EURO 2024 daily preview 25 June: What to look out for on Tuesday

The Netherlands take on Austria and France face Poland in Group D, before England tackle Slovenia and Denmark play Serbia in Group C.

France’s Olivier Giroud, England’s Kyle Walker, Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk and Serbia’s Luka Jović

Two more groups will be decided on Tuesday as the Netherlands play Austria and France face Poland in Group D, before England take on Slovenia and Denmark face Serbia in Group C.

We preview the action in Berlin, Dortmund, Cologne and Munich.

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18:00: Netherlands vs Austria (Group D, Berlin)
Defences came out on top in the Netherlands’ goalless draw with France on Friday evening, but coach Ronald Koeman and his players will not have been too dissatisfied. “I’m proud of the way the team gave their all [against France],” captain Virgil van Dijk said. “We all know the Austria game will be difficult for many reasons. We need to analyse the game and see where we can hurt them. That is our focus.” The point gained now has the Oranje sure of last-16 qualification at least as one of the best third-place teams.

Austria’s first-ever competitive victory against Poland kept them in the hunt for a place in the knockout stage. Confidence is understandably high among Ralf Rangnick’s squad, who have only been beaten by France and Belgium – the top two European teams in FIFA’s rankings – since September 2022. “We want to win [against the Netherlands],” said midfielder Marcel Sabitzer. “We’re playing strong opponents, we know that. They like to play out from the back, so we need our high press, our intense press. If we produce that on the pitch, I’m confident we can win.”

Key stat: Austria have lost just two of their last 18 matches (W13 D3).

Poland vs Austria Player of The Match: Christoph Baumgartner
18:00: France vs Poland (Group D, Dortmund)
After Friday’s Leipzig stalemate moved them onto four points, France are now qualified at least as a best third-place finisher and will fancy their chances against opponents they have not lost to in nearly 42 years. Les Bleus created several opportunities to break the deadlock against the Dutch, but forward Olivier Giroud is backing his team to rediscover their ruthless streak against Poland. “We’ve been a bit unlucky, but also lacked a little efficiency,” he said. “Still, we’re pleased with our performance.”

Poland are guaranteed to finish fourth after back-to-back defeats against the Netherlands and Austria. Nevertheless, defender Przemysław Frankowski is determined to find the silver lining after their latest reverse, saying: “Of course, from these tournaments you can still take some positives, like experience and so on. We have a lot of young players. We prepared well on paper, but sometimes paper and reality are very different.”

Key stat: Les Bleus are unbeaten in their last eight EURO group matches (W4 D4).

Never mind that they are already qualified at least from third place, Gareth Southgate’s men are in pole position to win the group, despite relinquishing their lead against Denmark on Matchday 2. The Three Lions will hope to build on an improved second-half display against Kasper Hjulmand’s side when they face unbeaten Slovenia. “We are top of the group so let’s try and take the positives,” said defender Kyle Walker. “Sometimes in tournament football, you have to manage the game. We’re top of the group, so let’s move on.”

Slovenia were moments away from a first-ever EURO victory against Serbia in Munich, only for Luka Jović’s header to deny Matjaž Kek’s team deep in second-half stoppage time. Three points in Cologne, however, would seal their place in a EURO knockout stage for the first time. “We were so close [against Serbia],” said defender Žan Karničnik, who scored the game’s opener in front of Slovenia’s travelling fans. “It was incredible to enjoy such support. Now we play England, who are the favourites in this group. We will try our best.”

Key stat: Slovenia have only failed to score in one of their last 22 international matches.

Morten Hjulmand’s stunning equaliser against England earned Denmark what could yet prove to be an invaluable point on Matchday 2. If the EURO 2020 semi-finalists play with the same energy and tenacity in the Bavarian capital, forward Andreas Skov Olsen is confident of getting the win they require to reach the knockout phase. “[The display against England] was a little bit needed,” he said. “We’ve been looking for this performance for quite a long time. It came at the perfect time for us.”

Defeat against Slovenia in Munich would have left Serbia on the brink of elimination, but Jović’s late leveller means they still have everything to play for against Hjulmand and company on Tuesday. “It’s amazing to score like that,” a delighted Jović told reporters. “I’m happy we secured our first point and kept ourselves in contention. We need to keep our heads high and turn our full focus on Denmark.”