England qualified for the Euro 2024 knockout stage by topping their group, but all is not well with the Three Lions as they meet Slovakia for their Round of 16 matchup in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday.
An uninspiring three-match start to the tournament only saw them finish first in Group C thanks in part to outside help, winning one and drawing two and scoring just two goals across the three games.
It has led to significant doom and gloom amongst the England fanbase and media, with many calling for Gareth Southgate’s dismissal and a host of lineup alterations. This leaves a significant lack of clarity coming into this match over whether the usually steady Southgate will shuffle deck or remain steadfast despite the outside noise.
Slovakia, meanwhile, finished as part of the record-setting Group E that saw all four teams finish level on four points, leaving the Falcons to settle for a third-place qualifying spot thanks to their goal differential.
England vs. Slovakia prediction, odds
- Moneyline lean: England (-250)
- Score prediction: England 1-0 Slovakia
England have looked extremely poor up front so far this tournament, but they’ve been strong at the back — a sacrifice that Southgate has made, unsurprisingly so given the wider context of his tenure.
Slovakia, meanwhile, managed to put just one goal up on each of Belgium, Ukraine, and Romania, all teams who have shown defensive lapses both at this tournament and before it. Don’t expect England to have much trouble here, although if they can’t find the net and succumb to another draw, penalties could be an issue.
| BetMGM (USA) |
|
| England win | -250 |
| Draw | +333 |
| Slovakia win | +725 |
| Both teams to score |
Y: +140 N: -200 |
| Over / Under 2.5 goals |
O: +105 U: -145 |
| England to advance |
-550 |
| Slovakia to advance |
+380 |
England vs. Slovakia match facts
- Date: Sunday, Jun. 30, 2024
- Kickoff Time: 6 p.m. local (12 p.m. ET / 9 a.m. PT)
- Location: Veltins-Arena (Gelsenkirchen, Germany)
- Referee: Halil Umut Meler (TUR)
- Last meeting: England 2-1 Slovakia (Sep. 4, 2017 | UEFA World Cup qualifying)
England vs. Slovakia best bet
- Pick: Under 2.5 total goals
- Odds: -145 (BetMGM)
The issues for England have been almost exclusively up front, as Jude Bellingham at the No. 10 just isn’t working like it did at Real Madrid. He’s dropping far too deep and not able to arrive in the penalty area to clean up messes at the top of the pitch.
Unless Southgate decides to install Cole Palmer at the 10 and drop Bellingham into a deeper position, a role which he is familiar with from his Borussia Dortmund days, England will continue to be extremely lopsided in the attack, skewed heavily towards the wide areas.
While Slovakia will struggle to find the back of the net themselves, so too will the Three Lions unless Southgate identifies the problem areas and fixes them — something he hasn’t shown an indication of to this point.
England vs. Slovakia prop bet
- Pick: Cole Palmer to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +125 (FanDuel)
OR
- Pick: Phil Foden to score or assist a goal
- Odds: +120 (FanDuel)
Palmer’s minutes total to this point at Euro 2024 is inexcusable. He did not see the pitch in the first two group games before coming on for the final 19 minutes of their group finale against Slovenia. In that short time, his inspiration was a breath of fresh air for England fans — the Chelsea star forced a big, if comfortable, save out of Jan Oblak while completing all 12 of his passes and attempting three dribbles.
If Southgate rewards the youngster with a spot in the starting XI against Slovakia, he has the ability to change the course of England’s tournament.
Yet if Southgate remains stubbornly steadfast in his tactical approach, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka have been the brightest sources of creativity for the Three Lions, more out of necessity than anything else. With nothing at all happening through the middle, they’ve needed wide players to trigger attacking moves.
Foden has received lots of criticism, but much of that is unwarranted — against Slovenia, he was England’s best attacking option, generating three shots and two chances created, triggering or assisting on nearly half of his side’s 12 shots across the whole of the match.
England vs. Slovakia live stream, TV channel
| TV channel | Streaming | |
| USA | FOX, TUDN, Univision | Fubo, Fox Sports GO, TUDN app/website, Univision NOW, ViX |
| Canada | TSN (1, 4, 5), CTV, TVA Sports | TSN+, TVA+ |
| UK | ITV1, STV | ITVX, STV Player |
| India | Sony Ten 2, 3 | Sony LIV, JioTV |
This match will be televised in the United States on FOX, which can be streamed on Fubo, who are offering a FREE trial for new users. There is also a Spanish-language broadcast available on TUDN and Univision, which are also available via the Fubo free trial.
In Canada, this game will be shown across a host of TSN channels as well as on CTV, with a French-language broadcast available on TVA Sports.
In the UK, Euro 2024 matches are split between ITV and the BBC. This match will be televised by ITV, with streaming on their dedicated platform, ITVX.
In India, this game will be broadcast on the Sony Ten network, with a streaming option also available via JioTV.
