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EURO 2024 DAILY PREVIEW 21 JUNE: What to look out for

football21 June 2024 07:30
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Slovakia and Ukraine return to action after contrasting results, while the availability of Robert Lewandowski and Kylian Mbappé are talking points in Friday's later games. Catch all the action live on SuperSport. Full match highlights are available on DStv CatchUp and the SuperSport app for all day's goals.

We preview the action in Düsseldorf, Berlin and Leipzig.

3pm (CAT): Slovakia v Ukraine (Group E, Düsseldorf)

Slovakia are riding the crest of a wave after their stunning 1-0 victory against Belgium on Matchday 1, so Ukraine will hold no fears for Francesco Calzona's men. However, Friday's game will be a test of loyalties for forward Tomáš Suslov as his father is Ukrainian.

"It will be a special game for me," he said. "But I'm Slovakian: I'll fight for Slovakia and do my best to get through this match. Ukraine lost their first game; they will definitely be fired up for the second one."

Ukraine need a quick reset after their 3-0 defeat by Romania, a result that meant they have now won only two of their ten Euro group stage matches (L8) and not kept a clean sheet in their 12 games at the finals. Taras Stepanenko expects them to clear their heads in Düsseldorf.

"Sometimes, bad things happen in the most important moments. We were punished immediately for the first mistake. In these tournaments, you need sometimes to play simple in front of your goal, and the coach warned us about it before the game."

Key stat: Slovakia have lost only three of their last 18 international matches (W10 D5).

6pm (CAT): Poland v Austria (Group D, Berlin)

Though both these nations were beaten in their opening games, there was plenty of cause for optimism in their performances.

Room for progress too, according to Poland midfielder Jakub Moder, speaking after his side slipped to a 2-1 defeat by the Netherlands: "We can still improve in the opposition box. When we get the ball in the final third, we can create a little bit more. We created some chances, but we should be more clinical with our finishing."

The message was similar from the Austria camp following their 1-0 reverse against France, with Konrad Laimer saying: "There are things we can do better because we didn't play to our limits. It's OK to lose against a side like this, but we've got two group games left and [against Poland] we go again." The potential return of star striker Robert Lewandowski will certainly provide a welcome boost for the Biało-czerwoni.

Key stat: Over the course of their 11 previous meetings (five Austria wins, four for Poland) the sides have scored 20 goals each.

9pm (CAT): Netherlands v France (Group D, Leipzig)

By contrast, these two nations kicked off their campaigns with narrow victories. There was more jeopardy for the Netherlands as they needed Wout Weghorst's late winner to see of Poland, but a stern test of character will stand them in good stead according to forward Cody Gakpo.

"We are a team that never gives up and we have good substitutes," said the scorer of the Oranje's opening goal. "We changed the whole front line and they came in and performed very well. So yes, that's a strength as well."

France forward Marcus Thuram also praised his team for their fortitude in the 1-0 victory over Austria. "We wanted to start the tournament well against a formidable Austria side and we can be satisfied with the three points," he told Euro2024.com.

"The character within this side is the strength of the French national team. We all get on well and work for one another on the pitch." Les Bleus will certainly need to rally round each other if Kylian Mbappé is ruled out with a broken nose.

Key stat: Netherlands have only failed to score in one of their last 18 Euro group stage matches.

Saturday's fixtures
- 3pm: Georgia v Czechia (Group F, Hamburg)
- 6pm: Türkiye v Portugal (Group F, Dortmund)
- 9pm: Belgium v Romania (Group E, Cologne)

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