England take on Czech Republic with both sides already guaranteed progress; Scotland, Croatia seek win to go through.
England and Czech Republic will meet in their final group game on Tuesday with both sides having already sealed progress a day before their match.
England will have to make do without Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell for their final Euro 2020 Group D match and potentially their last-16 tie after the pair were deemed close contacts of Scotland’s Billy Gilmour, who has tested positive for coronavirus.
Both players are teammates of Gilmour’s at Premier League club Chelsea and were pictured embracing him at the end of Friday’s 0-0 draw at Wembley.
“Chilwell and Mount will isolate and train individually in private areas at England’s training base St. George’s Park, with the rest of the squad returning there after tonight’s fixture against Czech Republic at Wembley,” England said in a statement.
England are behind the group-leading Czechs on goal difference and must win to ensure they finish in first place.
Meanwhile, Scotland or Croatia can join the two sides in the last-16 with a victory.
Both sides have a point each after their opening two matches and will play each other at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
“Gilmour played really well against England but up to that game he was never a first-choice option and he may not have even started against us,” coach Zlatko Dalic told a news conference on Monday.
Group D steps into the spotlight 🤩 Who’ll win today?
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“I don’t see his absence as our advantage because whoever replaces him will be a more experienced player. Having said that, I wish Gilmour a speedy recovery.”
Croatia, the 2018 World Cup runners-up, were well below par in their 1-0 defeat by England followed by a 1-1 draw with the Czechs and Dalic conceded they faced a tough challenge.
Winger Ivan Perisic, one of the few regulars assured of starting against the Scots after drilling in a superb equaliser against the Czechs, was confident.
“We haven’t looked the part in the opening two games but we have to forget that now so we can come together and once again produce our best football under intense pressure,” he said.
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/6/22/euro-2020-whats-at-stake-in-tonights-group-d-fixtures
