GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — England plays Slovakia in the round of 16 at Euro 2024 on Sunday after facing fierce criticism for its performances during the group stage. Still, the runner up three years ago is unbeaten and on the opposite side of the draw to France, Spain, Germany and Portugal. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) in Gelsenkirchen. Here’s what to know about the match:
— England advanced to the knockout phase as group winner and unbeaten in three games, but fans showed their anger at the team’s performance against Slovenia on Tuesday with loud jeers at the end of the match and some threw beer cups toward manager Gareth Southgate.
— This is Southgate’s fourth major tournament as England manager and he has always managed to lead the team to at least the quarterfinals.
— Slovakia is playing in the round of 16 at a Euros for second time as an independent nation, having advanced to this stage in 2016. It has never gone beyond the round of 16.
— Under coach Francesco Calzona, Slovakia produced one of the shocks of the tournament by beating Belgium 1-0 in its opening game.
— Phil Foden is back in the England squad after returning home for the birth of his child. Luke Shaw could make his first appearance at these Euros following a hamstring injury and Southgate is reportedly considering starting teenager Kobbie Mainoo in midfield.
— Harry Kane scored a record-extending 64th goal for England in the game against Denmark.
— England is unbeaten in six games against Slovakia, winning five and drawing one.
— If they play, Juraj Kucka and Peter Pekarík will make record-extending 11th appearances for Slovakia at the Euros.
— “Everything that’s happened is now pretty irrelevant. We have things that we can build on, but also, this is a different test, a different phase of the tournament, and each individual game takes place on its own merit and can also take wild directions at times.” — England manager Gareth Southgate.
— “We remember where we started. When our coach first took the job, we were playing friendly matches in front of 2,000 people in the stadium. And now, after two years of hard work, we’re among the best 16 teams in Europe. So, it’s really wonderful, and we’re happy about it.” — Slovakia captain Milan Skriniar.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
