Denmark vs England
The stakes are high for Denmark as they meet Euro 2024 favorites England in their second Group C outing in Frankfurt.
Denmark failed to live up to the billing in their opening Euro 2024 outing, wasting a halftime lead in a 1-1 draw against Slovenia as Christian Eriksen found the net at the Euros three years after collapsing on the pitch against Finland in the 2020 edition. Eriksen’s goal was merely a consolation for the Danish faithful after Slovenia extended the Scandinavians’ dreadful run in Euro group-stage fixtures to one win in six (D1, L4). As if that’s not troubling enough, Kasper Hjulmand’s side flamed out of the group stages at the 2022 World Cup without a single triumph. On a rare positive note, Denmark’s recent encounters against England have not gone terribly for them, as they’re unbeaten in their last three H2Hs in regulation (W1, D2).
However, England got the better of Denmark in the Euro 2020 semi-finals and are keen to go one better than three summers ago when Italy pipped them to the title on penalties. The Three Lions might have entered the tournament as the leading candidates to claim the crown, yet a shaky 1-0 win against Serbia on day one cast doubt on their credentials. Despite only conceding one shot on target, Gareth Southgate’s side offered too little in the front third and will have to improve in order to post back-to-back victories for the first time since November. Confidence stems from England’s traditionally impressive runs in the Euros group stages as they last lost a match at this juncture at Euro 2004. Moreover, they’ve not conceded a goal at this stage since Gareth Bale netted for Wales in 2016.