After days of introspection and inquiry, in the end England qualified for the last 16 of Euro 2020 without kicking a ball. Results in Group B, where Belgium beat Finland and Denmark thrashed Russia, meant that both the Three Lions and the Czech Republic were guaranteed to reach the knockout stages.
That stalest of stalemates against Scotland might well have served as a wake-up call, but Gareth Southgate’s side remain among the favourites to win the tournament.
They finish Group D against the Czech Republic – at the same time as Scotland play Croatia – and their fate in Tuesday night’s game will determine their opponents in the next round.
If England top the group, they will face the runners-up from the so-called “Group of Death”, Group F, on Tuesday 29 June at Wembley Stadium. At present, that is likely to be either Germany or Portugal, but it could still be France or Hungary. The final group F fixtures take place on Wednesday 23 June.
Should England draw against the Czech Republic, they would finish second in the group and face the runners-up from Group E. As it stands, that could be any one of Sweden, Slovakia, Spain or Poland, though it could be swayed on goal difference in their fixtures.
If England lose and Scotland vs Croatia is not drawn, the Three Lions could slip down to third by virtue of an inferior goal difference.
That could lead them to a number of different opponents: either Belgium on 27 June, or the winner of Group E (the group containing Sweden, Slovakia, Spain and Poland) on 29 June.
Route to the final
There is more incentive than ever to reach a Wembley final after Uefa confirmed that 60,000 fans will be in attendance. Uefa’s full schedule can be found here.
Once the last-16 ties are out the way, the quarter-finals lie in wait between 2-3 July. Here are England’s potential opponents, depending on their (potential) path through the last 16:
- Belgium in the last 16 would mean Netherlands in the quarter-final
- France, Germany, Hungary or Portugal in the last 16 would lead to a quarter-final against the winner of “Tie 8”, which could be the winner of Group E (Sweden, Slovakia, Spain or Poland), or the third-placed team from Group A, B, or C.
- If they beat the winner of Group E in the last-16, England would play the winner of “Tie 7” – that would be either the winner of Group D (England would have come third in this scenario) or the runners-up from the “Group of Death”.
The semi-finals take place on the 6-7 July and the final on 11 July.
More from i on Euro 2020
- What the Premier League could learn from Euro 2020’s controversy-free referees
- The football nomad who became a hero for his role in saving Eriksen’s life
- How Ronaldo’s Coca-Cola stunt could change the face of football sponsorship
- In praise of Emma Hayes, the best pundit at Euro 2020 so far
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3d3F9rS
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