England vs Croatia. Sweltering weather. Baddiel and Skinner’s iconic Three Lions blaring out of car stereos. You could be forgiven for thinking that we’ve been transported back in time by three years.
Gareth Southgate‘s talented squad get their Euro 2020 campaign up and running on home turf at Wembley against a nation that left them crestfallen in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium in 2018.
The Three Lions have already dished out revenge (of sorts) by beating Croatia 2-1 in Uefa’s Nations League in 2018, but winning against them in a major tournament would be much more meaningful.
Unlike at the World Cup, England are pre-match favourites. They have been boosted since Russia by the emergence of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Jadon Sancho, amongst others, while Croatia have been weakened by the international retirements of Mario Mandzukic and Ivan Rakitic.
There remains plenty of talent within Croatia’s ranks, though, with Luka Modric, at the grand old age of 35, still orchestrating things in midfield and Ivan Perisic scoring goals in attack. Both nations will know that a win at Wembley would set them up nicely to win Group D.
Elsewhere, Austria and North Macedonia will both be looking to win their first games at the Euros. Austria have been here before – in 2008 and 2016 – but failed to secure a victory from six attempts, while North Macedonia are competing in a major tournament for the first time in their history.
Netherlands host Ukraine in the second game in Group C. Preparations haven’t gone particularly smoothly for the Dutch, who have lost Jasper Cillessen to a positive Covid-19 test and Donny van de Beek to an injury since Frank de Boer named his squad. All eyes will be on ex-Manchester United winger Memphis Depay to lead from the front.
Ukraine have flown under the radar somewhat but have some gifted players in their ranks. Ruslan Malinovskyi excelled for Atalanta last season, particularly after Christmas, while Oleksandr Zinchenko plays in a more advanced midfield role for Andriy Shevchenko than he does for Pep Guardiola at club level.
How to watch England vs Croatia
- Date: Sunday 13 June
- Kick-off time: 2pm [BST]
- Venue: Wembley Stadium, London (England)
- TV channel: BBC One
- Live stream: Watch the game online via BBC iPlayer or via the iPlayer app
- Highlights: Shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer throughout the tournament
How to watch Austria vs North Macedonia
- Date: Sunday 13 June
- Kick-off time: 5pm [BST]
- Venue: National Arena, Bucharest (Romania)
- TV channel: ITV
- Live stream: Watch the game online via ITV Hub
- Highlights: Shown on ITV Hub each matchday
How to watch Netherlands vs Ukraine
- Date: Sunday 13 June
- Kick-off time: 8pm [BST]
- Venue: Johan Cruyff ArenA, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
- TV channel: ITV
- Live stream: Watch the game online via ITV Hub
- Highlights: Shown on ITV Hub each matchday
Team news
Southgate has plenty of options to choose from, particularly at the top end of the pitch, as he bids to end England’s 55-year wait for silverware.
With Harry Maguire unlikely to feature, Southgate may decide to play a back-three with natural full-backs Luke Shaw and Kyle Walker positioned either side of John Stones. In attack, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford, appear to be vying for two places alongside Harry Kane.
Zlatko Dalic, who masterminded Croatia’s run to the 2018 World Cup final, will decide on a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. Should he opt for the former, Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic is likely to partner Modric and Marcelo Brozovic; elect for the latter and one-time Everton man Nikola Vlasic could play as a No 10.
Franco Foda confirmed that Watford goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann would be Austria’s starting goalkeeper at the tournament before their final warm-up game against Slovakia on Sunday. North Macedonia, meanwhile, warmed up for their Euros debut by thrashing Kazakhstan 4-0 last Friday with Leeds United’s Gjanni Alioski scoring from the penalty spot.
Netherlands’ preparations were disrupted in midweek when a plane urging Frank de Boer to play a 3-4-3 formation flew over the squad’s training base. But with a lack of top-class wingers, De Boer is likely to stick to his guns and use a 3-5-2 system anyway. Shevchenko has also alternated his tactics, by deploying a 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 and may opt for the latter to match up with their opponents.
More from i on Euro 2020
- i’s Euro 2020 predictions – winners, dark horses, golden boot and more
- Daniel Storey’s guide to all 24 teams – from hot favourites to no hopers
- Home nations guides on England, Scotland and Wales
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
- Why England players are taking a knee at Euro 2020 – in their own words
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vpXaas
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