England and Denmark both had contrasting opening games at the Euros, however on Thursday they'll both attempting to book their spot in the round of 16.
The Three Lions defeated Serbia thanks to a pack-leading performance from Jude Bellingham who headed in the only goal of the game after 13 minutes as England claimed all three points in their tournament opener.
The Red and Whites fell to an underwhelming draw against the lowest ranked side in Group C - Slovenia, who valiantly fought back to earn a point after Christian Eriksen’s fairytale opening goal.
The two teams met at Euro 2020 in a semi-final tie at Wembley that looked to go off-script when Mikkel Damsgaard fired a superb free-kick past Jordan Pickford, before a Simon Kjær own-goal and Harry Kane’s 104th minute goal sent England through to the final.
Now looking ahead to match day two at EURO 2024 at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Gareth Southgate’s side can confirm a knockout-round spot with a win and will be expected to do just that.
For Denmark, Kasper Hjulmand's side can move towards confirmation of a spot in the round of 16 with a win, however anything less and they will finish the group with a must-win against Serbia.
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Team News
Denmark
Hjulmand has no new injury concerns to worry about, however he still has to choose a side to compete against England and not fall to one point from two games.
It is likely changes could be made to a side that put on a lacklustre performance against Slovenia, with Mathias Jensen, Christian Nørgaard and national team captain Kjær all pushing for starting places.
Despite this, not many countries will make too many changes to their side this early on in the tournament - if the best players can play at an international tournament, they usually will.
England
Luke Shaw is becoming closer to stepping on the pitch again for England, Southgate had said Shaw could come off the bench against Denmark - it would be his first appearance since February.
Kieran Trippier went down with cramp towards the end of England’s win against Serbia, however the full-back is expected to play in Frankfurt and keep his spot in the starting lineup.
Marc Guehi has just about silenced all doubters after his fine performance against Serbia, while Phil Foden and Kane will look to make a bigger impact on the game against the Danes.
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Likely Lineups
Denmark
Schmeichel; Andersen, Christensen, Vestergaard; Baah, Norgaard, Højberg, Kristiansen, Eriksen; Wind, Højlund.
England
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane
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Key Players
Denmark - Jonas Wind
Partnered with Manchester United’s Højlund up front, Wind is certainly a player to watch for Southgate’s team.
The 25-year-old is coming off the back of an excellent season with Wolfsburg after he contributed to 20 goals (12 goals and eight assists) in 37 appearances across all competitions.
In Denmark’s draw against Slovenia, Wind provided the assist to Eriksen’s goal with a cute flick into the midfielder’s path; only Eriksen had more key passes in the game with seven, than Wind with three.
With Denmark averaging the fourth highest possession in qualifying with 64%, Hjulmand normally opts for keep-ball football, however they will most likely have to adapt against a side of England’s calibre.
Wind could be key to how Denmark play, he is excellent at holding the ball up before passing to onrushing teammates that could be functional for a counter-attacking style of play, with England inevitably wanting to dominate proceedings.
England - Jude Bellingham
It would be hard to look past one of the favourites to win the prestigious Balon D’or as England’s key player.
After scoring the winning goal in their first game and putting in a superb performance, Bellingham is truly embodying what it means to play with The Three Lions on the shirt.
Something England fans have claimed their side has missed in recent years is a true leader on the pitch that oozes confidence, passion and desire - all at such a staggering young age of just 20-years-old.
They now have their star boy from Stourbridge who applies his trade in Madrid - something that cannot be said very often, however he is succeeding at such an alarm rate after playing a key role in a team that won La Liga, the UEFA Champions League and the Spanish Super Cup while contributing to 36 goals in 2023/24.
He will be key to England defeating Denmark as Eriksen will probably sit deeper than normal to create a three-man-midfield which the Englishman will certainly look to dominate; Bellingham’s energy will help Southgate and his side to win the ball back out of possession when Denmark will have their inevitable spells of possession.
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Match Details
Where is the game being played?
Deutsche Bank Park - the home of Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
What time is kick-off?
17:00 BST, 18:00 local time in Frankfurt.
How can I watch the game?
BBC One/ BBC iPlayer, with coverage starting from 16:00.
