Expectations for a high-scoring clash should be tempered when England meet Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen this Sunday. The Group C matches saw a tournament-low of seven goals, with England contributing just two across their three games. This lack of cutting edge in front of goal will certainly have been noted by Slovakia’s manager, Francesco Calzona.
Slovakia, who edged into the knockout stage with a tight victory over Belgium, will likely adopt a defensive strategy against England, given their underdog status. This tactical approach should lead to a match with few goals at the Arena AufSchalke.
Low-scoring Affair Anticipated The pattern of under 2.5 goals has been common for both teams; it featured in two of Slovakia’s group games and in all of England’s. Slovakia has shown a solid defense, conceding just three goals in their last five matches, while England’s games have been similarly goal-shy.
England’s play has been characterized by a lack of goalmouth action, with the team generating and conceding fewer than one expected goal per game during the group stage. This trend suggests another tight, low-scoring game is likely, though England may edge it based on historical results and current form.
Captain Kane Could Be Key Despite a quiet tournament so far by his high standards, Harry Kane remains England’s most likely source of goals. He has scored nine goals in his last 11 competitive matches for the national team and is the only England player to have an expected goals tally over 0.2 at Euro 2024.
While frustrations have mounted over England’s attacking output, their defensive solidity—evidenced by three clean sheets in their last five games—combined with Kane’s proven track record, suggests that a narrow 1-0 victory for England could be on the cards, mirroring their recent result against Serbia.
Betting tip – Over 2.5 goals is the value at 6/5
