The knockout stages are about to begin, and this is where tournament football really gets serious. England fans will be hoping that the Three Lions get serious in their Round of 16 clash against Slovakia on Sunday, as their Group Stage was anything but.

England have been seriously lacking in the Euros so far, winning one and drawing two of their games. In that time they have scored just two and conceded one - a real snooze fest for spectators.

Kobbie 🤼‍♂️ Ollie pic.twitter.com/qLNoMOPTTX

— England (@England) June 28, 2024

Their only consolation is that they have managed to get a favourable draw after winning their group. Slovakia finished third in Group E, behind Romania and Belgium and got four points, the same as everyone else in that group.

The game takes place at 5pm on Sunday 30th June at the Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen. Coverage begins at 3:30pm on ITV.

England vs Slovakia Team News

England Team News

England have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game, but Luke Shaw is unlikely to feature as he is still recovering from a long term injury.

Phil Foden headed back to England for the birth of his third child following the game against Slovenia however he returned to Germany on Thursday and trained with the team on Friday, so he could still feature.

Phil Foden RETURNS to England training after the birth of his third child. 🥰🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/TitUsGq5Df

— City Report (@cityreport_) June 28, 2024

Anthony Gordon suffered a cycling accident at England’s training camp but is also ready to start if needed.

Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo impressed when he came off the bench against Slovenia so he could start in midfield alongside Declan Rice instead of Conor Gallagher.

Many have also been calling for Gareth Southgate to start Cole Palmer but I don’t think that Bukayo Saka deserves to be dropped. According to UEFA, England have created just one goal scoring opportunity in the whole tournament, which was Saka’s cross to Jude Bellingham in the opening game.

Palmer doesn’t solve England’s problems, and actually creates more. The only width England has comes from Saka down the right hand side. Foden, Bellingham and Harry Kane all want to occupy the same space in the middle of the pitch, and Keiran Trippier doesn’t have a left foot, meaning that attacks down the left always come back inside.

If you start Palmer over Saka, the Chelsea man will also want to drift into the middle of the park, as he has done so much this season in London, further congesting the space and making England even easier to defend against.

Cole Palmer 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #Euro2024 pic.twitter.com/SNuufj2TEh

— Chelsea Photos (@ChelseaInPhotos) June 28, 2024

Slovakia Team News

Without any injuries or suspensions, there is very little to say about Slovakia’s team news. Francesco Calzona, Slovakia’s head coach, doesn’t like to change up his teams very often so Martin Dubravka, Milan Skriniar and Stanislav Lobotka are likely to form the team’s spine against the Three Lions.

Forward Ivan Schranz has impressed in the tournament so far as has Hellas Verona’s Ondrej Duda, who scored in their last game against Romania.

It is possible that Calzona changes the number nine for the England game as Robert Bozenik has been unable to get a hold of the tournament so far. David Strelec of Reggina is ready to take his place if called upon.

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Ivan Schranz 🔥🤞🤞#EURo2024    | #SVKUKR pic.twitter.com/iLwTYKQL4T

— Dr. js Choudhary (@jsChoud76335852) June 21, 2024

England vs Slovakia: Predicted Lineups

England - J. Pickford, K. Walker, J. Stones, M. Guehi, K. Trippier, K. Mainoo, D. Rice, B. Saka, J. Bellingham, P. Foden, H. Kane

Slovakia - M. Dubravka, P. Pekarik, D. Vavro, M. Skriniar, D. Hancko, J. Kucka, S. Lobotka, O. Duda, I. Schranz, R. Bozenik, L. Haraslin

England vs Slovakia: Score Prediction

England 1-0 Slovakia

This game will be another Southgate trademark: low scoring, boring and laboured from the Three Lions. The goal will come in the first half, and after that, Slovakia will dominate the chances but be unable to score past Jordan Pickford. If you’re a neutral fan, I suggest watching something else.