Slovenia vs Denmark LIVE: Euro 2024 stream, team news and latest updates

Out the players come, every member of the Slovenia squad stepping on to the major tournament stage for the first time. Kasper Schmiechel skippers Denmark in the absence of Simon Kjaer, leading his team mates out alongside Slovenian counterpart Jan Oblak.

There look to be plenty in from both nations, with a capacity crowd at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart.

Slovenia made the most of a favourable draw in the qualifiers for Germany 2024 to reach their second European Championship, 24 years after their debut appearance at the tournament.

They lost only twice as they finished second in Group H, level on points behind Denmark and ahead of Finland, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland and San Marino, to book a place at the finals.

Participation in Germany will mark only the fourth major international tournament for the former Yugoslav republic, who have been playing as an independent entity since 1992.

As well as Euro 2000, where they drew two games and lost the other in the group phase, Slovenia also qualified for the World Cup in 2002 and 2010 but have yet to go beyond the group stage.

Victory over Algeria in South Africa in 2010 is their only success at a major tournament and came under coach Matjaz Kek, who has been back for a second spell since 2018 and engineered the latest qualification.

You’d imagine that Denmark are going to look to dominate the ball today. There’s plenty of experience with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Christian Eriksen in midfield, while Morten Hjulmand is a tidy player, too. Can Slovenia, and Benjamin Sesko particularly, get after the back three on the counter, though? Sesko may be six-foot-five but the Leipzig striker is such a smooth mover.

Slovenia will embrace their moment in the spotlight at the European Championship and can spring a major upset, coach Matjaz Kek said on the eve of their Group C opener against Denmark on Sunday.

Slovenia return to the Euros for the second time having last featured in 2000. The team’s last international tournament was the 2010 World Cup, during Kek’s first spell as coach, so for his 26-man squad it is their first experience of the big stage.

A record number of Slovenian fans are expected at the match in Stuttgart – 503 kilometres from the former Yugoslav republic’s capital Ljubljana – and Kek said his side should revel in their underdog status.

“Why would you want to shut out this external noise? This is a privilege that our players have earned with their attitude and performances,” a smiling Kek told a press conference.

“Maybe they should have played at previous tournaments but we are here now. The majority of our young players have never experienced that, at club or national level.

“We are here at the highest level and I’m convinced that we will do everything to get a positive result, because you can be afraid even if you are a big name.”

It may be of scant consolation to Poland but the World Cup winners have suffered the same fate. A Netherlands manager, seeking a goal and a game-changing substitute, summoned Wout Weghorst. And, like a force of nature, he felt unstoppable. It wasn’t quite enough to eliminate Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final but, when Poland were closing in on a point in Euro 2024, Weghorst went from the bench to the scoresheet in two minutes.

Christian Eriksen has called on Denmark to relax ahead of their Euro 2024 opener against Slovenia, which is set to be his first return to European Championship action since suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch during the group stage three years ago.

The 32-year-old midfielder needed life-saving treatment when he collapsed against Finland at the tournament in 2021, postponed a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and scored against Netherlands on his emotional return for Denmark in March 2022.

England captain Harry Kane sent the Danes out in extra time of their Euro 2020 semi-final, but Eriksen insists his side have consigned that tournament to history.

He said: “I think (2021) were great memories. Of course it started very negative and very pessimistic, but later on everything got more optimistic and we got more free.

“But there’s been a lot of years since then, and we’re just going to focus on the games now, so as (head coach) Kasper Hjulmand said, we just have to do our best now and be relaxed.”

As expected, there is no place for captain Simon Kjaer in the Danish side – Kasper Hjulmand boasts plenty of options at the back and looks set to deploy Joachim Anderson, Andreas Christensen and Jannik Vestergaard in a defensive three. Christian Eriksen starts again in the Euros, three years on from a life-changing day.

Denmark XI: Kasper Schmiechel; Joachim Andersen, Andreas Christensen, Jannik Vestergaard; Alexander Bah, Morten Hjulmand, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Christian Eriksen, Viktor Kristiansen; Jonas Wind, Rasmus Hojlund.

Vanja Drkusic gets the nod as Jaka Bijol’s centre half partner for Slovenia, with David Brekalo on the bench. Benjamin Sesko starts alongside Andraz Sporar in what looks a potent forward line.

Slovenia XI: Jan Oblak; Zan Karnicnik, Vanja Drkusic, Jaka Bijol, Erik Janza; Peter Stojanovic, Timi Max Elsnik, Adam Gnezda Cerin, Jan Malakar; Andraz Sporar, Benjamin Sesko.

Could this be the summer of the impact big man? That’s goals now for both Wout Weghorst and Niclas Fullkrug, continuing a resurgence for the traditional centre forward that we’ve seen across the European season.

We’ve got two more fine strikers on show in this afternoon’s second game – Slovenia and Denmark are just beginning their preparations in Stuttgart, so let’s check in on the two teams…

So the Netherlands earn what could be a crucial three points in the context of their run at Euro 2024.

Poland played valiantly at times but just didn’t have enough quality in the end. They’ll hope to welcome back Robert Lewandowski for their game against Austria on 21 June (that game kicks off at 5pm BST in Berlin).

The Netherlands face France in their next game, which takes place on Friday 21 June at 8pm BST in Leipzig.