England and Slovakia face off in a Group B match in their third and final group stage fixture at the UEFA Euro 2016. The football match, which will be held at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne, will be played alongside the match between Wales and Russia.
While England sit atop the Group table after a 1-1 draw against Russia and a thrilling 2-1 win over Wales, they are followed by Wales and Slovakia respectively, who have 3 points each. Russia are at the bottom of the group and only a win against the Welsh team can give them a chance of qualifying for the knockouts.
The Three Lions on one hand will be carrying a lot of confidence from their last-gasp win against rivals Wales, and Slovakia on the other will be buoyed by their 2-1 win over Russia. The match promises to be a fiercely contested one as both the teams would want to finish as high as possible in the group.
Live Stream and kick-off time
The match will be live from 00:30 IST (Tuesday), 20:00 BST (Monday). Watch live streaming of England vs Slovakia on SonyLIV. Follow England vs Slovakia, Euro 2016 Live Score and Commentary with Sportskeeda. The match will be telecasted live on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India, Fox Sports in the USA and ITV in the UK. The match will be played at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Etienne.
Team News
Both the coaches have signaled that there will be some changes in the starting line-up. Jan Kozak, Slovakia’s coach, has said that a game against England demands some changes in the team and they should be wary of the Three Lions.
“I am going to make some changes to the team again, because the game demands it. England will be a different proposition from Russia – I know that very well. They play a different way, so we have to do something to prepare for that.
“To be honest, we do not have a strong enough team to play an open game against a team like England. We have to focus on our style if we want to be successful”, Kozak said.
Marek Hamsik is set to lead the attacking line for Slovakia once again after his brilliant performance against Russia and Martin Skrtel, who is on a yellow card, will lead the defence for them.
Roy Hodgson, England’s coach has also said that there will be changes in the team and according to reports in various English media outlets, Hodgson will make as many as six changes from the XI which started against Wales.
“The players are in good shape. It wouldn’t be a problem if I wanted to keep the same side, but there are players who would like to play and have been knocking on the door”, he said.
English captain Wayne Rooney, ahead of the clash, spoke about the directness which Jack Wilshere can bring into the team and called him “an unbelievable player.”
“He can run at players, create chances. I’m sure if he comes in he won’t let anyone down”.
Reportedly, Rooney, along with Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, is set to be benched for the clash. Daniel Sturridge, Jamie Vardy, Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand will supposedly take their places.
Probable Line-Up
England (4-3-3) - Hart; Clyne, Cahill, Smalling, Bertrand; Henderson, Dier, Wilshere; Lallana, Vardy, Sturridge.
Slovakia (4-2-3-1) - Kozacik; Pekarik, Skrtel, Durica, Hubocan; Pecovsky, Kucka; Mak, Hamsik, Weiss; Nemec.
Form Guide (Most Recent first)
England: WDWWW
The Three Lions have had a good run of results, winning four out of their last five matches. They failed to keep Russia at bay in their first match of the tournament and conceded a goal in the dying moments of the match and dropped two points.
Slovakia: WLDWW
Slovakia have won three out of their last five matches, they lost their tournament opener against Wales before defeating Russia 2-1 in their second match.
Head to Head record
- England and Slovakia have met each other thrice before this match, and England have won all the three clashes.
- The two teams last met in 2009 in a friendly fixture. The Three Lions emerged 4-0 victors from the match, with Rooney scoring two goals.
- Slovakia and England were placed in the same group in the Euro 2004 qualifiers, with England registering wins in both of them.
- England have scored seven of their eight goals against Slovakia after the 60-minute mark.
Prediction
Given the quality which the English players possess, this must be a walk in the park for them. However, given their history in international tournaments, and the presence of a couple of world class players in the Slovakian ranks, the Three Lions will have to play out of their skins to win this one. Our prediction is a 2-1 win for England.
