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- 🇩🇪, 🇵🇹, 🇮🇹, 🇨🇭 & 🇪🇸 Advance, 🏴Scotland Go Back Down The Road
🇩🇪, 🇵🇹, 🇮🇹, 🇨🇭 & 🇪🇸 Advance, 🏴Scotland Go Back Down The Road
In the Euros, the host nation is through to the round of 16, but big contenders still have work to do...
Erik Jansson
June 25, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
🇩🇪, 🇵🇹, 🇮🇹, 🇨🇭 & 🇪🇸 Advance, 🏴Scotland Go Back Down The Road
In the Euros, the host nation is through to the round of 16, but big contenders still have work to do…
Hey there MVP,
Germany have taken a few football fans by surprise; not with their wins, but with the nature of their convincing performances -especially in their first two games. Julian Nagelsmann’s team secured qualification for the round of 16 as Group A winners, by rescuing a late 1-1 draw against Switzerland on Sunday.
It’s true the Germans have the benefit of home advantage, and they haven’t faced any serious opponents, but Nagelsmann is getting a tune out of his team, especially the likes of his attacking players like Jamal Musdiala.
Scotland became the first team to be eliminated, followed by Poland and Albania and as we head into the final round of group games, there are some contenders who have work to do.
In other news, we cover the latest news from the Euros and around the world of football, including some big results in the Copa America. We also want to hear your thoughts on this week’s shocker —should Scotland have been awarded a penalty against Hungary?
Today's game plan:
England vs Slovenia | Tuesday | 20:00 BST
On Tuesday night, England and Gareth Southgate have a chance to silence, or at least push back against, the growing criticism. The good news for England is that, after Spain beat Albania in Group B, England are now guaranteed a spot in the Round of 16, no matter the result against Slovenia tonight.
Maybe the fact they’re through will take some of the pressure off England, and we might even see Southgate select a more attacking setup. Don’t get your hopes up though, Southgate is notoriously careful.
Form & Team News
🏴 As it stands, England are top of Group C with four points. The campaign began with a promising first half performance against Serbia, that faltered in the second half bugt they held on to secure a 1-0 win. This was followed by a much less convincing 1-1 draw against Denmark where many of the England players looked leggy and some, like Declan Rice, looked nervous as they lost possession time after time.
Other than the debate over whether Trent Alexander Arnold should play in midfield, the major talking point has been Harry Kane’s performances. Although he got the goal against Denmark, England’s all-time top goalscorer has not been very effective up top, and has been dropping deep leading to a congested and disjointed attack.
Southgate and his England team definitely have work to do, especially when it comes to pressing teams and defending narrow leads. The match against Denmark highlighted some tactical flaws, as England struggled to capitalise on their early momentum, eventually being punished by a stunning long-range strike from Morten Hjulmand.
In terms of team news, Luke Shaw is back in training but is unlikely to start against Slovenia. The big rumour is that Trent will drop out of the midfield to be replaced by the tireless and hard-working Conor Gallacher. We’re also predicting that Newcastle winder Anthony Gordon will get a start on the left wing.
GR England predicted lineup | Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Conor Gallacher, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane
🇸🇮Slovenia are still on the hunt for their first ever victory in the European Championships. With two draws from their opening matches, Slovenia have shown they are a resilient side, especially in the game against Serbia, where they were denied victory by a late equaliser in the dying seconds.
Under the management of Matjaž Kek Slovenia have become a tough to beat team, showing equal measures of determination and tactical discipline. As they sit on two points, this game against England is a do-or-die clash.
Slovenia have a few fitness concerns for tonight’s game against England, including their experienced goalkeeper Jan Oblak and central midfielder Adam Gnezda Cerin. However, there is some good news for Slovenia as Benjamin Sesko, who picked up a minor issue in the game against Serbia, is expected to be fit to start after returning to full training over the weekend.
