England are back in action for UEFA Euro 2024 on Sunday when they take on Slovakia in the round of 16 in Gelsenkirchen. Switzerland await in the quarter-finals, but first these two must meet to see who progresses, with the English topping Group C and the Slovaks having finished third in Group E, although they are level on four points with both Romania and Belgium. The Three Lions, who were finalists in 2020, are expected to make another deep run under Gareth Southgate, but so far they have not reached the heights.
With five points from a possible nine, England beat only eliminated Serbia and were held to draws by Denmark and Slovenia, drawing criticism for the talented side. Southgate is still struggling to get the best out of key elements and will be expected to turn a corner here against a Slovakian side who beat Belgium but then lost to Ukraine and drew with the Romanians. With France, Portugal, Germany and Spain on the other side of the draw, this is a huge opportunity for the Three Lions.
Francesco Calzona's men are no wimps and have already shown against Belgium that they can take on the big boys. After losing just twice in 10 qualifying matches against a Portuguese team that topped their group, the Falcons are enjoying a revival. The high level of experience on all fronts, especially Martin Dubravka, Juraj Kucka, Milan Skriniar and Peter Pekarik, makes this team difficult to play against with quality elements like Stanislav Lobotka in the mix.
Here are our storylines, how to watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Sunday June 30 | Time: 12:00 PM ET
- Place: Arena AufSchalke – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
- TV: FOX | Live stream: Fubo (try for free)
- Chances: England -225; Draw +320; Slovakia +750
How they got here
England won Group C ahead of Denmark and Slovenia, while their only win came against eliminated Serbia. Slovakia were third in Group E but had the same number of points as Belgium and Romania with a win over the Belgians but a loss to eliminated Ukraine in what was a well-balanced group decided mainly by goal difference.
Team news
England: Luke Shaw is available and could replace Kieran Trippier, who suffered a knock and has been training separately with Declan Rice during the week. Anthony Gordon suffered a nasty fall but should be able to play while Phil Foden returned from a quick family visit after his partner gave birth. Gordon and Cole Palmer are likely to warm the bench again, while captain Harry Kane should score the goals after a relatively dry European Championship so far.
Possible England XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Mainoo, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane.
Slovakia: Calzona is consistent with his XI, so Dubravka, Skriniar and Lobotka should all start. Ondrej Duda and Kucka will support David Strelec or Robert Bozenik alongside Lukas Haraslin and Ivan Schranz at the top. Tomas Suslov was useful as a substitute, but is unlikely to displace Haraslin.
Possible Slovakia XI: Dubravka; Pekaric, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Kucka, Lobotka, Duda; Schranz, Bozenik, Haraslin.
Prediction
This one is likely to be tight, but expect England to go one goal further with a 1-0 or 2-1 win, but still secure a place in the quarter-finals. Choose: England 2, Slovakia 1.
