Monday: Slovakia v England, Poland v Sweden
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Article summary
England are wary of facing "a very good team" as they target a first Group A win at Slovakia's expense, while holders Sweden are braced for a physical test against hosts Poland.
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How can I follow the games on UEFA.com?
UEFA.com will have reporters on the ground at both of Monday's Group A fixtures, with live analysis, photos, minute-by-minute commentary and reaction in the build-up, during the game and after full time. There will also be extensive coverage on Twitter (@UEFAUnder21) and Facebook (@under21).
Follow here: Slovakia v England (kick-off 18:00CET)
Follow here: Poland v Sweden (kick-off: 20:45CET)
SLOVAKIA V ENGLAND
When and where?
After making a winning start to the section in Lublin, Slovakia will head to the home of Polish First Division side Korona Kielce in south-central Poland to play England at 18:00CET on Monday.
Knowledge to impress your friends
Slovakia came out on top in the countries' sole previous final-tournament encounter. The 2000 hosts had second-half goals from Peter Babnič (67) and Szilárd Németh (74) to thank for a 2-0 success in Bratislava.
Matchday one
Poland 1-2 Slovakia (Lipski 1; Valjent 20, Šafranko 78)
Slovakia bounced back from Patryk Lipski's first-minute opener to upset the hosts, with substitute Pavol Šafranko scoring the winner 12 minutes from time. "It was very early to concede, but I always believed that we could do it," the forward told UEFA.com.
Slovakia: Chovan; Valjent, Niňaj, Škriniar, Mazáň; Lobtoka; Rusnák, Bero (Bénes 90+2), Chrien, Mihalík (Haraslín 82); Zreľák (Šafranko 73).
Sweden 0-0 England
Jordan Pickford's penalty save nine minutes from time ensured England claimed a point as the defending champions made a slow start in Kielce. "We're a quality side going forward, a few more chances would have been good, but we didn't concede," the new Everton goalkeeper told UEFA.com.
England: Pickford; Holgate, Mawson, Chambers, Chilwell; Ward-Prowse, Baker, Chalobah, Murphy (Gray 70); Redmond, Abraham.
Previous meetings
Played: 3
Slovakia: W1 D0 L2 F2 A6
England: W2 D0 L1 F6 A2
Who said what?
Pavel Hapal, Slovakia coach: "We're going to face a good team, perhaps the best in the group. Even if our priority is to win, we'll see during the game whether or not we'll have to settle for a point. We'll have to match them physically and that could be key, [but] we have great quality in our side."
Aidy Boothroyd, England manager: "It's knockout football now without a doubt. They’ve had a brilliant start. They're a very good team and I've been really impressed with them. Their game with Poland was probably better to watch than our game with Sweden and it will be difficult. We have to win so I've got to pick the best team, even if some of them might be a bit tired that they might have to play a smaller part in the game and [we] think about what goes on in the last half-hour."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Slovakia: WWLW
England: DWLL
How did the teams qualify?
Slovakia: Group 8 winners (P8 W6 D1 L1 F21 A6)
England: Group 9 winners (P8 W6 D2 L0 F20 A3)
How can I watch the game?
In Slovakia: Markiza
In England: Sky UK
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.
POLAND V SWEDEN
When and where?
The hosts stay in Lublin, where they will be seeking to open their Group A account against the 2015 winners at 20:45CET on Monday.
Knowledge to impress your friends
Sweden's Paweł Cibicki, who scored one goal in four qualifying outings, played for Poland at Under-19 and U20 levels. Born in Malmo to Polish parents, he pledged his allegiance to Sweden in August 2016.
Matchday one
Poland 1-2 Slovakia (Lipski 1; Valjent 20, Šafranko 78)
Patryk Lipski put the hosts in front after just 53 seconds, but Slovakia equalised before the break and substitute Šafranko conjured a winner as full time began to loom. "I think we had a lot of chances to score, but we made two simple mistakes, that's why we lost," Poland defender Jan Bednarek told UEFA.com.
Poland: Wrąbel; Kędziora, Bednarek, Jach, Jaroszyński; Dawidowicz, Linetty; Frankowski, Lipski (Niezgoda 82), Kapustka (Moneta 59); Stępiński (Piątek 84).
Sweden 0-0 England
Linus Wahlqvist saw goalkeeper Pickford save his penalty nine minutes from time as the defending champions had to settle for a draw. "We're disappointed and happy at the same time," captain Kristoffer Olsson admitted. "Straight after the final whistle we were disappointed, but if we look at the big picture, one point against England is good."
Sweden: Cajtoft; Wahlqvist, Larsson, Dagerstål, Lundqvist; Tibbling (Tankovic 85), Hallberg, Fransson (Mrabti 73); Olsson; Cibicki, Engvall (Strandberg 59).
Previous meetings
Played: 10
Poland : W4 D3 L3 F14 A15
Sweden: W3 D3 L4 F15 A14
Who said what?
Marcin Dorna, Poland coach: "The most important thing for us is Monday's game with Sweden and it's essential to draw the right conclusions from Friday's defeat. Of course, we watched Sweden's goalless draw with England and are preparing for the game. We respect our opponents, but we're focusing on our own game, and we're working on bringing the right attitude and playing with positive energy on the pitch."
Håkan Ericson, Sweden coach: "We had Poland in our previous qualifying group under Marcin Dorna and, at that time, they were really good. We recently met a team that was similar when we played Serbia in March in Spain [and lost 2-0]. They're a physically strong team, dangerous on the counterattack and on set pieces."
Form guide (including friendlies, most recent first)
Poland: LLLW
Sweden: DLWL
How did the teams qualify?
Poland: hosts
Sweden: Group 6 winners (P10 W7 D3 L0 F24 A7)
How can I watch the game?
In Poland: Polsat
In Sweden: Discovery
The full list of broadcast partners is available here. Games will also be streamed live on UEFA.com and UEFA.tv in some territories.