Poland take on the Netherlands, Slovenia meet Denmark and England hope to live up to their pre-tournament billing against Serbia.
Virgil van Dijk, Harry Kane and Dušan Tadić are among the class acts ready to take to the UEFA EURO 2024 stage as we reach day three of the finals.
We preview the action in Hamburg, Stuttgart and Gelsenkirchen.
Poland vs Netherlands (Group D, Hamburg)
These sides are meeting for the first time at a major tournament, with the absence of injured captain Robert Lewandowski shifting the focus to Poland’s other options up front. At his fourth (and final) EURO, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny has hope for his younger team-mates, however, his belief in Poland’s potential hinging on the hunger in their ranks: “Young players who are fighting for their careers, for transfers, to show their best.”
EURO winners in Germany in 1988, the Netherlands have had a chequered competition record since reaching the last eight in 2008, and Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk feels his side will need some moral support in Hamburg, saying of Poland: “Difficult team, good players. I know for sure there will be plenty of Polish fans there to make things difficult for us. We really need the Dutch fans.”
Key stat: Poland have not won in their last 12 games against the Netherlands (D5 L7) since prevailing 2-0 at home in a EURO qualifier in May 1979.
Slovenia vs Denmark (Group C, Stuttgart)
Group C gets under way with Matjaž Kek’s Slovenia competing at their first major final tournament since the coach took them to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. They faced Denmark in qualifying (drawing 1-1 at home and losing 2-1 in Copenhagen), but on-song striker Benjamin Šeško, 21, typified their positive outlook when he said: “I’m honestly very excited, and I think others are too. I can’t wait for all the emotions and all that stuff, and to see how we will function as a team.”
At their tenth EURO, Denmark have experience that their opponents cannot match. Wild-card winners of the 1992 edition, the Danes reached the semi-finals last time out, but goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, now 37, knows to expect a tough test in Stuttgart. “We are facing an opponent that we have met a couple of times recently, so obviously it’s going to be a game of chess,” he said. “It’s always nice to start with a good performance and a win because it gives you some confidence and something to build on.”
Key stat: Slovenia did not win a game at their only previous EURO, in 2000, and have yet to win a game against Denmark (D1 L5).
Serbia vs England (Group C, Gelsenkirchen)
A 1-0 home friendly loss against Iceland in the run-up to the finals seemed a shaky way for England to warm up for their first ever meeting with the independent Serbia, but opposition captain Dušan Tadić is taking little comfort from that. “We all know what quality they have,” he explained. “They didn’t have several players in the line-up who will certainly start against us.”
England fans feel they have had enough disappointments in the 58 years since they won their only major title (the 1966 World Cup) to be wary of pre-tournament optimism, but even captain Harry Kane struggled to play down the quality of their current selection. “This squad is one of the best, if not the best, we’ve had,” he said. “We have incredible young talent coming through who are fearless and just want to get on the ball and play.”
Key stat: No team has played as many EURO games as England (38) without winning the competition.