A Palace clash and a shot at revenge: England take on Denmark

Match previews

20 Jun 2024

England will look to make it two wins out of two to begin their Euro 2024 campaign against Denmark, so before the action begins, get the lowdown on our next opponents…

Three Lions x Four Eagles

After Marc Guéhi earned widespread praise for his composed performance in England’s opener against Serbia – securing a clean sheet – he will surely keep his place.

England’s struggle for a second goal on Sunday could see Gareth Southgate turn to Ebere Eze to try to unlock a strong Denmark defence, while the Trent Alexander-Arnold midfield experiment continues to split opinion, with Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo and Conor Gallagher jostling for position should the spot alongside Declan Rice become available.

The Great Dane

There will likely be Palace representation on both sides on Thursday evening, with Joachim Andersen hoping to retain his place after playing the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw with Slovenia on Sunday.

With the two sides meeting in Oliver Glasner’s old stomping ground in Frankfurt, it will be a contest between two of his most trusted lieutenants for all three points.

Last meeting

An extra-time Harry Kane penalty saw England qualify for a first major final since 1966 as Denmark came up agonisingly short, having taken the lead, at Wembley in July 2021.

England XI: Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Stones, Shaw; Rice (Henderson, 95), Phillips; Saka (Grealish, 69), Mount (Foden, 95), Grealish (Trippier, 106); Kane.

Subs not used: Johnstone, Ramsdale, Mings, Coady, James, Bellingham, Rashford, Sancho.

Denmark

World Ranking: 21
Best performance: Semi-finals, 2021
Manager: Kasper Hjulmand

Denmark’s opening draw with Slovenia will be seen as a setback for a side which reached the semi-finals of the last tournament, particularly after taking an early lead through Christian Eriksen.

Erik Janza equalised late on and De Rød-Hvide had to settle for a point, with everything to play for when they take on England on Thursday evening.

After being tipped by many to cause an earthquake at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Denmark meekly exited the tournament without winning a game, scoring just a single goal as they came bottom of a group containing France, Australia and Tunisia.

There will be a hope that they can avoid the same fate this time around, and that can start by causing an upset against England in Frankfurt.

Big names

Christian Eriksen cut an emotional figure after scoring Denmark’s opening goal of the tournament, having collapsed on the pitch in the opening game of the tournament against Finland three years ago, having his life saved by emergency treatment and recovering thanks to the fitting of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).

His club teammate Rasmus Højlund is considered the next big thing in Danish football, having scored seven goals in 15 international appearances and coming off the back of a 16-goal season at Old Trafford.

In midfield, Sporting’s Morten Hjulmand is set to be in demand by Premier League clubs this summer, while Kasper Schmeichel, Andreas Christensen, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, Christian Nørgaard and more will be familiar to fans for their exploits in the English top-flight.

The boss

Kasper Hjulmand

A popular figure with the Danish supporters, Hjulmand (no relation to the midfielder) is appreciated by his players for his straight-forward communication and leadership of a harmonious camp. He has worked his way up to the top job the hard way, beginning his coaching career as Under-18s manager of Superliga side Lyngby, before graduating to the top job and impressing at Nordsjaelland and Mainz.

Match details

Thursday, 20th June
17:00 BST
Waldstadion, Frankfurt
BBC

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