For the first time in twenty-five years, England will be contesting a semi-final at the European Championship, as they return to Wembley Stadium to take on Denmark.

After victories over Germany and Ukraine, England will be looking to reach their first-ever final in this competition, with two semi-final berths in 1968 and 1996 their furthest achievements in the tournament’s history – albeit the former was a four-team tournament, and so the semi-final was guaranteed.

However, a place in the final is not guaranteed. To reach Sunday’s pinnacle, they must first beat an extremely talented Denmark side. Interestingly, England are the only side in the semi-finals not to have won the competition.

Their opponents achieved perhaps the greatest feat in competition history with their 1992 success, in a competition for which the Danes did not qualify.

  • Team News

England

There will be no suspensions that may cause Gareth Southgate a headache, as Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, and Harry Maguire all avoided a booking against Ukraine on Saturday.

As such, England have no pressing concerns with regards to team selection, with the only question of starting spots coming to the right side of the 4-2-3-1 formation. Jadon Sancho impressed against Ukraine, but a fully-fit Bukayo Saka may tempt Southgate after he was rested in the quarter-final.

Denmark

Andreas Christensen was substituted late on against the Czech Republic on Saturday afternoon, but there has been little evidence to suggest the Chelsea defender will be absent from their semi-final tie.

Both Yussuf Poulsen and Daniel Wass featured from the bench against the Czechs, which ensures manager Kasper Hjulmand has plenty of options in depth ahead of a clash against arguably the best side in terms of squad depth.

  • Predicted line-ups

England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Saka, Mount, Sterling, Kane

Denmark: Schmeichel; Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard; Larsen, Delaney, Hojbjerg, Maehle; Braithwaite, Damsgaard; Dolberg

  • Route to the semi-final

England:

Group D:

  • (W) vs Croatia (1-0) - Wembley
  • (D) vs Scotland (0-0) – Wembley
  • (W) vs Czech Republic (1-0) – Wembley

Round of 16:

  • (W) vs Germany (2-0) – Wembley

Quarter-final

  • (W) vs Ukraine (4-0) – Stadio Olimpico

Denmark:

Group B:

  • (L) vs Finland (0-1) – Parken Stadium
  • (L) vs Belgium (1-2) – Parken Stadium
  • (W) vs Russia (4-1) – Parken Stadium

Round of 16:

  • (W) vs Wales (4-0) – Amsterdam ArenA

Quarter-final:

  • (W) vs Czech Republic (2-1) – Baku Olympic Stadium
  • Ones to watch

England

For England, the one to watch has to be Harry Kane, who, despite a difficult start, is starting to come into his usual goalscoring form as the tournament progresses. With a brace against Ukraine last time out and a goal against Germany in the first knockout round, the striker looks to be hitting his stride at the most dangerous time of the tournament.

Though Denmark will likely operate with three centre-backs in an attempt to nullify England’s attacking threat, Kane will be supplemented by pace in the likes of Raheem Sterling and ball-playing ability through a man such as Mason Mount.

Denmark

With three goals in his three outings at the tournament so far, England must be wary of the threat posed by Kasper Dolberg. The forward from French outfit OGC Nice has impressed in two seasons in Ligue 1, which, below front-runners Paris Saint-Germain, is quite a competitive league.

The striker is quick off the mark and could pose an issue for the likes of Harry Maguire in the England defence; his three goals at the tournament prove his talent going forward. Dolberg is also complimented by the likes of Martin Braithwaite and Thomas Delaney, who will look to provide the Danish striker with plenty of opportunities going forward.

  • Previous Meetings

The last time the two sides met was in the Nations League last October, where a penalty from Christian Eriksen mid-way into the first-half was enough to see off England at Wembley. Harry Maguire and Reece James saw red for the hosts as they finished the clash with nine men.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YazcaxpT174&feature=onebox

  • Where to watch on TV

You can watch the fixture on ITV in the UK from 8pm, with coverage beginning at 6.30pm. If you would prefer to directly stream the semi-final, you can do so on the ITV Hub, which is a free streaming service.

  • What the managers have said

Gareth Southgate was encouraged to discuss England's previous semi-final woes against Croatia in the 2018 World Cup and against the Netherlands in the 2019 Nations League.

"With Croatia, we'd acknowledge we could've made changes, but we weren't as brave with the ball when ahead. Fatigue became a factor definitely."

"With Holland, it was bizarre, because our preparation was all over the place due to the UCL final. It was very tight, but we made errors."

"Two different experiences but it has helped us prepare for big finals."

For Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand, he used his pre-match press conference to dismiss the 'underdogs' tag his side may have owned before Wednesday's semi-final, encouraging his team to attack and create chances.

“We try to take the initiative regardless of who our opponents are. We try to be proactive and score goals. I don’t like the underdog mentality.

"Our mindset is not like an underdog. We are out to create chances and attack. We have the mentality that we can go out and beat whoever we are playing.”

 

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