The last stage of the Euros starts this weekend, with the Three Lions facing the Falcons on Sunday night in Gelsenkirchen. On paper, competition favorites England should easily defeat the 45th-ranked team in the world, but Gareth Southgate’s side has struggled, winning only one of three group games and scoring only two goals.
Slovakia, meanwhile, has outperformed expectations, stunning Belgium in their first game before recovering from a loss to Ukraine to draw with Romania and advance to the round of 16. At major tournaments, anything can happen, and Skriniar, 29, believes his team has two significant advantages over their opponents that will allow them to cause one of the greatest upsets in Euros history. To begin, the PSG center-back believes that outside pressure on England could cause them to crumble: ‘Even in the first match [a 1-0 victory over Serbia], they went in with the mindset that they are England, and they had to manage things in terms of results.
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‘We can beat England through teamwork ‘- Milan Skriniar
‘The media and fans have been critical of their matches, which means they will be under far more pressure than us. It could work in our favor. Second, the Three Lions have shown a concerning lack of chemistry on the field, with players such as Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Declan Rice failing to replicate their club form and adapt to a shift in tactics and positioning.
‘In my opinion, they rely on individual quality, and they know they have players who can win games for them,’ Skriniar said. ‘That is why I believe we can overcome them through teamwork. I hope and believe that we can beat them. ‘The defensive phase will undoubtedly be important; we must begin defending against the attackers. However, the key is to play football. ‘We need to show them the game we can play. Let them know they’re up against a team that knows exactly what they want. Slovakia has never defeated England (five losses, one draw), and Skriniar believes that victory on Sunday will be ‘the best result in Slovakian history’.
