England vs Slovenia live updates: Euro 2024 match team news, predictions and line-ups

What's Causing The Pressure?

What is the deal with England soccer players? For years, they seem to struggle on the field, moving as if on slippery ice with heavy backpacks weighing them down.

I am in alignment with your thoughts, S.C. Fabio Capello frequently discussed the concept of fear. He emphasized it even more than Ian Brown did, highlighting fears of failure and fear of consequences. The lowest point in this regard was not only the disastrous performance against Iceland in Euro 2016, but also the 2010 World Cup. It was truly a terrible experience, far worse than anything we have seen recently.

The England team's performance has improved since Gareth Southgate became manager. However, in the last two games, they have reverted back to their previous struggles. There is worry that if this trend continues, it could have a negative impact on the team's confidence.

Join In Before England Takes On Slovenia Today

For the next hour, we will be sharing messages from our England mailbag. Our journalists will be answering questions from our subscribers about Gareth Southgate's team and the beginning of their journey in Euro 2024.

We invite you to participate as well. Feel free to connect with us by sending an email to [email protected].

European Championship Winners By Country

Germany and Spain have both won the European Championship three times, making them the most successful nations in the tournament’s history. Italy and France are the current champions with two titles each, closely following behind.

Six countries have won the tournament once each, but England has never achieved victory on the continental stage.

In the previous tournament, they nearly won but lost to Italy in a penalty shootout even after scoring first in the game.

Should Euro Cup Expand To 32 Teams?

Currently, there are no big international tournaments that have more than 24 teams from one continent. The Copa America only has 16 teams, while the European Championship and the Africa Cup of Nations both have 24 teams.

However, some people believe that the Euros should be enlarged to match the World Cup and become a 32-team competition.

This year, Norway's Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard won't be participating due to their team not qualifying, and Sweden's Alexander Isak will also be missing out. Wales, who made it to the semi-finals in 2016, and Greece, who were the winners in 2004, did not qualify either.

Even though they may not be competing for the championship, all four of those teams wouldn't seem out of their league at this year's tournament. The same can be said for many other European countries. Perhaps it's time for an expansion that would make qualifying for the knockout stage easier. Just like at the World Cup, the top two teams from each group would move forward, while the bottom two would be eliminated.

European soccer has a lot of talented teams, which makes it deserving of recognition. Despite what UEFA says, it seems like just a matter of time before that choice is confirmed.

The Evolution Of The European Championship

The European Championship has taken place every four years starting in 1960, but the competition has changed significantly from its original format 64 years ago.

In 1960, a total of 17 teams participated in the competition, but only four teams made it to the finals: France, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia.

For two decades, the situation remained unchanged until a choice was made to increase the number of teams in competition to eight.

After West Germany, France, Netherlands, and Denmark all won, the number of teams competing in the field increased to 16.

As European football keeps getting better, more teams wanted to compete in a 24-team tournament. This change was approved a few months after the 2008 Championship.

This year's Euros will be the fourth time it is played with 24 teams. Even though some people have suggested expanding to 32 teams, UEFA has decided to keep it at 24 for now. They stated last year that there are no plans to change the format of the tournament.

Serbia In Euro 2024 Group C Floodlights

Dragan Stojkovic's team needs to win in order to have a realistic shot at advancing. They will finish in second place if they earn three points and if Slovenia does not defeat England.

If they don't finish in the top two positions, having four points will probably secure their spot as one of the top third-place teams.

Slovenia In Euro 2024 Group C

Beating England will allow Slovenia to advance to the next round, and they will do so as the top team in their group if Denmark does not defeat Serbia by a high enough margin to have a better goal difference than Matjaz Kek's team.

If Slovenia ties with England, they will need to hope that the Denmark-Serbia game ends in their favor in order to secure a top two finish. Otherwise, they will come in third place and will have to anxiously await the outcomes of other matches.

If Slovenia is defeated by England, they will most likely be eliminated in the group stage.

Predicting Euro 2024 Group C: Denmark

If Denmark wins, they will advance to the next round and potentially secure the top spot, depending on the outcome of the England-Slovenia match.

If the team that won the 1992 championship ties with Serbia, they will advance to the next round in second place as long as Slovenia does not win (or tie with a lower goal count).

If Denmark ties and Slovenia wins, Denmark will need to depend on outcomes in different groups to qualify as a third-placed team.

Losing to Serbia will likely result in Denmark being knocked out of the competition.

Euro 2024 Group C: England's Possibilities

England will advance if they don't lose to Slovenia and will finish first in the group if they win.

Gareth Southgate's team has a chance to come in first place even with a draw, as long as Denmark does not beat Serbia by more than one goal. If they win against Serbia by only one goal, then ranking will be determined by the total number of goals scored throughout the group stage.

If England doesn't win, they will finish in third place if Denmark is victorious, but in second place if Denmark doesn't beat Serbia. Even if England ends up in third place, their four points are sufficient to qualify as one of the top third-placed teams.

History Of England's Euro Championships

Monitor England Closely Before Half-time Break

England has displayed impressive reliability in dominating possession and scoring goals in the last 15 minutes before the halftime break.

They managed to score five goals without letting the opposing team score between the 30th and 45th minute at the World Cup, tying with Argentina for the most goals in that time frame.

It was England's most impressive 15-minute stretch of the match during the World Cup qualification (nine out of 39 goals) and the Euros (eight out of 22 goals).

England's Recent Success Starts In Defense

Today, many people talking about the upcoming match will likely focus on England's offensive choices, but it's important to note that their defense has been really good so far.

During the last two tournaments and first two Euro 2024 games, England's defense has been impressive. They have only allowed seven goals in 14 games, and in eight Euros qualifying matches, they conceded just four goals. England's ability to regain possession in the final third was second only to Argentina during the World Cup, with 34 regains compared to Argentina's 39.

