England's quest for Euro 2024 glory enters the knockout phase when they face Slovakia on Sunday at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen. With a place in the quarter-finals at stake, where either Denmark or the Netherlands will be their next opponents, both teams are ready for a crucial encounter.

Aiming to go one better than their runner-up finish in Euro 2020, England returns to Gelsenkirchen with confidence. The Three Lions qualified for the last 16 as Group C winners, avoiding a tougher route towards Berlin. They picked up five points from their matches against Denmark, Slovenia, and Serbia, with a narrow 1-0 win over Serbia and draws against Denmark and Slovenia.

Despite remaining undefeated, England's performance has drawn criticism, especially after their stalemate with Slovenia. Manager Gareth Southgate, who played in England's Euro 2004 qualifying matches against Slovakia, must ensure his team lives up to expectations. England has an unbeaten record against Slovakia, winning five of their six meetings, with the only exception being a goalless draw at Euro 2016.

Slovakia has shown they can be a formidable opponent, evidenced by their opening win over Belgium. They finished third in Group E, with four points from a win against Belgium, a loss to Ukraine, and a draw with Romania. Despite the odds, they edged through to the knockout stage.

Coach Francesco Calzona has guided Slovakia to an attacking style, resulting in 37 shots overall and 13 on target during the group phase. Slovakia's team under Calzona has an average age of over 30, with experienced players like Peter Pekarik and Juraj Kucka playing crucial roles. This is Slovakia’s third consecutive Euros, and they aim to break new ground by winning more than one match at a single European Championship.

Luke Shaw has made himself available after a hamstring problem but is unlikely to start. Kieran Trippier and Declan Rice trained separately from the main group, and Anthony Gordon sustained minor injuries but should be fit. Phil Foden returns from paternity leave, adding to Southgate's selection options in the final third. Captain Harry Kane, who has scored six goals in his last six knockout-round appearances, will look to improve on his subdued start to the tournament.

Slovakia's lineup is expected to remain stable, with Martin Dubravka, Milan Skriniar, and Stanislav Lobotka forming the spine. Ondrej Duda and Juraj Kucka will support Lobotka in midfield, while either David Strelec or Robert Bozenik will join Lukas Haraslin and Ivan Schranz up front. Tomas Suslov has made an impact as a substitute but is not expected to start.

While Slovakia has shown they can compete against top teams, England's overall quality and depth should see them through. Despite recent criticisms, the Three Lions are likely to secure a win in Gelsenkirchen.

周日，英格兰队将在盖尔森基兴的维尔廷斯体育场迎战斯洛伐克队，他们将进入2024年欧洲杯的淘汰赛阶段。四分之一决赛的席位岌岌可危，丹麦或荷兰将是他们的下一个对手，两支球队都准备好迎接一场关键的交锋。

为了在2020年欧洲杯上取得比亚军更好的成绩，英格兰队满怀信心地回到盖尔森基兴。三狮军团以C组冠军的身份晋级16强，避免了通往柏林的艰难道路。在与丹麦、斯洛文尼亚和塞尔维亚的比赛中，他们以1比0险胜塞尔维亚，战平丹麦和斯洛文尼亚，共积5分。

尽管保持不败，英格兰队的表现还是招致了批评，尤其是在与斯洛文尼亚打成平局之后。主教练加雷斯·索斯盖特参加了2004年欧洲杯预选赛英格兰对阵斯洛伐克的比赛，他必须确保他的球队不辜负人们的期望。英格兰对斯洛伐克保持着不败的战绩，六次交锋中五次获胜，唯一的例外是2016年欧洲杯0比0战平。

斯洛伐克已经证明了他们可以成为一个强大的对手，首场战胜比利时就是明证。他们在战胜比利时、负于乌克兰和战平罗马尼亚后积4分，在E组排名第三。尽管困难重重，他们还是勉强进入了淘汰赛阶段。

主教练弗朗西斯科·卡尔佐纳(Francesco Calzona)带领斯洛伐克队采取了进攻风格，在小组赛中共射门37次，射正13次。在卡尔佐纳的带领下，斯洛伐克队的平均年龄超过30岁，彼得·佩卡里克和尤拉伊·库卡等经验丰富的球员发挥着关键作用。这是斯洛伐克连续第三次参加欧洲杯，他们的目标是在一届欧洲杯上赢得不止一场比赛。

卢克·肖在腿筋受伤后可以上场，但不太可能首发。基兰·特里皮尔和德克兰·赖斯与主力队分开训练，安东尼·戈登受了轻伤，但应该可以恢复。菲尔·福登休完陪产假归来，增加了索斯盖特在最后三分之一的选择。队长哈里·凯恩在最近6次淘汰赛中打进6球，他希望能改善自己在本届杯赛上的低迷开局。

斯洛伐克的阵容将保持稳定，杜布拉夫卡、斯克里尼亚尔和洛博特卡将成为主力。杜达和库奇卡将在中场支持洛博特卡，而大卫·斯特雷克或罗伯特·博泽尼克将在前场与卢卡斯·哈拉斯林和伊万·施兰茨搭档。托马斯·苏斯洛夫作为替补发挥了作用，但预计不会首发。

虽然斯洛伐克已经证明了他们可以与顶级球队竞争，但英格兰的整体实力和深度应该可以帮助他们度过难关。尽管最近受到了批评，但三狮军团很可能在盖尔森基兴赢得一场胜利。