"He annoys you a lot - but who cares?" - Slovakia superstar aims dig at Jude Bellingham ahead of Euro 2024 knockout clash vs England
Slovakia superstar Ondrej Duda has aimed a dig at England's Jude Bellingham ahead of their Euro 2016 Round of 16 clash on Sunday (June 30) in Gelsenkerchen. The pair will go up against each other in a midfield battle that couls decide who goes through to the final-eight.
Duda faced Bellingham when he played for Hertha Berlin and the Los Blancos star was with Dortmund, and those meetings gave him an insight on what to expect. Speaking to the Mail Sport about the Real Madrid star, he said:
"I don’t think a lot of opponents like him on the pitch. He annoys you a lot and shows his emotion during the game – but who cares? I guess a lot of players might not like me on the pitch."
He concluded his observation about Jude Bellingham:
"The most important thing is what you do for your team and you don’t need to worry about what opponents think of you. I don’t know him off the field but he seems a good guy."
The Three Lions are looking to return to winning ways after drawing goalless in their last group game with Slovenia. All eyes will be on Jude Bellingham, with the 20-year-old expected to shoulder the hopes of his nation.
Slovakia star Ondrej Duda doubts Jude Bellingham and England can deal with the pressure of Euro 2024 clash
Slovakia midfielder Ondrej Duda has doubts that the Three Lions will be able to deal with the pressure on their shoulders when the sides meet in the Round of 16 at Euro 2024.
Speaking to Mail Sport via Zoom, the midfielder believes the expectations and noise in the game might be too much for the Three Lions:
"I watched and heard the noise around David Beckham when he played for England back in the day and for me sometimes it’s too much,"
He continued, wondering how young players like Jude Bellingham would deal with the pressure:
"If you play for England it’s extremely difficult. They’re under a lot of pressure and many of them are still young players. I’ve played against a lot of them. They’re in a process of learning how to handle that and they have to handle it."
Duda hopes the pressure would give his team an advantage in the Euro 2024 Round of 16 tie:
"Maybe it can be an advantage for us. It’s one game – 50-50. I don’t know what will happen but I can guarantee I’ll leave everything on the pitch and that goes for every one of my team-mates."
Jude Bellingham will be expected to put on a top performance for England against Slovakia to help return the competition favourites to winning ways following consecutive draws.
The English are looking to end their 58-year wait for silverware, but the road to glory begins with a win against Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen.