the BBC is 17 victories from 24 games. Perhaps luckily, according to The Times, both broadcasters will show the final.