England will face nightmare route to Euro 2024 final if they finish second in Group C as potential opponents come to light
England could be up for a tricky ride in the knockout rounds of Euro 2024 if they end up finishing second in Group C. The Three Lions have been underwhelming in their performances so far. They won their first match 1-0 against Serbia and played out a 1-1 draw with Denmark in their previous game.
With only Slovenia left to play in the group on Tuesday (June 25), Gareth Southgate's men will need all three points to ensure the top spot. If they draw this game, while Denmark beat Serbia, the English would finish second.
This would then mean that The Three Lions face the hosts Germany in the Round of 16 in Dortmund, which is expected to be a difficult task. Should they get through the Germans, Southgate and Co. are likely to face Spain in the quarter-finals.
With Spain winning all three of their group games, they will have the relatively simpler task of taking on a third-placed team in the first round of knockout fixtures. Hence, it seems vital that England ensure they finish first in their group.
If they get it done, they would be up against one of the third-placed sides as well, and this would be Austria based on the table at the moment. A win there would mean that the country will be up against either Italy or Switzerland in the final eight of the tournament.
England set to leave out Trent Alexander-Arnold in final Euro 2024 group match - Reports
England are reportedly set to leave out Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in their final Euro 2024 group match against Slovenia. So far in the tournament, the Reds man has been tasked with the job of playing alongside Declan Rice in midfield.
However, things haven't gone too well for Alexander-Arnold, and now journalist David Ornstein claims that he will be replaced by Conor Gallagher in their next match. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"Conor Gallagher set to come into England XI for final Euro 2024 group game v Slovenia. Chelsea midfielder expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold as Gareth Southgate continues trend of tweaking England team for game 3 of major tournaments."
Gallagher is a more natural player in this position but has received just 15 caps for his country to date across competitions. The Blues midfielder is yet to score for his nation and has recorded one assist.