England v Denmark prediction and team line-up: Who will win today's Euro 2020 semi-final?
Who will win England v Denmark? Check out our predictions ahead of the Euro 2020 encounter in the semi-finals.
England's biggest game since, well, their last game has arrived. The Three Lions roar into battle with Denmark in semi-final of Euro 2020 fixtures today – and what an occasion it promises to be.
Gareth Southgate's men were slapped with a bookies' favourites tag due to punters collectively deciding this was the year it was finally coming home, but that pre-tournament buzz was very much based on speculation and rumour.
Now England have firmly added substance to the noise and, having swept aside Croatia and Germany along their way, the nation is finally starting to believe this could be the moment we've wait for since 1966.
However, Denmark stand in the way; tricky, organised, resilient, hardened, Hummel-wearing Denmark.
The Danes' tournament started in horrendous circumstances as Christian Eriksen suffered cardiac arrest on the pitch during their opening clash with Finland. He has since been discharged from hospital and his teammates have done him proud in their matches since. They are not just here to make up the numbers.
The winner will face Italy in the Euro 2020 final after they beat Spain in last night's tense first semi-final. We bring you our full prediction for the game to come below.
Here's our prediction for England v Denmark ahead of their game today.
England v Denmark prediction
England haven't looked this good at a major tournament during the lifetime of the vast majority of the squad. (Saying that, Jude Bellingham was born a full year and two days after Ronaldinho ruined David Seaman at the 2002 World Cup, so maybe we need to go back further.)
From the outstanding Jordan Pickford in goal to the near-invisible guardians in front of him – John Stones and Harry Maguire – England have been superb at the back. They haven't conceded a single goal. In Luke Shaw they boast a left-back who, based on his 2021 form, wouldn't be out of place among the world's best.
Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice have stepped up to deliver gutsy midfield performances the likes of which we simply haven't seen from an England team that has boasted bonafide megastars among its ranks since the turn of the century.
And up front, Raheem Sterling has been simply superb in almost every match, Harry Kane has found his rhythm and has 'arrived' at the tournament at the right time, while inexperienced internationals Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish have seized their opportunities with both feet.
It remains to be seen whether Southgate will opt for three or four at the back (we predict a similar XI and back three to the one that defeated Germany) but whatever he goes for, you just know they're up for it, and know exactly what their role is.
Denmark are terrific, worthy opponents in this one, they have the raw ingredients to go all the way but England boast a perfect storm of confidence, momentum, defensive solidity and attacking ferocity. And they will be desperate to make it count.
Our prediction: England 3-1 Denmark (18/1 at bet365)
England v Denmark predicted team line-ups
England: Pickford; Trippier, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Phillips, Rice; Saka, Kane, Sterling.
Denmark: Schmeichel; Christensen, Kjaer, Vestergaard; Larsen, Delaney, Hojbjerg, Maehle; Braithwaite, Dolberg, Damsgaard.
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When is England v Denmark?
England v Denmark will kick-off at 8pm on Wednesday 7th July. You can watch it on ITV with coverage starting at 6:30pm.
To find out who they could play next check out our full Euro 2020 fixtures. Plus, view our guide to how to watch Euro 2020 on TV.
Want more Euro 2020 content? We’ve got you covered – read on to find out every Euros winner throughout the history of the tournament, how many fans are attending Euro 2020 games this year, how VAR is being used at Euro 2020, if you can still get tickets to Euro 2020, or why Euro 2020 is not called Euro 2021.
If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.
Authors
Michael Potts is the Sport Editor for Radio Times, covering all of the biggest sporting events across the globe with previews, features, interviews and more. He has worked for Radio Times since 2019 and previously worked on the sport desk at Express.co.uk after starting his career writing features for What Culture. He achieved a first-class degree in Sports Journalism in 2014.