Words Michael Yokhin
FIXTURESAll UK game times
Sunday, June 16
5pm: Slovenia vs Denmark (ITV) 8pm: Serbia vs England (BBC)
Thursday, June 20
2pm: Slovenia vs Serbia (ITV) 5pm: Denmark vs England (BBC)
Tuesday, June 25
8pm: England vs Slovenia (ITV) 8pm: Denmark vs Serbia (ITV)
DENMARK
Popular underdogs already following 1992 and all that, Denmark were the darlings of Euro 2020, too.
That the Danes made the semi-finals having lost their first two games, while also dealing emotionally with Christian Eriksen’s on-field collapse, was nothing short of extraordinary.
They will enjoy lots of neutral support here as a result, but will those fans be disappointed? The Danish Dynamite’s disastrous 2022 World Cup campaign raises questions of this squad’s quality.
LESSON FROM QUALIFYING
Feed the forward. Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund (left) hit seven goals, including five in his first two games, to highlight his international prowess, but the Danes’ limited displays in a weak group didn’t inspire optimism. Defeats to Kazakhstan (having led 2-0 after 73 minutes) and Northern Ireland (2-0, to finish with a whimper) don’t bode well.
STRENGTHS
Team spirit – never better shown than the Eriksen episode – and, in Kasper Hjulmand, a manager popular among supporters, players and press alike. There’s an abundance of tournament experience, plus a solid, stable line-up of tactically attuned players who are comfortable in either a 4-3-3 or 3-5-2.
WEAKNESSES
Struggling, past-their-best stalwarts. Eriksen has slid down the Old Trafford pecking order, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg no longer starts for Tottenham, Thomas Delaney has suffered injuries, captain Simon Kjaer is 35 and gloveman Kasper Schmeichel 37. Each underperformed in Qatar and things haven’t improved since, but no top-class replacements are available. March’s goalless draw at home to Switzerland and 2-0 win over the mighty Faroe Islands said as much.
MOST LIKELY TO…
Bring plenty of colourful, friendly and beer-guzzling fans across the border.
LEAST LIKELY TO…
See Mikkel Damsgaard score. By April, the Brentford midfielder’s last strike for club or country was that semi-final free-kick against England in July 2021.
WHAT THEY HOPE WILL HAPPEN
As the only Scandinavian team going to
