Euro 2020 LIVE: England vs Scotland build-up, Locatelli joins Ronaldo in Coca-Cola snub, Holland and Belgium go through

EXCLUSIVE BY JOSE MOURINHO

I was there at Euro 96 when England played Scotland and Gazza scored that goal, so I know what this fixture means.

Scotland are super-motivated and they have that Braveheart spirit but in football it’s very, very rare that miracles happen.

When I say miracles, I mean a team overcoming a huge difference in quality.

Can Scotland go to Wembley and win? Yes, because it’s one football match — but no, because England are a much better team with much better players.

READ THE REST OF JOSE’S THOUGHTS HERE

NETHERLANDS 2 AUSTRIA 0

The Netherlands booked their place in the last-16 of the Euros with a convincing win over unimpressive Austria.

Goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries secured the victory in Amsterdam.

And Frank de Boer’s men have now joined Italy and Belgium by qualifying for the knockout stages.

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GREAL CHANCE

Jack Grealish is reportedly set to START for England in their Euro 2020 Group D clash against Scotland.

The Athletic claims Gareth Southgate is ready to throw the Aston Villa star into the mix at Wembley.

A win for the Three Lions will virtually book their place in the knockout stages.

RETURN OF THE MAG

Gareth Southgate has revealed Harry Maguire has returned to England training ahead of their huge Euro 2020 clash with Scotland.

Maguire has not played since early May after suffering ligament damage while playing for Man United.

Southgate confirmed: “This morning we had 26 players training which is where you want to be.

“Maguire has trained with no reaction.”

TEAM NEWS

Matthijs de Ligt is back in the Netherlands side to face Austria tonight.

Memphis Depay starts in attack for the Dutch, with Frenkie de Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield.

Meanwhile, David Alaba and Marcel Sabitzer lead the way for the visitors.

But there is no Marko Arnautovic after he was given a one-match ban for insulting language after scoring against North Macedonia.

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DENMARK 1 BELGIUM 2

Kevin De Bruyne came off the bench to inspire Belgium to a comeback win over Denmark.

Youssef Poulsen had the hosts ahead in Thursday’s Euro group game with just 90 seconds on the clock.

But De Bruyne, brought on at half-time, bagged an assist and a goal to turn the game on its head for Roberto Martinez’s men.

READ THE MATCH REPORT HERE

NOT SO SHAW

Luke Shaw was worried he was going to miss Euro 2020 after rupturing his wrist ligaments in the Europa League final.

Man United’s left-back told TalkSport: “[I was worried about missing the Euros] a little bit at one point because when I was getting treatment at the club, obviously I had an MRI scan and what-not.

“The doc had a look at it and couldn’t see the problem where the main ligament was so he had to send it to a specialist.

“I thought, maybe if it is the bad one, then maybe I might have to have an operation or something.

“He didn’t say anything and I was a little bit panicky.

“But then obviously, the next morning, I’ve got the results and it wasn’t as bad as they thought, so I was fine.”

‘ONLY WAY’

Fabrice Muamba believes Christian Eriksen must be fitted with a heart-starter device if he wants to continue playing.

Muamba said: “He has to remember he has a family now.

“Is it worth taking the risk to come back and play again [on having heart starting ICD implant]?

“I think that’s the only way that any football club will be able to sign him again.”

TEAM NEWS

Denmark will line up with a five-man defence for today’s crunch Euros clash with Belgium.

Southampton centre-back Jannik Vestergaard replaces Christian Eriksen as the midfielder recovers from his cardiac arrest.

And Brentford’s Mathias Jensen is left on the bench having replaced Eriksen in the defeat to Finland.

Meanwhile, Lyon’s Jason Denayer and Wolves’ Leander Dendoncker are both involved for Belgium.

Romelu Lukaku continues up front, but Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are only on the bench.

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UKRAINE 2 NORTH MACEDONIA 1

Ukraine boosted their chances of reaching the Euro 2020 knockout stages with a vital win over North Macedonia.

Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Roman Yaremchuk secured victory for Andriy Shevchenko’s men, who also missed a penalty.

But the result leaves North Macedonia on the brink of elimination after they also lost their first game to Austria.

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BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Glenn Hoddle is backing England to beat Scotland 2-1 at Wembley tomorrow.

But Gordon Strachan believes the Tartan Army can hold out for a 0-0 draw.

Hoddle told Betfair: “It’s going to be a tight game but the pressure’s on Scotland to open up a bit more.

“The team that controls their emotion will end up playing better and winning.”

Strachan added: “England have got that superiority complex in basically everything.

“I don’t know if it adds an extra stride to the players. It will make for a good game.”

HALF-TIME!

Ukraine are beating North Macedonia 2-0 at half-time in Group C.

West Ham ace Andriy Yarmolenko made it 1-0 after half an hour before Roman Yaremchuk doubled their lead five minutes later.

HAIR RASER

Phil Foden is ready to pull off his own Scottish masterclass after dying his hair bleach blonde once again.

On the eve of England’s Euro 2020 clash with rivals Scotland, the Manchester City ace has taken inspiration from the legendary Paul Gascoigne.

Almost exactly 25 years ago, Gazza scored one of England’s most memorable Euro goals when he flicked it over the head of Colin Hendry before volleying past Andy Goram.

Foden, 21, drew comparisons with the Three Lions legend when he dyed his hair before the tournament.

And after England’s opening 1-0 win over Croatia, Foden has ensured he has maintained the look to take on Steve Clarke’s side. Despite the similarities, Foden has insisted his new-look style was his ‘own thing.’

He said: “I’ve had the same haircut for ages now. I thought I’d try something new. I woke up this morning with a lot of comparisons to Gazza and Eminem, it was my own thing and people have turned it into something else.”

‘SPORTS DAY VIBES’

North Macedonia prepared for their crunch clash against Ukraine with a bizarre CONE RACING drill in training.

The lowest-ranked team at the tournament were soundly beaten 3-1 by Austria in their Euro 2020 opener.

But they ensured they kept their sharpness up with a bonkers twist on an egg and spoon race in preparation for their Thursday’s 2pm kick-off.

The drill saw two teams of players – split into red and yellow groups – race up the pitch in pairs with a ball apiece balanced in an upturned cone.

After reaching the other end, the duos would launch the balls in the air and attempt to catch the other’s, before darting up to the other end.

The bizarre training drill caught the eye of viewers on social media with just hours to go until North Macedonia kicked-off against Ukraine. One fan joked: “Sports day vibes.”

THE SCOTS ARE HERE!

Scotland fans have invaded London for tomorrow’s Euro 2020 clash against England despite pleas to stay home.

Tartan Army supporters were pictured piling out of King’s Cross station today draped in flags and swigging Buckfast.

The fans are planning to descend on pubs in the capital en masse to watch the Group D clash at 8pm tomorrow.

And the kilt-wearing Scots are hoping to march to Hyde Park – despite there being no live screens to catch the action on.

Scotland have been allocated less than 3,000 tickets for the sellout 21,500 qualifier at Wembley.

But between 6,000 and 20,000 Scottish supporters are reportedly planning on making the trip south.

TIM OUT

Timothy Castagne’s broken eye-socket injury which required a six-hour operation was just 3cm away from ending his career.

The Belgium full-back sustained a horror blow in his nation’s Euro 2020 opener against Russia on Saturday.

He had a nasty clash of heads with Daley Kuzyaev midway through the first half in St Petersburg. And the heavy blow to his right eye socket caused ‘three or four’ breaks.

According to HLN in Belgium, had the contact been just 3cm higher, the neurological damage could have had tragic ramifications for his career.

Castagne, 25, underwent surgery from 3pm to 9pm under general anaesthetic on Tuesday to reconstruct the socket. Metal parts were inserted to help the recovery process.

Castagne is expected to head home in the coming days and must rest for two weeks.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN

More than HALF of Brits will be tuning in to Friday night’s titanic Euro 2020 clash between England and Scotland.

The Three Lions took a huge step towards the last-16 by beating Croatia 1-0, as Scotland slipped to a 2-0 loss at the hands of Czech Republic.

And now, ahead of Friday’s 8pm kick-off at Wembley, the two nations are set to grind to a halt as 53 per cent of English and Scottish residents prepare to tune in to the big game, according to a study.

Nearly one in five adults have even invested in their home entertainment setup to experience the hotly-anticipated clash in all its glory.

And while 56 per cent enjoy ‘a friendly rivalry’ in football between the home nations of the UK, a third would actively root for the opposition of any home nation they don’t support.

This could mean millions of English and Scottish fans will be hoping for an early Euros exit for Wales – with the Welsh no doubt feeling exactly the same way. The poll of 1,000 English and Scottish nationals found 42 per cent become even more patriotic when it comes to a match against a deadly rival.

SIMON SAYS

Denmark captain Simon Kjaer has released a first touching statement since helping to save Christian Eriksen’s life.

The defender was praised for the way he led his team-mates in such difficult circumstances on Saturday and throughout the week following Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.

He helped form a human shield to protect the playmaker’s privacy while he received CPR on the pitch and consoled Eriksen’s partner as she raced down to the pitch.

