With the results of the third round of matches in Groups A and B already determined, England does not need the final round of matches to secure a ticket to the round of 16 of Euro 2024. With 4 points after two matches, England is currently at the top of Group C and will be in one of the top 3 positions when the group stage ends.
Even in the worst-case scenario, England fall to third place, they will still be among the top four best third-placed teams and qualify for the round of 16. Being sure of a ticket to the next round will help Southgate and his team to ease the pressure, they will be comfortable when entering the match against Slovenia at Cologne Stadium (Germany).
England have been heavily criticised after their first two matches at Euro 2024 (Photo: Getty).
After two matches at Euro 2024, England was heavily criticized, especially by the British media when many famous former players expressed their disappointment with Southgate and his team. In the opening match against Serbia, England played a boringly pragmatic game, they won 1-0 but this match became the most boring match of Euro with only 11 shots in 90 minutes.
In the match against Denmark, England took the lead in the 18th minute and then continued to play pragmatically. However, Denmark fought back strongly and it did not take long for them to equalize. The Nordic team even surrounded England to prevent them from fighting back and Southgate and his team were lucky to keep a point.
Southgate and the British media, which had some clashes before the Euro, but although each side has its own point of view, it must be admitted that the England team at Euro 2024 has not met the expectations of a championship candidate. England's attacking style is quite bland, the attacking options are not smooth, lack diversity, and do not fully exploit the strengths of the players.
England have already qualified, but they cannot rest for the match against Slovenia, and they must win. Because England need to keep their top spot in the group. If they finish second in the group, they will have to face Germany, if they finish third, they will face Portugal in the round of 16. That is certainly not the scenario that England fans are waiting for. Therefore, England need to avoid facing a strong opponent in the round of 16, and they can only do that if they keep their top spot in the group.
If Denmark do not beat Serbia, England will retain their top spot in the group if they do not lose to Slovenia. However, playing and waiting for the result is not allowed for a team like England, they need to be proactive with their goals, so fighting to win is the task that Southgate must set.
Slovenia lost the victory to Serbia in the last minute (Photo: Getty).
Slovenia’s emotions in their first two matches at Euro 2024 have been mixed. In the first match, Slovenia trailed Denmark for a long time, but they fought hard in the second half and found an equalizer with 13 minutes left. With more luck, Slovenia could have beaten Denmark thanks to an explosive second half.
In the match against neighboring team Serbia, Slovenia scored a goal in the middle of the second half despite not playing very well. It seemed that Matjaz Kek and his team had found a ticket to the round of 16, but suddenly in the last minute of extra time, Serbia found an equalizer and snatched a point.
With 2 points, Slovenia is currently in 3rd place behind Denmark and England. Coach Kek's team will advance if they do not lose to England, regardless of the result between Serbia and Denmark. However, if Slovenia plays well, they can completely compete for the top spot in the group, if they beat England with a bigger score than Denmark beat Serbia (in case Denmark does not win, Slovenia only needs to win to top the group).
The prospect of topping Group C is really beautiful and that is certainly the motivation for Coach Kek to fight hard tonight. Of course, to create a new history at Euro, Slovenia also needs to create a new history against England, because they have never won against the "Three Lions" in 6 previous matches, losing 5 and drawing 1-1. And it seems that Slovenia is ready.
"We are still in control of our destiny, with all due respect to England, a great team. This will be the biggest test for this generation of players. I am sure it will not be the last. We have calmed down after the match against Serbia and analysed the positives and negatives from that match," coach Kek declared before the match.
Expected lineup
English : Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Gallagher, Bellingham, Rice; Foden, Kane, Saka.
Slovenia : Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Elsnik, Gnezda cerin, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nhan-dinh-anh-slovenia-2h00-ngay-256-nhung-toan-tinh-nang-triu-20240625113316091.htm
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