On Tuesday, England will look to secure first place in Group C with a win against Slovenia. Gareth Southgate has confirmed that his side will only make one change from their opening two matches: Trent Alexander-Arnold will drop from starting lineup to the bench, being replaced with Cole Palmer and Conor Gallagher instead.
England XI vs Slovenia
England needs a victory to finish top of their group and secure an easier last-16 draw; Slovenia needs one to avoid being sent home at this stage of the tournament; this clash at RheinEnergieStadion should prove closely contested.
Gareth Southgate is under immense pressure to bring his Three Lions up to his high expectations after their two opening games fell far short of his expectations. Cologne will provide an ideal chance for England to redeem themselves and secure victory against Slovenia.
Slovenia have begun this tournament on a strong defensive note and with an effective counterattacking game. Although their attacking play may not be particularly impressive, they remain difficult to break down.
England are failing to create chances in the final third, and their lack of quality in their forward ranks is becoming evident. Phil Foden, Declan Rice and Kieran Trippier are not doing enough to create opportunities themselves while their defence struggles to contain Andraz Sporar and Benjamin Sesko’s fast runs.
Though England have struggled in possession, their defense is holding firm and keeping the score at 0-0. If England are to qualify for round two of this tournament, their attack must improve significantly in order to make an impressionful statement and move into scoring positions quickly enough.
Kobbie Mainoo’s inclusion has given England some energy and they have started moving the ball more swiftly. Still need to work on finishing in final third, but this was more promising performance than against Denmark.
Mainoo remains uncertain of his inclusion for England against Croatia in the last-16 match unless Southgate alters his strategy and changes things up, but his performance against Slovenia suggests he may feature. If England are to progress further in this tournament.
England XI vs Serbia
Gareth Southgate will be looking forward to getting England off to an impressive start at Euro 2016, but Serbia will provide an arduous opening test in Gelsenkirchen. England boast plenty of attacking talent that should enable them to deliver against Serbia, but this game will test them nonetheless.
England started strongly, forcing Serbia into making early mistakes. Their defense looked solid as Trippier successfully blocked an early shot from Mitrovic while Guehi made an aggressive tackle against Mladenovic who attempted to set up Bellingham before dispossessed before shooting.
Southgate makes his first change by withdrawing Luke Shaw due to injury in favour of Kieran Trippier. This should allow Trippier to cover Sergej Milinkovic-Savic at left-back while Kyle Walker can slot into midfield alongside Declan Rice to stop any opposing counterattack while creating space for England’s dangerous attacking players to exploit.
Phil Foden should be given every chance to shine in attack, with Eberechi Eze and Anthony Gordon providing pace. Bukayo Saka will start as he attempts to break into senior ranks; Cole Palmer can then come in late in the match to run at tired Serbian defenders.
An injury-hit squad but one still brimming with talent, Southgate can only hope to match the success of Euro 2016 campaign – this opening game against Serbia will provide an early indication as to where England stands after an impressive build-up process.
Teams have been announced and the excitement in the stadium is palpable. England are under intense pressure after their disappointing warm-up defeat against Iceland; but should be able to handle Dragan Stojkovic’s side.
Early tension on both sides as they strive to take control of the ball in a scrappy opening period. Serbia appear more dangerous as they threaten England’s backline; however Trippier was able to intercept Mladenovic’s dangerous cross and Guehi made another important tackle against Lukic for England – both teams now looking for that all-important first goal of this tournament!
England XI vs Denmark
On Thursday in Frankfurt, England will look to build on their win against Serbia with another success against Kasper Hjulmand’s Denmark side. Jude Bellingham’s header proved pivotal as England came away victorious; Gareth Southgate will hope his side can emulate that success when taking on Kasper Hjulmand and co.
Denmark enter this game having drawn with Slovenia and will need a victory to avoid being eliminated from the tournament. Their intensity levels waned during the second half against their opponents so Denmark should maintain high intensity throughout all 90 minutes for maximum result and three points.
Hjulmand is expected to make only one change for this clash, with Joakim Maehle expected to replace Alexander Bah at right wing-back. Christian Norgaard may partner him, while Mathias Jensen and Kasper Dolberg could vie for positions alongside Joachim Andersen and Vestergaard in midfield.
Phil Foden will have to decide between playing his preferred left-wing position or operating centrally for this match. After failing to make an impression against Serbia, Foden must make his presence felt this time around and make his mark on proceedings.
Kieran Trippier will continue at left-back while Luke Shaw continues his road back from muscle injury. Marc Guehi will also remain after an impressive showing against Serbia and will partner John Stones on defence.
Southgate is unlikely to alter his midfield balance with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rice likely remaining as mainstays, although either Kobbie Mainoo or Conor Gallagher could replace Rice if necessary.
England can finish this group match at the top of their pool with six points and qualify as Group C champions with a victory; otherwise they may face tough opposition in Croatia who defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 earlier.
England XI vs Croatia
The Three Lions will look to build on their nervous start and must find some form in the final third in order to move forward in this match. Gareth Southgate opted to keep his side unchanged from their last group game against Denmark and is anticipated to use his bench for the first time since their win against Serbia.
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw returns from recovering from a calf injury and could replace Kyle Walker as England’s second choice left back. Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa and Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka could partner Kieran Trippier on either flank, while Manchester City midfielder Kobbie Mainoo could add pace and energy alongside John Stones and Marc Guehi at centre back.
Slovenia are one of the slower and less creative teams at Euro 2024 but will need to remain wary of England’s threat in front of goal. RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko has yet to score for England so will look to add some excitement during their final group stage match at RheinEnergieStadion.
England have only managed one victory against Croatia over their past three meetings, losing 2-1 at World Cup 1994 and drawing 1-1 at Euro 2004 respectively. Only once out of seven meetings has either side failed to score at goal!
Jerome Brisard from France will serve as referee for this match, assisted by compatriots Samuel Blanco and Andrej Draganovic; Mark Clattenburg will officiate instead of Romain Ayala due to injury. It will be broadcast live in the UK via ITV and BBC; live streams can also be found via their respective Player/iPlayer services. Subscribe to their respective Sport Newsletters for all of the latest from world of football; Twitter/Instagram/Facebook followers can keep up-to-date by following us for live blogs/analysis of every game during Euro 2016; click here for more.
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