The second match of the three in Euro 2024 on Thursday is a repeat of the semi-final from the previous Euros when England take on Denmark in the standout fixture in Group C of the tournament in Frankfurt.
England got off to a winning start in their opening match against Serbia so they know that a win here will send them into the knockout stages. Denmark drew their first game and they will be sitting nicely if they come out on top here.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the BBC1 channel in the UK with the build-up to the game beginning at 4pm ahead of the kick off which is at 5pm.
Denmark
There is no doubt that Denmark will be disappointed by failing to win their opening match of the tournament. They had the easiest game of the group on paper and in terms of rankings and things and played an opponent that they faced twice in qualifying and know all about. If those weren’t enough reasons to be displeased then the fact that they actually took the lead in the match and couldn’t see it out will only add to their frustrations.
There was a bit of a concern about a clinical edge to their attacking play heading into the tournament and that opening match certainly won’t have done anything to silence those doubters. Defensively we thought they would be very strong but Slovenia had more joy against that defence than many expected so there needs to be an all-round improvement for Denmark if they are going to get anything from this match. There might be an air of revenge about them which should fuel their fire.
England
England delivered another one of their frustrating performances in their opening match against Serbia, the like we are getting far too used to seeing from them under Gareth Southgate. The opening half an hour was as good as anything we have seen in the tournament with England passing and moving with a good tempo and seemingly threatening every time they had the ball. Rather than put Serbia to the sword and make the latter stages comfortable though they went the other way.
To be fair to England, Serbia didn’t create anything of note even though England sat back and contained their opposition and they did win the game so it would be wrong to criticise them too much but from their point of view they will hope that by having to battle right through to the final whistle to secure the win that expanded energy doesn’t catch up with them when they come up against sides who were able to rest, rotate and ease off in their first game.
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Team News
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand has declared there are no new injuries to his squad for this match. Joakim Maehle was a surprise exclusion in the opening game with no confirmation as to why so he could come in if available.
Gareth Southgate has confirmed that England will be without Luke Shaw for this match so we can expect him to name an unchanged XI with Trent Alexander-Arnold seemingly set to get a second go in the heart of the midfield.
Betting
I’m not convinced this is a match to be getting too involved with because second games at a tournament haven’t been a strength for England in recent times whereas Denmark will probably take avoiding defeat and taking their chances against Serbia in the last game, particularly with it looking like a couple of third placed sides will have no more than three points and an indifferent goal difference. You would expect England to win but I can happily avoid the heartache that comes with an odds on shot sitting back if they take the lead.
Instead I’ll take a bit of longer shot for this one. Denmark corners served me well in their first game when I needed them to win six of them and they got nine and I’m going to lean on that angle here and take them to get the most corners at 11/4. England only had one corner against Serbia in their opening game and it wouldn’t be a surprise were England to take the lead for them to sit back and look to contain once again. I mentioned in the first game that only Belgium won more corners than Denmark in qualifying and England aren’t regulars when it comes to racking up the corners. With no balance down their left and Denmark surely smart enough to double up on Saka down the right, England will be forced to play in the centre of the pitch where the Danes spread the pitch wide. I’ll take Denmark to win the most corners in a match I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up doing the most attacking.
Tips
Back Denmark Most corners for a 2/10 stake at 3.75 with Boylesports
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