EM in the ticker

England vs Slovenia LIVE from 9pm

Harry Kane and Co. struggle against Slovenia.

(Bild: AP ( via APA) Austria Presse Agentur/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Third matchday at the European Championship: England face Slovenia. The game is currently 0-0 and we are reporting live (ticker below).

Here is the live ticker:

Although England's progression to the last 16 of the European Championship is now virtually out of reach, there is still a lot at stake for team boss Gareth Southgate in the final Group C clash against Slovenia in Cologne today (9pm/live in the sportkrone.at ticker). The co-favorites are under heavy criticism after two lackluster games at home. Harry Kane and Co. want to secure first place under their own steam and avoid a looming round of 16 duel with Germany. To do so, they need a win.

A meagre 1:0 against Serbia and a weak 1:1 against Denmark are on the books for the English. For the latter, the Three Lions were booed by their own fans in Frankfurt. Southgate criticized the physical condition of his players after a long season. "We can't press as high as we did in qualifying, for example," explained the coach, who has a lot of work to do. "We have to keep the ball better and control the build-up play better. Then we'll have to defend less and have more confidence."

Gareth Southgate

(Bild: AP/Associated Press)

Changes to the starting line-up
Changes are expected in the starting line-up. Southgate took Trent Alexander-Arnold off early against Denmark, who is struggling in his unfamiliar position in midfield. Offensive stars Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden have also been unconvincing so far. Kane, who suffered a back injury in May, declared that he was absolutely fit. "I think I can play all the games."

Another issue in the team is the enormous pressure of expectation. "We're desperate to do our country proud," explained Declan Rice. "We really want to go out there and give people memories for life. Sometimes I feel like we put too much pressure on ourselves." The Arsenal player understands that the England team are measured by goals and titles. "If you look at our front four (Foden, Kane, Saka and Jude Bellingham, ed.), they've scored over 100 goals this year. Of course expectations are high."

Even for the players themselves. "Of course people expect us to finish top of the group. We expect that too," said Kane. If that doesn't happen and England finish second in the group, they will face Germany on Saturday. That would be "no reason for us to panic", said the Bayern Munich striker.

Hopes rest on Sesko
Opponents Slovenia narrowly missed out on a win against Serbia in injury time, which would have been the country's first victory at a European Championship. They now want to make up for that against England, with hopes resting above all on ex-Salzburg and now Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko. "They're not at their best, they're still great of course, but I think now is the best opportunity to play against them and show them what we can do," said Sesko with a view to the English.

Benjamin Sesko

(Bild: Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

So far, coach Matjaz Kek's team has collected two 1-1 draws against Denmark and Serbia. "We have proven that we deserve to be there," said Kek. "I am convinced that this team will get its satisfaction."