'We can beat England,' Slovakia's Milan Škriniar says ahead of knockout-round clash.
As England seeks to reach consecutive quarterfinals for the first time, they face a resilient Slovakia team aiming for a historic breakthrough in Sunday's round of 16 clash at the Veltins-Arena.
England
Despite a 1-1 draw with Denmark, England finished at the top of Group C with five points. On Sunday, the Three Lions will have a taste of European knockout football when they take on Slovakia in the round of 16. England could reach the quarterfinals in successive editions of the European Championship for the first time ever.
They have won five of their six games against Slovakia. However, their only defeat came in a European Championship meeting in 2016. "Everything that’s happened is now pretty irrelevant. We have things that we can build on, but also, this is a different test, a different phase of the tournament, and each individual game takes place on its own merit and can also take wild directions at times," Gareth Southgate said in a pre-match press conference.
Although changes were called for, Southgate stuck to the familiar 4-3-3 for Match Day 3’s clash with Denmark, leaving Saka, Foden, and Harry Kane in attack. Meanwhile, Kobbie Mainoo could be given his first competitive start for England on Sunday against Denmark. Southgate has also received an injury boost with Luke Shaw, who has declared himself fit to play.
Slovakia
Slovakia finished as one of the best third-placed teams in the group stage after all countries were tied on four points in Group E. A 1-1 draw with Romania secured their spot for Sunday’s game against England, thanks to a goal from Ondrej Duda in the 24th minute. Răzvan Marin equalized shortly after from the penalty spot in the 37th minute.
This will be the third time Slovakia has featured in the knockout round of a major tournament. Having never advanced beyond the round of 16, they are looking to break new ground this weekend. "The defence will definitely be important," remarked Milan Škriniar ahead of the game.
Škriniar emphasized the need for bravery in implementing their style, saying, "That's why we need to be brave and try to play our game, to impose our style of play on them so that they have to watch us and our qualities." He continued, "We beat Belgium, which nobody expected either. That tells us we can win. We can beat England through teamwork."
Manager Calzona is expected to maintain the tried-and-true 4—3—3 formation, with Ivan Schranz, David Strelec, and Lukáš Haraslín leading the attack. Slovakia is gearing up to challenge England with a blend of strategy and determination.
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