Euro 2024: Can England Shake Their Doldrums Against Slovakia?

England vs Slovakia

England have been one of the most disappointing teams in Euro 2024, despite making it back to the knockout stage after clinching the top spot in Group C.

After a 1-0 win over Serbia in the opener, the Three Lions had two consecutive draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0), and they only led the pack because Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia all failed to generate positive Euro 2024 results.

Despite this, England have a huge shot of making it back to the final because they won’t have to go through the gauntlet of Spain, Germany, Portugal, France, and Belgium, who are all on the other side of the bracket.

On Sunday, England will take on Slovakia, who can hurt them in a lot of ways and maybe win, in the Round of 16 at the Veltins-Arena.

 

Talking Points

Southgate’s England tactics remain a concern

For a side that boasts a lot of world-class talent, including the Bundesliga Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, La Liga Player of the Year awardee Jude Bellingham, and Premier League Player of the Year winner Phil Foden, the Three Lions under Southgate have only scored a whopping two goals so far in the Euros.

The majority of English fans, if not all, want Southgate’s head on the silver platter because of his unimaginative tactics, which often saw some of his key players playing out of their natural positions.

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold played in midfield against Serbia and Denmark, while Newcastle United right-back Kieran Trippier looks uncomfortable playing on the left side.  Southgate has also played Phil Foden on the wings, even if he’s a natural attacking midfielder or a No. 10.

But with Foden back home to attend the birth of his third child, Southgate will hopefully be forced to make tactical changes against Slovakia.

Foden’s absence could lead to the introduction of Anthony Gordon or Cole Palmer in the starting XI, while there is also a growing clamour for Southgate to start Kobbie Mainoo alongside Declan Rice to replace Conor Gallagher in the middle of the park.

 

Slovakia’s veterans aren’t scared

While Ivan Schranz has taken the spotlight here in the Euros for having two goals already, Slovakia won’t make it far in this tournament if their veterans don’t perform well.

Ondrej Duda had a big performance against Romania yesterday, as he put Slovakia up 1-0 after 24 minutes. If it weren’t for Razvan Marin’s equaliser 13 minutes later, Slovakia would’ve easily been on top of Group E.

Other than his goal, the Hellas Verona midfielder also won important ground and aerial duels for the Falcons, contributing two clearances and two key tackles.

Experience is not an issue for Francesco Calzona’s men because, other than Duda, they still have Milan Skriniar, Stanislav Lobotka, and Juraj Kucka in tow.

 

History

England are undefeated against Slovakia in all of their six meetings before Sunday across all competitions.

Their last encounter was a 2-1 win for England in September 2017 during the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, as Eric Dier and Marcus Rashford found the back of the net to overturn a 1-0 deficit after Stanislav Lobotka’s goal in the third minute.

The last time these two teams met in the Euros, Slovakia managed to hold England to a goalless draw during a group stage match in June 2016. Because both of them came away with a point, England and Slovakia advanced to the knockout stage alongside Wales.

England were runners-up in the previous edition of the Euros, and they haven’t won a major international trophy since the 1966 World Cup.

Slovakia, on the other hand, won Euro 1976 when they were still officially known as Czechoslovakia.

 

Betting Tip

The SBOTOP Euro 2024 odds are unsurprisingly in favour of England, despite their underwhelming performances to date. The Three Lions are 1.39 favourites to win, whereas the Falcons are huge 8.40 underdogs, and a draw is priced at 4.24 in the 1X2 market.

Our recommended bet above is probably the safest one because it covers both scenarios where England will win the match, regardless if it is a high-scoring or low-scoring contest.

With that said, we’re inclined to predict a low-scoring contest on Sunday because of their recent games, making alternative bets like Correct Score 1-0 at 4.68, Under 2.00 at 2.38, and Total Goal 0-1 at 2.85 attractive. Meanwhile, a smash-and-grab for Slovakia, with a Correct Score of 1-0 in their favour, is not that far from reality. It is being offered at a generous price of 16.50.

   

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