EURO 2024: England vs Slovakia Live
Preview: England vs Slovakia
England vs Slovakia comes off on Sunday at 4:00pm at the Veltins Arena as the Three Lions continue their pursuit of a continental title after a not so convincing group stage performance in group C of EURO 2024. The winner of this game will go on to face Switzerland in the quarterfinals.
Some lackluster performances in the group stage serve as a reminder to some England fans not to get too ahead of themselves. Despite facing criticism, manager Gareth Southgate’s team managed to top Group C with one win and two draws, earning a match against Slovakia. The teams have a history of facing each other since the early 2000s, with England holding a strong record in their six previous encounters. However, given the similarities to their disappointing Euro 2016 campaign, where they were eliminated at this stage by Iceland, England would be wise not to underestimate their opponents and focus on the task at hand.
Slovakia, playing as the underdog and aiming to advance further in a Euro tournament than ever before as an independent nation, has been rewarded with a match against the tournament favorites after finishing third in Group E. This upcoming game against the top team does not intimidate Slovakia, as they have already achieved a significant victory in Euro 2024 by defeating a highly-ranked Belgium team 1-0 in their group stage. Now, they head to Gelsenkirchen for the first time in this tournament, seeking their first-ever win against England.
Head-to-head
In the last six matches against Slovakia, England has won five and drawn one. Their most recent encounter resulted in a 2-1 victory for England.
Prediction
England has one of the most skilled squads in the tournament, but they have not lived up to this reputation in the group stage. However, we anticipate a strong response from them due to their abundance of talent. The difference in quality between the two teams is substantial, leading us to predict that England will advance to the quarterfinals to face Switzerland.