However, with Harry Maguire sidelined due to injury and uncertainty surrounding Luke Shaw's return to fitness, England will be entering Euro 2024 with more defensive concerns than initially anticipated.

England's Football Style

England has competed in three significant tournaments under the leadership of Gareth Southgate: reaching the quarter-finals in the World Cup 2022, the semi-finals in the World Cup 2018, and the final in Euro 2020. They have come very close to success and overcome some historical challenges, but they have not yet won any trophies.

Southgate has transformed the England team's playing style to resemble that of Spain from 2008 to 2012 rather than the traditional English style. “We have been more in control during our matches. We have dominated pretty much every game we have played,” Southgate stated at the end of 2023.

In the World Cup 2022, England proved they no longer had to change their playing style when facing stronger teams. They stuck with the 4-3-3 formation in the quarter-finals against France, instead of switching to a 3-4-3. Jude Bellingham's impressive progress suggests that a 4-2-3-1 formation, with him as the playmaker, should be the team's main strategy in Germany.

Even though England lined up with four defenders, Kyle Walker often dropped back to help in the build-up during the knockout games in Qatar. This strategy was effective in providing extra protection against fast players like Ismaila Sarr and Kylian Mbappe, especially when facing Senegal and France.

England is switching their formation from a 4-3-3 to a 3-2-5 when they attack, similar to many top Premier League teams. Southgate mentioned they are trying out new ideas, like putting Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield and using Rico Lewis in a dual full-back/midfield position. Look for quick passes and movement in the middle of the field to send a full-back forward.

Get Ready For Today's England Game: Here's What You Need To Know

Slovenia's Success In European Championships

Slovenia's Star Player?

Goalkeeper and leader of the national team Jan Oblak is living out a dream he had as a child. Although he started playing for the national team in 2012, he will now have the opportunity to represent Slovenia in a big tournament. While his ability to stop shots has declined slightly in the past few years, moving from being one of the top in the world to more average, his record in international matches is impressive: Oblak has kept 30 clean sheets and has only let in 53 goals in 64 games.

In Slovenia, there is another player who can make a big difference in matches - Benjamin Sesko. Despite being only 21 years old, he stands tall at 6ft 4in (193cm) and has impressed in his first season at RB Leipzig. His coach, Kek, describes him as a strong, talented, and mature player. According to Kek, Sesko has shown steady improvement and has become more decisive in his actions. It's rare to find strikers like him in the world.

Sesko provides a valuable contribution to the team by helping to create attacking opportunities, winning balls in the air, involving midfielders in play, and running into open spaces. But what sets him apart is his ability to consistently score goals of all kinds, and at an impressive frequency.

Slovenia's Football Playing Style

Slovenia has returned to a major tournament for the first time since the 2010 World Cup. Matjaz Kek, who led them in South Africa, is back as the national team coach for the second time since returning in November 2018. They still use a 4-4-2 formation, just like they did in 2010, but none of the players from that squad are still on the team.

The team is based on organization and order: Kek mentioned before the March friendly against Portugal that he prefers to allow players some freedom, but expects them to take full responsibility. He emphasized the importance of being able to defend well as a team, while also mentioning the need to be proactive when in possession of the ball. Simply waiting for the opponent to make a move is not an option.

The change to a 4-4-2 formation happened after the 2022 Nations League ended. They ended up in third place in a group with Sweden, Serbia, and Norway, after starting with a back three. The switch seemed to be successful as their performance improved. In 2023, they had their most successful year ever in terms of wins (seven out of 10 games) and goals scored per game (two).

Slovenia Game: What To Know Before Kickoff

Euro 2024 Team From Slovenia

Goalkeepers: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (APOEL), Igor Vekic (Vejle). In the goalkeeper position, we have Jan Oblak from Atletico Madrid, Vid Belec from APOEL, and Igor Vekic from Vejle.

Defenders: Petar Stojanovic from Sampdoria, Jaka Bijol from Udinese, Miha Blazic from Lech Poznan, Jure Balkovec from Alanyaspor, Zan Karnicnik from Celje, David Brekalo from Orlando City, Erik Janza from Gornik Zabrze, and Vanja Drkusic from Sochi.

The midfielders for the team include Timi Max Elsnik from Olimpija Ljubljana, Jasmin Kurtic from Sudtirol, Benjamin Verbic from Panathinaikos, Sandi Lovric from Udinese, Adam Gnezda Cerin from Panathinaikos, Jon Gorenc Stankovic from Sturm Graz, Tomi Horvat also from Sturm Graz, Adrian Zeljkovic from Spartak Trnava, and Nino Zugelj from Bodo/Glimt.

Incoming transfers: Josip Ilicic from Maribor, Andraz Sporar from Panathinaikos, Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig, Zan Celar from Lugano, Jan Mlakar from Pisa, Zan Vipotnik from Bordeaux.

"The Euro 2024 Squad From England"

Goalies: Jordan Pickford from Everton, Dean Henderson from Crystal Palace, Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal

Backline: Lewis Dunk from Brighton, Joe Gomez from Liverpool, Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, Luke Shaw from Man Utd, John Stones from Manchester City, Kieran Trippier from Newcastle, Kyle Walker from Manchester City.

Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool, Conor Gallagher from Chelsea, Kobbie Mainoo from Manchester United, Declan Rice from Arsenal, and Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace.

Upcoming players to watch out for in the future include Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid, Jarrod Bowen from West Ham, Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace, Phil Foden from Manchester City, Anthony Gordon from Newcastle, Harry Kane from Bayern Munich, Cole Palmer from Chelsea, Bukayo Saka from Arsenal, Ivan Toney from Brentford, and Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.