England take on Slovenia in a bid to cement their status as Group C winners, after an underwhelming start to Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate and England have been criticised for their performance during the lacklustre 1-1 draw against Denmark, and the tepid performance has put huge pressure on the national side to perform.
England players were forced to go on the defensive, with Harry Kane hitting out at ex-players turned pundits who have been widely criticising the team, and urged both fans and media to judge the side after the tournament.
The Slovenia match offers a chance to right some wrongs. England go into the game top of the group with four points, two more than both Denmark and Slovenia, and need either a win or a draw to guarantee at least second place in the group regardless of the outcome of Denmark’s match against Serbia.
If Slovenia and Denmark both win on Tuesday, England would finish third, which would be enough to go through as a best third-placed team. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Group C decider:
When is England v Slovenia?
The match will kick off at 8pm BST on Tuesday 25 June at the Rhein Energie Stadion in Cologne.
What TV channel is it on?
England v Slovenia will be shown on ITV1 with coverage starting at 6.45pm. The match can also be streamed live online via the ITVX platform and app. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
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What is the England team news?
Gareth Southgate ruled Luke Shaw out of England’s final Euro 2024 group match against Slovenia, with Conor Gallagher expected to be the only change from the side that started against Denmark.
The Trent Alexander-Arnold experiment in midfield appears to have reached its conclusion and Southgate is likely to bring Gallagher in as a straight replacement, with Phil Foden backed to start despite looking out of place on the left.
Slovenia star Benjamin Sesko suffered from muscle cramps in the last match, but should be fine to play here. There is uncertainty over Jan Oblak, who missed training on Saturday without an explanation, while Timi Max Elsnik and Adam Gnezda Cerin look to be carrying knocks still, with Jon Gorenc Stankovic on standby.
Predicted line-ups
England XI: Pickford; Walker, Guehi, Stones, Trippier; Rice, Gallagher; Saka Bellingham, Foden; Kane
Slovenia XI: Oblak; Karnicnik, Brekalo, Bijol, Janza; Mlakar, Elsnik, Cerin, Stojanovic; Sporar, Sesko
Odds
England 3/10
Draw 3/1
Slovenia 15/2
Prediction
It’s hard to imagine England will suddenly find a fluency and creativity that they have not shown in the tournament so far, but with all the pressure there is additional hope for an improvement. England 1-0 Slovenia
