Wembley Stadium plays host to what ought to be a pulsating Euro 2020

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Wembley Stadium plays host to what ought to be a pulsating Euro 2020 semi-final encounter on Wednesday, as England welcome Scandinavian surprise package Denmark to the capital for a place in this summer’s final. The Three Lions thrashed Ukraine 4-0 to make the final four, while Denmark scraped past the Czech Republic 2-1 in the quarters, and either Italy or Spain will await the victors in the showpiece event on July 11.

wenty-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 favour Denmark as they have a 50% success rate (W1, L1) in 12-yard duels at the Euros, compared to England’s 25% (W1, L3).

Date: 07/07/2021
Time: 22:00
Venue: Wembley Stadium (London)
Pick for this match:
“1” – @ 1.76 ( Betwinner )