England is not only reached the semi-finals of a European Championship, but they did so after a decisive quarter-final victory. Gareth Southgate’s side trounced Ukraine 4-0 in Rome, clinching their place in the final four with a superb second-half effort. The next opponent is Denmark, who is considered England’s strongest opponent thus far.
Euro 2020, Semi-Final
Date: Wednesday, 7 July 2021
Venue: Wembley Stadium (London).
Short backstory
Nearly 30 years after “Danish Dynamite” won the 1992 European Championship, Denmark is just a few steps away from repeating that amazing night in Gothenburg. This summer, Kasper Hjulmand has been the master tactician, going undefeated in two games against England, most recently winning 1-0 in the Nations League in October.
Will Southgate be able to exorcise the ghosts of 2018 and go to the semi-finals this time? Or will Hjulmand be able to come up with a new strategy to beat him?View from the camps
Harry Kane, England captain:
“Denmark are a great team. We played them in the Nations League twice last year, and we didn’t win one game – one draw, one loss. But we need to try to focus on ourselves; it is a semi-final at our national stadium and we’ve got to use all those positives to worry about us. We know if we get it right and play how we know we can then we have a great opportunity to get to a final. It’s going to be incredible.”
Thomas Delaney, Denmark midfielder:
“At the start of the tournament, we gave ourselves the goal of coming back to Wembley. With everything that we’ve been through, it’s always been our No1 goal. Now we are ready for Wembley so, in terms of feelings, it has been crazy.”
England vs Denmark team news & possible XIs
Southgate has been fairly liberal with his selection process in the past, and if Saka has not fully recovered, he may be tempted to put Phil Foden back into the mix. Foden started the first two games, shining against Croatia, and if Jadon Sancho fails to preserve his spot, he might provide the creative spark needed to break down a strong Danish defense.
England (4-2-3-1):
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Rice, Phillips; Saka, Mount, Sterling; Kane
Yussuf Poulsen missed the Wales games due to a thigh injury, but he returned against the Czech Republic for a half-hour cameo, however, he is anticipated to return to the bench. Simon Kjaer was replaced by Joachim Andersen after being injured against Wales, but he played the entire 90 minutes against the Czechs.
Denmark (3-4-2-1):
Schmeichel; Christensen,Kjær, Vestergaard; Stryger Larsen, Delaney, Højbjerg, Mæhle; Damsgaard, Braithwaite; Dolberg
Form guide (most recent first)
England: WWWDWW
Denmark: WWWLLW
Match stats
Twenty-five years after England’s last European Championship semi-final, which saw them infamously lose on penalties at Wembley, the ‘Three Lions’ are here again after thumping Ukraine 4-0 in the last round. Intriguingly, that was their first win by 3+ goals in a major tournament knockout match since 2002, when England beat Denmark 3-0 in their last competitive H2H win.
England have made defensive solidity the bedrock of their Euro 2020 run. They remain the only side yet to concede (W4, D1), while they’ve now gone seven matches overall without conceding a goal for the first time ever. That said, England have conceded an average of one first-half goal per match across their last four games vs sides ranked inside FIFA’s top ten (W1, D1, L2).
Denmark’s team spirit has shone through following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest, as they continue to improve after battling through a tough quarter-final vs the Czech Republic. Captain Simon Kjær has said they are playing “with Christian Eriksen in our hearts”, and that’s propelled them into their first semi-final appearance since winning this competition in 1992. Having beaten England at Wembley as recently as October 2020, Denmark may feel mildly confident of an upset too, especially after scoring ten goals across their previous three matches (W3), and leading ‘to nil’ at HT in each of the last four.
Denmark have also netted six goals after the 75th minute across their last nine internationals, making them a constant threat. If any late goals see this clash reach a shootout – like both of these sides’ last respective Euro semis – then that may favor Denmark as they have a 50% success rate (W1, L1) in 12-yard duels at the Euros, compared to England’s 25% (W1, L3).
🔥 Hot stat: Denmark are unbeaten in first halves across their last 17 outings (HT: W11, D6).
England vs Denmark scoreline prediction
England 2-1 Denmark (AET):
This summer, England have not been breached, but Denmark have been on fire and have previously demonstrated (in the Nations League) that they know how to locate chinks in Southgate’s defensive armour. Make no mistake: this will be a tight match. It could even go to extra time, which England fans will hope to avoid, but which may become inevitable as the minutes tick away.
