EURO 2024 match schedule today: England and Netherlands face early challenges

The Netherlands wants to show its strength against Poland

The Netherlands will face Poland in their opening match of Group D in Hamburg on June 16 at 8pm. While Poland qualified via a play-off, the Netherlands comfortably qualified and are aiming to win their second European Championship.

Poland will be playing their fifth major tournament in a row this summer and will be hoping to reach the last 16 despite a tough group, although their hopes have been somewhat dented by an injury to Robert Lewandowski which will leave the Eagles without their top scorer for their opening game.

The Netherlands (right) wants to demonstrate its strength against Poland.

Since succeeding Fernando Santos, new coach Michal Probierz has delivered excellent results, with Poland beating Estonia and then Wales to qualify for Germany in the play-offs. This month, the Eagles have played two friendly games, winning 3-1 against Ukraine and then beating Turkey 2-1, with five different players scoring, giving hope that Lewandowski's absence will not be too much of a concern.

However, history is not on their side as Poland have won just two of their 14 EURO matches so far and have failed to beat the Netherlands in 12 meetings with the 'Orange Storm' since 1979.

In their 11th EURO appearance, the Netherlands want to relive the beautiful memory of lifting the European Cup held in Germany in 1988 thanks to the famous volley of the legend Marco van Basten in the final.

The team nicknamed "Orange Storm" has not reached the EURO semi-finals in 20 years and the team under coach Ronald Koeman is now keen to do so.

Facing world runners-up France and Austria in Group D, their first task will be to get three points against Poland to prove they can progress further in the tournament. After a 4-0 win over Canada in a friendly last week, the Netherlands then crushed Iceland by the same scoreline earlier this week.

The Netherlands will be full of confidence heading into their opening game in Hamburg. Captain Virgil van Dijk has scored in both warm-up wins and will lead a defence packed with impressive performers; the absence of Frenkie de Jong in midfield could derail their dreams of progress but Koeman’s side have high expectations this summer.

The Danish "Toy Soldiers" set off

Slovenia and Denmark aim to win 3 points to keep their ambitions of advancing alive when they clash in the first match of Group C taking place at 11pm on June 16.

Denmark are looking to replicate their legendary 1992 EURO triumph, while Slovenia, coached by Matjaz Kek, are in a strong position to progress. They are returning to the continent’s premier international tournament for the first time since 2000, when they debuted as an independent nation following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Coach Matjaz Kek is determined to win 3 points against Denmark

At the EURO 24 years ago, Slovenia were eliminated in the group stage and did not win. But the team ranked 57th in the world has quickly made its mark in official matches and friendlies - losing only one of the last 12. A 1-1 draw with Bulgaria in the final warm-up friendly was not something that made Slovenians too happy because of the stalemate in the attack.

Meanwhile, 32 years after shocking the world at EURO 1992, Denmark have mixed memories of the tournament three years ago. They reached the semi-finals against England before being painfully eliminated in extra time.

Coach Kasper Hjulmand's team could not extend their performance to the 2022 World Cup when they played poorly and were eliminated from the group stage. However, "The Tin Soldiers" still keep faith in their 52-year-old coach.

Serbia challenges the "Three Lions"

England's mission to banish EURO 2020 disappointment begins with their Group C opener against Serbia at the Veltins-Arena on June 17 at 2am.

Neither team has lifted the trophy since the continental championship began, and they face further challenges in Group D with Denmark and Slovenia present.

Two-time European Championship runners-up in 1960 and 1968 in the former Yugoslavia, Serbia are determined to make an impressive debut at this year's tournament, having never qualified for the European Championship as an independent nation before.

Led by coach Dragan Stojkovic - considered one of the best talents to ever play for Serbia, the Southeast European team qualified with just 4 wins from 8 matches. But that was enough to help them end 24 years of being on the outside of the EURO finals.

Runner-up England (left) departs

Filled with recognizable names in the squad such as Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Dusan Tadic (Ajax) and the pair Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Hilal Club), Serbia's recent form has not been much to write home about, with just four wins from their last 11 matches. However, two of those wins came in three friendlies ahead of EURO 2024. Therefore, the inconsistent form of their opponents England will give Stojkovic's team optimism about being able to defeat the "Three Lions".

Less than three years after the disappointing defeat in the EURO 2020 final at home at Wembley, England arrived in Germany as strong contenders. Gareth Southgate continued to take charge of the Three Lions after going through the qualifying round unbeaten after their defeat in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.

Despite two "revenge" victories over defending champions Italy in the qualifying round, England are still considered a strong contender for the EURO this year after their recent results - only 1 win in 5 matches. In particular, England did not show convincing performance in their only victory against Bosnia-Herzegovina (3-0).

What the English team lacks is the ability to seize scoring opportunities from the attack. Mr. Southgate has made personnel changes in the friendly matches in the hope of showing a different face in Germany.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lich-thi-dau-euro-2024-hom-nay-anh-va-ha-lan-som-gap-thach-thuc-185240616010450759.htm