© AP
On Friday, the second week of EURO 2020 kicks off, with the highlight of the evening being the decisive match between England and Scotland at the legendary "Wembley" stadium. Today, Sweden will enter the battle against Slovakia, and Croatia will face the Czech Republic. How good are the Swedes really? In the first round, the Swedes produced one of the most unexpected results when they played a goalless draw against the clear favorites, the Spaniards. However, in that match, the Swedes had more chances, as Alvaro Morata wasted opportunities, and the Scandinavians never struck into the goal area. The statistics may be a bit misleading, as the Swedes had several dangerous moments near the opponents' goal, and once Alexander Isak's shot hit the crossbar. On the other hand, the Slovaks delivered a surprise by defeating the Polish team led by Robert Lewandowski with a score of 2-1. The bookmakers consider the Swedes strong favorites in this match, giving them a probability of over 52% to win three points.
The Croatian national team, who can no longer afford mistakes, succumbed to the English in the opening D group match, but there is no reason to despair. The English were slightly better in that match, but the Croats did not look bad and still hold their fate in their hands. However, they need a victory tonight. It won't be easy, as on the other side of the pitch await the Czech Republic, with Patrick Schick who played an excellent match against the Scots. The Czech team did not show anything special, as the Scots even made nearly twice as many shots on goal. These teams met in the group stage of the 2016 European Championship. Viewers witnessed a dramatic battle where the Czechs managed to equalize after falling behind 0-2.
While bookmakers consider the Croats as favorites in this match (45% chance to win), they also do not underestimate the Czechs, whose chances of triumph are almost 30%. The British Isles Derby will conclude the Friday evening with the legendary match between England and Scotland at "Wembley" stadium. Interestingly, these teams last met at one of the major tournaments in this stadium. The match took place in the 1996 European Football Championship, where the English triumphed with a score of 2-0.
After the first English victory against the Croats, the country's media praised the team's performance. The English played well at times, but it was a bit premature to go into ecstasy. However, a win tonight would pave the way for the English to the quarterfinals and potentially alter the lineup for the match against the Czech Republic. For the Scots, this is essentially a do-or-die match. After a 23-year hiatus from major tournaments, the Scots had to acknowledge the Czechs' superiority in the first match and now have to earn points against the group favorites. However, bookmakers do not give the Scots much hope and expect a relatively easy victory for the English.
Match schedule for the eighth day:
16:00 Sweden - Slovakia
19:00 Croatia - Czech Republic
22:00 England - Scotland
