Netherlands wants to show strength against Poland
The Netherlands will face Poland in their opening match of Group D in Hamburg at 8pm on June 16. While Poland qualified via a play-off, the Netherlands comfortably qualified and are aiming to win their second European Championship.
Poland will be playing in their fifth consecutive major tournament this summer and will be hoping to reach the last 16 despite a tough group, although their hopes have been somewhat dented by an injury to Robert Lewandowski which will leave the Eagles without their top scorer for their opening game.
The Netherlands (right) wants to show its strength against Poland.
Since taking over from Fernando Santos, new coach Michal Probierz has delivered excellent results. Poland beat Estonia and then Wales to qualify for Germany in the play-offs. This month, the Eagles have played two friendly matches, winning 3-1 against Ukraine and then beating Türkiye 2-1 with five different players scoring, giving hope that Lewandowski's absence will not be too much of a concern.
However, history is not on their side as Poland have won just two of their 14 EURO matches so far and have failed to beat the Netherlands in 12 meetings with the 'Orange Storm' since 1979.
In their 11th EURO appearance, the Netherlands want to relive the beautiful memory of lifting the European Cup held in Germany in 1988 thanks to the famous volley of legend Marco van Basten in the final.
The team nicknamed "Orange Storm" have not reached the EURO semi-finals for 20 years and the team under coach Ronald Koeman is now keen to do so.
Facing world runners-up France and Austria in Group D, their first task will be to get three points against Poland to prove they can progress further in the tournament. After a 4-0 win over Canada in a friendly last week, the Netherlands then crushed Iceland by the same scoreline earlier this week.
The Netherlands will be full of confidence heading into their opening game in Hamburg. Captain Virgil van Dijk has scored in both warm-up wins and will lead a defence packed with impressive performers; the absence of Frenkie de Jong in midfield could derail any dreams of progress but Koeman's side have high expectations this summer.
Danish "Toy Soldiers" Depart
Slovenia and Denmark aim to win 3 points to keep their ambitions of advancing alive when they clash in the first match of Group C taking place at 11pm on June 16.
Denmark are looking to replicate their legendary 1992 EURO triumph, while Slovenia, coached by Matjaz Kek, are in the driving seat to progress. They are returning to the continent's premier international tournament for the first time since 2000, when they made their debut as an independent nation following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.
Coach Matjaz Kek determined to win 3 points against Denmark
Slovenia were eliminated in the group stage of the EURO 24 years ago without a win. But the 57th-ranked team has made its mark in official matches and friendlies, losing just one of its last 12. A 1-1 draw with Bulgaria in the final warm-up friendly was not something the Slovenians were too happy about, given the lack of attacking options.
Meanwhile, 32 years after shocking the world at EURO 1992, Denmark have mixed memories of the tournament three years ago. They reached the semi-finals against England before being painfully eliminated in extra time.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand's team failed to extend their performance to the 2022 World Cup when they performed poorly and were eliminated from the group stage. However, the "Tin Soldiers" still keep faith in their 52-year-old coach.
Serbia challenges the "Three Lions"
England's quest to shake off their EURO 2020 disappointment begins with their Group C opener against Serbia at the Veltins-Arena at 2am on June 17.
Neither team has lifted the trophy since the continental championship began, and they face further challenges in Group D with Denmark and Slovenia.
Runners-up at the EUROs twice in 1960 and 1968 during the former Yugoslavia, Serbia are determined to make an impressive debut at this year's tournament, having never qualified for the finals as an independent nation before.
Led by Dragan Stojkovic - considered one of the best talents to ever play for Serbia, the Southeast European team qualified with just 4 wins from 8 matches. But that was enough to help them end 24 years of being on the outside of the EURO finals.
Runner-up England (left) departs
Filled with recognizable names in the squad such as Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Dusan Tadic (Ajax) and the pair Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Hilal Club), Serbia's recent form has not been much to write home about, with just four wins from their last 11 matches. However, two of those wins have come in three friendlies ahead of EURO 2024. Therefore, the inconsistent form of their opponents England will give Stojkovic's team optimism about being able to defeat the "Three Lions".
Less than three years after their disappointing defeat in the EURO 2020 final at Wembley, England arrived in Germany as favourites. Gareth Southgate remains in charge of the Three Lions after they qualified unbeaten after their defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Despite two "revenge" victories over defending champions Italy in the qualifying round, England are still being questioned as potential candidates for this year's EURO after their recent results - only 1 win in 5 matches. In particular, England did not show convincing performance in their only victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-0).
What the English team lacks is the ability to seize opportunities to score goals. Mr. Southgate has made personnel changes in the friendly matches in the hope of showing a different face in Germany.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-euro-2024-hom-nay-anh-va-ha-lan-som-gap-thach-thuc-185240616010450759.htm
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