Here they come: the English.
We’ll be almost three days and six games deep into Euro 2024 by the time England kick-off their tournament against Serbia in Group C on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate’s strongest XI may not yet be clear, and there are pressing issues at multiple positions, but it’s hard not to be excited about England’s chances this summer. Their recent major tournament performances suggests that silverware beckons.
England’s tournament opener headlines Sunday’s Euro 2024 action, but there are two games to enjoy beforehand to warm yourselves up ahead of the evening slog.
Here’s how 90min envisages Sunday’s games playing out.
Sunday 16 June
We jump to Group D to begin Sunday, with an unfancied Poland taking on Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands.
Both teams have been hamstrung by injuries heading into the start of the tournament, and Poland won’t have all-time leading goalscorer Robert Lewandowski to call on in Hamburg. The Dutch, meanwhile, have lost Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners to injuries.
The Netherlands’ squad is deep and their defence may well be the most impressive at Euro 2024. In the absence of Lewandowski, it’ll be hard for this Poland side to do much damage.
There will be some English interest in the day’s second game as Slovenia and Denmark face off in Group C. Slovenia are the lowest-ranked nation in the group, but they aren’t expected to be walkovers this summer. They have one of the world’s best shot-stoppers in Jan Oblak, while Benjamin Sesko is an X-factor talent in attack.
Denmark will hope that Rasmus Hojlund makes an enormous difference after they were eliminated from the 2022 World Cup having scored just once. Still, Kasper Hjulmand’s squad will do well to match the semi-final berth they achieved at Euro 2020.
The Danes succumbed to England three years ago, and the Three Lions’ clash with Serbia rounds off Sunday’s action. Expectations remain high for Gareth Southgate’s side despite the couple of hiccups they’ve endured heading into the tournament, and anything but a victory would be a considerable disappointment despite the talent at Serbia’s disposal.
Both sides are blessed with immense attacking firepower, and given the question marks surrounding both defences, there could be a few goals in Gelsenkirchen.
Kick-off Time (BST) |
Fixture |
Prediction |
---|---|---|
14:00 |
Poland vs Netherlands |
0-2 |
17:00 |
Slovenia vs Denmark |
1-2 |
20:00 |
Serbia vs England |
1-2 |
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