The first of eight Euro 2020 matches at Wembley sees England take on Croatia in Group D.
England will hope to be playing six matches this summer at their national stadium, which would host their last-16 game if they top the group.
Wembley is also the stage for both semi-finals and then the final on 11 July, but before England can dare to dream of silverware they must navigate their way through a potentially tricky group.
That begins with a match against Croatia, the nation who knocked them out of the World Cup semi-finals three years ago, with Mario Mandzukic scoring the extra-time winner after Ivan Perisic cancelled out Kieran Trippier’s free-kick in normal time.
England and Croatia have met twice in the Nations League since, drawing 0-0 before Gareth Southgate’s side won 2-1 in their most recent meeting, but given that was back in November 2018 a lot has changed since.
Joe Gomez, Ross Barkley, Eric Dier and Fabian Delph all started that match, and while Gomez suffered a season-ending injury the other trio were overlooked for England selection this time around.
There are however seven starters from that Croatia match in the 26-man squad for this summer’s Euros, with Jordan Pickford, Ben Chilwell, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Marcus Rashford, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling all hoping to feature on Sunday.
When is England vs Croatia?
- Date: Sunday 13 June
- Kick-off time: 2pm BST
- Stadium: Wembley
- TV details: BBC One
- Live stream: BBC iPlayer
Wembley is set to operate at 25 per cent capacity until restrictions ease, meaning approximately 22,500 football fans could witness England’s group opener.
Meanwhile, Southgate’s starting XI will be hotly debated until the team news is out on early Sunday afternoon, and while Pickford, Stones, Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Kane can expect to get the nod, the remaining six places are less certain.
Phil Foden should start given his form for Manchester City, but which players take the full-back roles is a decision Southgate may not make until closer to the time, with Luke Shaw battling Ben Chilwell for the left-sided role, and Trippier, Walker and James all options on the right.
Southgate could also opt for three centre-backs and two wing-backs, playing into Walker’s hands, while fitness concerns for Jordan Henderson and Harry Maguire may see the captains of Liverpool and Manchester United rested with the Scotland showdown just five days later.
Euro 2020 matches at Wembley
- Sunday 13 June 2021 – Group D: England vs Croatia (14:00, local time)
- Friday 18 June 2021 – Group D: England vs Scotland (20:00)
- Tuesday 22 June 2021 – Group D: Czech Republic vs England (20:00)
- Saturday 26 June 2021 – R16: 1A vs 2C (20:00)
- Tuesday 29 June 2021 – R16: 1D vs 2F (17:00)
- Tuesday 6 July 2021 – SF1: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF1 (20:00)
- Wednesday 7 July 2021 – SF2: Winner QF4 vs Winner QF3 (20:00)
- Sunday 11 July 2021 – Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 (20:00)
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3gjqqKu
Post a Comment