Tricky opposition
England will face Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter finals if they beat Slovakia on Sunday.
Gareth Southgate’s side don’t play until Sunday but they would’ve kept one eye on the opening game of the knockout stages knowing that the winner could well be their next opponent.
Switzerland were extremely impressive against Italy as they gave the holders little to smile about.
Nottingham Forest’s Remo Freuler opened the scoring before the Swiss doubled their advantage 27 seconds after the restart thanks to Ruben Vargas’ stunning curling effort.
England face Slovakia on Sunday
The Three Lions qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2024 by finishing top of Group C – albeit in lacklustre fashion.
After beating Serbia 1-0 in their first game, Gareth Southgate’s men were held to a 1-1 draw by Denmark before a goalless tie against Slovenia ensured they would finish top of the group on five points.
By finishing top they knew they would be going up against one of the sides who finished third in Group D, E or F and after the final round of group stage fixtures, it was confirmed that they would play Slovakia.
Their 1-1 draw against Romania on Wednesday consolidated their position as the third best side in Group E.
When will the game take place
Following confirmation of the tie, we know that England will next be in action on Sunday, kicking off at 17:00pm. They will be available to watch on ITV.
Meanwhile in the aftermath of England’s dull draw against Slovenia, Southgate admitted he understood the criticism towards him but believes it is creating an “unusual environment” for he and his players.
“I’m not going to back away from it. The most important thing is we stay with the team. I understand the narrative towards me,” he said.
“That’s better for the team than it being towards them but it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any other team qualify and receive similar.
“However they feel towards me, I get it, I’ve been around England for 20 years, I’ve seen it. My job is to guide the team through this and get the very best out of the team and keep this perspective for them. I’m very happy with how they’ve handled the last few days.”
