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England, the perennial under-achievers of world football, will take on Denmark at the Wembley Stadium in London tonight in the second semifinal of Euro 2020. The winners of the match will face Italy in the final on Sunday. Denmark, who won the tournament in 1992, lost their first two group matches, but bounced back strongly thereafter to make it to the semifinals.
England, on the other hand, have never won the European Championships. However, they have had a stellar Euro 2020 and are yet to concede a goal in the tournament so far. The Three Lions start as the favorites in tonight’s match. They will also be buoyed by the vociferous home support and will fancy their chances of meeting Italy in the final.
On that note, here are three crucial factors to look out for in today’s Euro 2020 encounter:
#1 Raheem Sterling’s Euro 2020 dominance and Harry Kane’s resurgence
Raheem Sterling has undoubtedly been one of the standout performers at Euro 2020 so far. The 26-year old forward has three goals and one assist, and will look to add to his tally against Denmark. Sterling has repeatedly made his forays through the inside-left channel and played a defence-splitting pass to Harry Kane in their match against Ukraine.
He has also shown his opportunism by being in the right place at the right time in England's matches against Germany, Croatia and Czech Republic. Kane, on the other hand, has regained his form after a quiet start to Euro 2020. He has now scored thrice in the last two matches and remains England’s most potent attacking threat alongside Sterling.
Denmark have often played a 3-4-3 formation and the presence of an extra central defender might help them in dealing with Sterling’s probing runs and Kane’s opportunism. Andreas Christensen, who plays for Chelsea in England, will hope to use his experience to contain fellow Premier League star Sterling. Simultaneously, Simon Kjaer's battle with Kane also promises to be an intriguing one.
#2 The crossing ability of English fullbacks
The crossing ability of the English fullbacks might prove to be critical in determining the fate of their Euro 2020 match against Denmark.
England left-back Luke Shaw has had a great tournament so far. He will look to threaten Denmark with his inch-perfect delivery from the left-flank. Shaw has notched up three assists at Euro 2020, and will hope to combine with Sterling to torment the opposition from the left once again.
Danish right wing-back Jens Stryger Larsen is bound to shoulder massive responsibility tonight when he comes up against Shaw and Sterling. He will definitely need help from midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to contain the twin threat.
Kieran Trippier is also capable of delivering quality crosses into the box and poses a genuine threat from set-pieces. Kyle Walker has been defensively solid so far, but also possesses the ability to make sudden bursts of pace from the right-back position that could unsettle the Denmark defense.
The Danes will keep in mind that England scored three of their four goals against Ukraine via headers from crosses. The aerial threat posed by the English could be on show again in the Euro 2020 semifinals and Denmark will know they will have to be wary.
#3 The potency of the young Danish forwards
After suffering losses in their first two matches, Denmark have scored 10 goals in their last three matches. The turnaround can largely be attributed to their young forwards Kasper Dolberg and Mikkel Damsgaard. Dolberg has scored three goals in their last two matches and has impressed with his shooting ability and opportunism. He also combines well with Damsgaard, who can attack through the inside-left channel.
Right-winger Martin Braithwaite has also been a livewire for the Danes, and has made his mark at Euro 2020 with his tireless approach and work rate. The Barcelona forward has often dropped deep and switched flanks to make it difficult for opposition defenders.
Denmark can also call on the services of Yussuf Poulsen from the bench, as he is fast and can score from brisk counter attacks. England have not conceded in this tournament so far, but that record might well be broken by the Danes.