Kjaer said: “It has been some very special days, where football has not been the most important thing. A shock that will be part of me – part of all of us – forever. The only thing that is important and really matters is that Christian is okay!

“I am proud of the how we acted as a team and how we stood together in these difficult times. I am touched and very grateful for all the support. Today, we will enter the pitch against Belgium with Christian in our hearts and thoughts.

“It gives us peace in our minds, which allows us to focus on the game of football. We will play for Christian, and as always for all of Denmark. That is the greatest motivation for us all. As always, we will do our best.”

ENG IT TO WIN IT

England got their Euro 2020 campaign off to a perfect start on Sunday as they aim to end 55 years of hurt.

Gareth Southgate has already led the Three Lions to their first-ever win in a European Championship curtain-raiser.

Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game as England avenged their 2018 World Cup semi-final loss at the hands of Croatia.

Next up for Southgate’s youthful squad are fierce rivals Scotland in the second of three group stage games.

Ahead of the massive clash, we take a look at what lies ahead for England in their quest to win a first major tournament since the 1966 World Cup.

‘NAE COKE?’

Euro 2020’s Coca-Cola subplot continues after John McGinn joked about the absence of the fizzy drink from his press conference.

The Scotland star was taking his seat to discuss Friday’s game with England when he noticed that he had only been provided with water.

Smiling, the midfielder asked ‘Nae Coke?’ before opening up the water – presumably earning Cristiano Ronaldo‘s approval.

The Portuguese forward set off something of a trend when shunning the carbonated beverage before discussing his side’s game with Hungary earlier this week.

Fans lapped up the 36-year-old’s encouragement that they choose water instead, although it was later pointed out that he has often promoted less-than-healthy food and drink options.

The incident saw Euros sponsor Coke’s shares on the New York Stock Exchange fall by 1.6 per cent to wipe £2.83billion off the company’s value. But Uefa will not intervene to demand more respect for the money men.

LOC & KEY

Arsenal have been handed a blow in their attempts to sign Italy’s Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli, according to reports.

The Sassuolo midfielder showed his ability on the world stage on Wednesday night by scoring twice in his country’s 3-0 win over Switzerland.

The Gunners had already been tracking the 23-year-old star following his impressive campaign for the Serie A side.

Boss Mikel Arteta is eager to strengthen his midfield with Matteo Guendouzi, Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos heading for the exit door.

Sassuolo had slapped a £35million price-tag on their ace before the start of the tournament but that is now likely to rise.

According to the Express, Juventus are ready to make their move and are likely to be winning the race ahead of Arsenal for his signature.

ALL RON

Cristiano Ronaldo was subjected to homophobic abuse during Portugal’s win over Hungary, according to reports.

The Juventus superstar, 36, lined up for the reigning European champions in their Group F opener on Tuesday.

But according to Record, sections of the 55,000-strong sell-out crowd inside the Puskas Arena in Budapest allegedly attacked the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The report states there were chants of ‘Cristiano Ronaldo, homosexual’. Ronaldo was clearly unfazed by the crowd’s claimed attacks.

He responded by scoring twice as Portugal broke the Hungarian resistance with three late goals.

That pair of goals took him on to 11 Euros goals, taking him two clear at the top of the all-time scoring charts in the tournament.

KICK STARTER

Christian Eriksen will be fitted with a heart-starter device following his cardiac arrest at the European Championships.

The Inter Milan playmaker collapsed on the pitch in Denmark’s opening game against Finland before being rushed to hospital. Their team doctor Morten Boesen has now confirmed in a statement that Eriksen will be fitted with a Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.

Boesen said: “After Christian has been through different heart examinations it has been decided that he should have an ICD (heart starter).

“This device is necessary after a cardiac attack due to rhythm disturbances.

“Christian has accepted the solution and the plan has moreover been confirmed by specialists nationally and internationally who all recommend the same treatment.

“We encourage everybody to give Christian and his family peace and privacy the following time.”

‘I’M ONLY 29’

Christian Eriksen’s first words after his cardiac arrest were: “Yes, I am back with you. For f***s sake, I’m only 29 years old.”

The Denmark star, 29, collapsed on the pitch on Saturday during his side’s clash with Finland. He received CPR and a defibrillator was used to resuscitate him before he was transferred to the nearby hospital in Copenhagen.

German doctor Jens Kleinefeld treated the Inter Milan midfielder.

He told Fox Sports: “About 30 seconds later, the player opened his eyes and I could talk to him directly.

“That was a very moving moment, because in such medical emergencies in everyday life, the chances of success are much lower.’

Kleinefeld asked Eriksen: “Well, are you back with us?” Eriksen replied: “Yes, I am back with you. For f***s sake, I’m only 29 years old.”