GR Slovenia predicted lineup | Jan Oblak, Zan Karničnik, Miha Blažič, Jaka Bijol, Jure Balkovec, Jasmin Kurtić, Jaka Bijol, Sandi Lovrić, Benjamin Šeško, Andraž Šporar, Damjan Bohar
This Week’s Shocker…
The referee’s decision not to award a penalty to Scotland in Sunday’s game against Hungary was a shocker. Scotland manager Steve Clarke tried his best to keep his cool when discussing the referee, but he did give a few choice lines in his post-match press conference:
“One hundred percent penalty” - “European competition: Might have been better to have a European referee” - “What’s the point of VA, if they’re not gonna come in on something like that?”
What do you think? Was this a pen?
❌ "The whole team of officials got it wrong..."
Former referee Mike Dean agrees with Steve Clarke, insisting Scotland should have been awarded a penalty vs Hungary 🔽
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky)
12:28 PM • Jun 24, 2024
After qualifying for the Euros and despite the massive support of hundreds of thousands of the Tartan army, Scotland didn't offer too much in Euro 2024. other than a rousing performance against the Swiss in which they were close to taking all three pointsOver their three Group A games, Scotland only managed 3 shots on target. And,, Scotland have only managed an xG (expected goals) of 0.9 —the lowest of any team at Euro 2024.
Around the world…
Although the Saudi Pro League is ranked as the 26th best professional football league in the world, its star players are shining at Euro 2024. Al-Ittihad’s N’Golo Kanté, Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Hilal’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, and Damac’s Nicolae Stanciu have all impressed. In total, there are 14 players playing at the Euros who play their club football in Saudi. Surely the Saudi Pro League’s ranking will rise over the coming years.
United and new CEO Omar Berrada baulked at Everton’s £70 million asking price, but there is talk that the club are preparing a second bid after their initial bid worth £43 million was turned down. Remember that United paid £80 million for Harry Maguire back in 2019.
On Tuesday night / Wednesday morning (02:00 BST) the reigning World and Copa America champions take on Chile. In their opening match Argentina dispatched a perky Canada side to win 2-0. Messi & co can qualify for the knockout stage of the Copa America with a win over Chile.
38 year old Modric had a pretty wild game against Italy. In the 54th minute he had his penalty saved by Donnarumma, but then, just 33 seconds later he gave Croatia the lead. Sadly for Croatia, Mattia Zaccagni scored in the 8th minute of added time to dump Croatia out.
After a perfect Group stage where they took 9 points and scored 5 goals and conceded zero, Spain are looking like they are back in contention for the big competitions. The play is free-flowing, even after 10 changes were made to the starting lineup for the game against Albania. Keep an eye on Lamine Yamal —he looks unfazed at 16, similar to Wayne Rooney back at Euro 2004.
Games to keep an eye on…
France vs Poland | Tuesday | 17:00 BST
Group D is far from decided. Tournament favourites France are on 4 points, as are current group leaders Netherlands. Didier Deschamps will be hoping Kilian Mbappe can put on a show against Poland.
Netherlands vs Austria | Tuesday | 17:00 BST
Netherlands have been another surprise package in this tournament. The Dutch always show up, but they are playing with a freedom and fluidity that few predicted. Austria are on 3 points and will be looking to advance. This is set to be a cracker.
Ukraine vs Belgium | Wednesday | 17:00 BST
All teams in Group E are on 3 points. Belgium’s golden generation is coming to an end but there are still expectations on this team that has star players like Kevintke De Buyne and Romelu Lukaku.
Switzerland vs Italy | Saturday | 17:00 BST
The first Round of 16 match of this year’s Euros sees Switzerland (2nd place in Group A) take on Italy (2nd-place in Group B). Italy left it late against Croatia whilst the Swiss have looked pretty composed in their three group games.
GOAT Trivia…
Say congrats to…
Morten Hjulmand [@mortenhjulmand] the Danish midfielder and sweet striker of a ball turned 25 on Tuesday.
On this day in football…
On June 25, 2000, during the UEFA European Football Championships, France and Spain played a memorable quarter-final match.
France, the reigning World Cup champions, secured a 2-1 victory over Spain in this intense encounter. The match is remembered for its dramatic final minutes where France's Zinedine Zidane converted a penalty, sealing their advancement and knocking Spain out of the tournament.
Goal of the week…
Our goal of the week is Arda Guller’s beauty of a strike against Georgia. If you missed this one, give the highlights a watch. Some great goals.
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