England vs Denmark (July 7): Prediction, Team News, Betting Tips - Euro 2020 semi-finals
England head back home for one of the biggest games in their history as they host Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-finals.
A thrashing of Ukraine in Rome saw the Three Lions make the last four at the tournament, as they did at the World Cup three years ago and last at Euros in 1996.
Denmark have overcome near-tragedy following Christian Eriksen’s on-pitch collapse to sail into the semi-finals with little trouble. Can they stun Wembley on Wednesday and continue the fairytale?
Date, kick-off time and venue
Photo: AP |
England vs Denmark is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Wednesday, July 7, 2021. The match will be held at Wembley Stadium, in London.
Preview
England eliminated Ukraine in the quarterfinals, beating the rivals with 4-0. So that is yet another clean sheet for Gareth Southgate‘s boys. They are by far the best defense in the entire tournament, without a single goal conceded.
They would keep the net intact for the seventh straight match, the ninth in the past 11 games. But that is Southgate’s strategy, defense first, and after that counter-attacks.
One by one, the Croats, Scots, Czechs, Germans and at last Ukrainians couldn’t beat Pickford, who was masterful with his teammates in the backline. In the meantime, Harry Kane woke up, scoring three goals during the knockout stage, showing his class when needed the most. He tied with Raheem Sterling, who also has three goals each.
Denmark solved the Czech Republic without too many problems, 2-1, and even though the Czechs had the initiative in the second half, the Danes would rebuff their attacks without any problems. Their mentality in those stressful situations is extremely resistant, which is one of the biggest reasons for entering the top four
Kjaer and the boys have four straight matches with over 2.5 goals, and three of them during that span ended with both teams netting, which wasn’t that frequent before the start of EURO 2020.
The Danes are playing powerful football, with a strict system in which every player knows its exact place. Above all, they are physically impeccable, with all 10 players in the field prepared to run for all 120 minutes if needed. All of them are very fluid and flexible when it comes to transformation but also know how to play positional football.
Team news
Photo: Getty Images |
So far, there aren’t any injured nor suspended players in either team.
Christian Eriksen’s situation is already known, and he is long gone from the Danish protocol
England Team News - The Full Squad List
Gareth Southgate has named his final 26-man squad and preparations will be the winner at Euro 2020's final match in Wembley stadium, London, in July 11.
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson, Sam Johnstone
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Connor Coady, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw
Midfielders: Mason Mount, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Jesse Lingard, Phil Foden, Kalvin Phillips, Jack Grealish
Forwards:Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Harry , Calvert-Lewin, Ollie Watkins
Denmark Team News - The Full 26 man Squad List
Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Jonas Lossl (FC Midtjylland), Frederik Ronnow (Schalke)
Defenders: Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Jannik Vestergaard (Southampton), Joachim Andersen (Fulham), Mathias Jorgensen (Copenhagen), Daniel Wass (Valencia), Jens Stryger Larsen (Udinese), Joakim Maehle (Atalanta), Nicolai Boilesen (Copenhagen)
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen (Inter Milan), Thomas Delaney (Borussia Dortmund), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Mathias Jensen, Christian Norgaard (both Brentford), Anders Christiansen (Malmo)
Forwards: Kasper Dolberg (Nice), Jonas Wind (Copenhagen), Andreas Cornelius (Parma), Martin Braithwaite (Barcelona), Robert Skov (Hoffenheim), Mikkel Damsgaard (Sampdoria), Yussuf Poulsen (Leipzig), Andreas Skov Olsen (Bologna)
Bukayo Saka was not in England's squad for the game against Ukraine after carrying a 'slight knock'.
Gareth Southgate otherwise had a fully fit squad to choose from having brought Jadon Sancho in for his first start and Mason Mount back into the side.
Yellow cards are also wiped for the semi-finals, meaning Declan Rice, Kalvin Phillips, Phil Foden and Harry Maguire can breathe a little easier.
Predictions
Two teams with huge momentum, it will be about which team manages the occasion better. England have the experience and will have the home crowd behind them.
On paper, Gareth Southgate’s side are the more talented, but the Danes have showed time and again they have the ability to beat the best.
I’m backing an enthralling game decided by fine margins, and England to reach the final. 2-1.
Betting tips
England to win: 22/31
Denmark to win: 43/10
Moneyline pick
Like fellow semifinal favorites Italy, England handled their first away trip of Euro 2020 with ease, cruising by Ukraine in an emphatic 4-0 win. After a passive start to the tournament, England have not only improved in every match (with the exception of a blip against Scotland) but played with more attacking intent.
With their hammering of Ukraine, the Three Lions head into the semifinals in a fantastic situation. Their full squad is available for selection, as the three players on yellow cards made it through the quarterfinals unscathed. As a result, they can continue along with the back-four and midfield pair of Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips who are yet to concede a goal at the tournament. Crucially, too, their forward players are in their best form yet, with their 2.14 xG against Ukraine the highest from England at the tournament, while Harry Kane's brace put him level with Raheem Sterling on three goals at Euro 2020.
Though Denmark lost two straight games to begin the tournament, their quarterfinals win over the Czech Republic made it four good games out of five. A brief spell for the Czech Republic to begin the second half got them back in the game and actually led to them winning the xG battle 1.63-1.57, but Denmark was quick to adjust and saw out the game with relative ease.
Danish midfielders Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg did a fantastic job of pushing possession out wide and into the channels, where they've created the majority of their opportunities at the Euros. However, they'll find it difficult to have success doing so against England. Manager Gareth Southgate has consistently overwhelmed wide areas during the tournament, with central midfielder Mason Mount drifting wide to press against Croatia and Ukraine, while against Germany, wing-backs were used to pin Germany's own wide defenders back.
England have proven that they aren't just a collection of talented players, but a well-managed team capable of adjusting to their opponent. By doing so again at Wembley on Wednesday, they'll be able to get through to the final at Euro 2020.
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