England face Slovakia in the UEFA Euro 2024 round of 16, and they will look to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Gareth Southgate’s men were quite underwhelming in the group stages of the competition, and they have picked up just one win out of three. England will look to bounce back strongly and put on a convincing performance vs Slovakia on Sunday.
On paper, England are the better team, and they will be expected to pick up a comfortable victory. On the other hand, Slovakia were lucky to secure qualification to the knockout rounds. They finished third in Group F, but every other team finished with four points, and they managed to get through on technicalities.
It will be interesting to see if they can put on a strong performance against England here and pull off an upset. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
England
Gareth Southgate does not have any major injury issues heading into this game, and he should be able to field a full-strength lineup. England will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Slovakia, with Jordan Pickford in goal.
Kyle Walker and Joe Gomez will be deployed as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. John Stones will start alongside Marc Guehi at the heart of the English defence.
Declan Rice will start as the defensive midfielder here, and he will look to protect the back four and break down opposition attacks. Meanwhile, Jude Bellingham and Kobbie Mainoo will add creativity, control and drive to the side alongside him.
Mainoo has been excellent in the Premier League with Manchester United, and he will look to make his mark at the international level now. The prodigiously talented midfielder is likely to be handed a golden opportunity here, and it remains to be seen whether he can cement his place in the starting lineup for the rest of the tournament. Harry Kane will lead the line for England, with Bukayo Saka on the right and Anthony Gordon on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Gomez; Bellingham, Rice, Mainoo; Saka, Kane, Gordon
Slovakia
Slovakia do not have any major injury concerns either, and they will look to put their best foot forward. They are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation against England with Martin Dubravka in goal.
Peter Pekarik and David Hancko will start as the full backs they will look to add defensive cover and creativity from the flanks. Denis Vavro will start alongside Milan Skriniar in the central defensive unit.
Stanislav Lobotka will add defensive cover in the middle of the park. He will look to break up opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side. He will start alongside Juraj Kucka and Ondrej Duda. The two players will look to add creativity and drive in the middle of the park. David Strelec will lead the line for Slovakia vs England, with Ivan Schranz and Lukas Haraslin on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dobravka; Pekarik, Vavro, Skriniar, Hancko; Duda, Lobotka, Kucka; Schranz, Strelec, Haraslin
Key Stats
- England have won five of their last six matches vs Slovakia in all competitions.
- England have seen over 2.5 goals in their last three home matches against Slovakia in all competitions.
- England have scored at least two goals in their last three home matches against Slovakia in all competitions.
- Slovakia have opened the scoring in three of their last six matches against England.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The England international striker has had a quiet tournament so far, and he will be desperate to get on the score sheet. Slovakia have been vulnerable defensively, and Kane could punish them in the final third with his goal scoring ability and creativity.
It will be interesting to see if he can rediscover his goalscoring touch here. England will need their best striker in top form heading into the knockout rounds of the competition, and he is our key player to watch out for.
Prediction
England 2-1 Slovakia
Slovakia are likely to put up a fight here, and they will look to make life difficult for the Three Lions. However, England have the quality in depth to get the job done vs Slovakia. They are the better team on paper, and they should be able to grind out a win here. A narrow victory for Gareth Southgate’s men is on the cards here.
