England’s most likely full route to Euro 2024 glory has been named by Opta’s supercomputer.
The Three Lions are preparing for the knockout phase of the tournament in Germany, with a last-16 clash against Slovakia on Sunday.
Despite topping Group C, the Three Lions have been criticised for their performances after a 1-0 victory over Serbia was followed by a pair of drab draws against Denmark and Slovenia.
Despite this, they find themselves on the more favourable side of the draw, meaning they won’t play any of Spain, Germany, France, Portugal or Belgium until the final.
Opta’s supercomputer have rated England’s chances of reaching the final three stages of the tournament, and who they would most likely face in each round – including a surprise opponent in the final.
Opta’s supercomputer has named England’s likely full route to Euro 2024 glory
England are given a 38.1 per cent chance of reaching the final in Berlin on July 14
Spain are the most likely side to face England in the final over the likes of France and Portugal
Should Gareth Southgate’s side beat Slovakia, as expected, they are expected to face Italy in the quarter-finals – a rematch of the last European Championship final from 2021.
England are given a 81.6 per cent chance of reaching the quarter-finals, with Italy (56.1 per cent) more likely to face them than Switzerland (43.9 per cent).
The Three Lions are given a 55.7 per cent chance of reaching the semi-finals, which if they manage to do so, Opta say they are most likely to face the Netherlands.
England looked likely to face the Netherlands in the last-16, only for a shock Georgia win over Portugal to change things up, meaning they face Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen instead.
Opta’s supercomputer appears to predict that the Netherlands would get past Romania in the last-16 and then Austria in the quarter-finals.
Ronald Koeman’s side have a 39.8 per cent chance of meeting England in the semi-finals, followed by Austria (28.6), Turkey (18.7) and Romania (12.7).
If England win their next three matches, then they have a huge choice of opponents to face in the showpiece event – with the Three Lions given a 38.1 per cent of reaching a second consecutive final.
France have been considered favourites going into the tournament, Portugal have excellent squad depth while Germany have the home advantage.
But Opta’s Supercomputer say Spain would be favourites to meet England in the final – giving Luis de la Fuente’s side a 38.1 per cent chance of reaching the final, and 27.1 per cent of facing England on July 14 in Berlin.
Germany are second favourites from that side of the draw to play England in the final with 24.6 per cent, with France only third on 21.6.
England have avoided the difficult side of the draw which includes teams like France and Germany
England could face Italy in a rematch of the Euro 2020 final in the quarter-finals this time around
England’s most likely opponents in the semi-finals are the Netherlands, followed by Austria
They are followed by Portugal (15.3), Belgium (5.2), Denmark (3.6), Slovenia (1.4) and Georgia (1.1).
Spain are perhaps aided by playing Georgia in the last-16, the side least expected to reach the final out of any side left standing.
They would then face the winners of Germany’s clash with Denmark in the quarter-finals, with a possible semi-final against Portugal or France in the semi-final should those sides reach that point of the competition.
Spain to their credit are the only side that still maintain a 100 per cent record in the competition after winning all three group stage games.
Overall, the supercomputer predicts England win Euro 2024 in 20 per cent of its simulations. Doing so would see them win their first men’s trophy in almost 60 years.
They would also be backed to beat Spain in the final.
Southgate will hope his England side can improve their displays and carry momentum into what is likely to be a difficult final.
They have been boosted by the return to training of Phil Foden today, after he returned to Germany last night following the birth of his third child.
The Football Association confirmed on Wednesday that the Manchester City star had returned to the UK to due to a ‘pressing family matter’.
Foden boarded a plane back to England straight after Tuesday’s draw against Slovenia to be with his family.
The attacker’s partner Rebecca Cooke has had a baby boy and Foden has made a swift return to Germany. He is back in training at England’s Weimar base, ahead of their last-16 clash with Slovakia on Sunday.
There will be a lot of eyes on England’s team selection following their underwhelming displays in the group stage.
One particular position will be in midfield, after Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Gallagher both struggled alongside Declan Rice.
Kobbie Mainoo made a positive impact off the bench against Slovenia and could be an option.
There have also been clamours for Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer to feature after their impressive cameos.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk