KYLIAN MBAPPE was reportedly left fuming after Olivier Giroud publicly criticised him for failing to pass.The PSG star was so angry with the Champions League winner’s comments after the friendly with Bulgaria that he reportedly wanted to call a press conference to explain his point of view.
And things didn’t turn out much better for France’s other striker Karim Benzema, who went off injured.
Meanwhile Denmark and Romania are set to announce an increase in the number of fans that can attend their Euro 2020 games – to 65 and 50 per cent respectively.
Follow all of the latest news, build up and updates below…
TOP POG
Manchester United have opened talks with Paul Pogba’s representatives over a new deal.
According to Sky Sports, United are keen on holding on to Pogba with a fresh contract.
The star midfielder’s deal with the Red Devils expires next year in June and thus he will be allowed to negotiate with clubs outside the Premier League from January.
The 28-year-old is currently gearing up for Euro 2020 with France
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FAN-TASTIC
Euro co-hosts Denmark will allow up to 65 per cent capacity for their matches at Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium.
Romania’s National Arena in Bucharest will also be 50 per cent full in the summer’s competition.
To be more specific, Parken in Copenhagen will let in 25,000 spectators up from 15,900 that was initially planned.
And there will be up to 27,000 fans in attendance for games in Bucharest
FRENCH AFFAIR
France stars Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud appear to have been embroiled in a public spat just a day before Euro 2020 kicks off.
It all started in the Tricolores’ last warm-up game against Bulgaria where Giroud was not impressed with his service after coming on as a substitute, particularly from Mbappe.
The Chelsea striker said after the game: “Sometimes you make the runs and the ball is not arriving. Perhaps we could have found each other better, there it is.”
According to L’Equipe, the ex-Arsenal ace’s comments angered the Paris Saint-Germain superstar so much that he was ready to issue a public response to clear the air
BENZ IT LIKE KARIM
Real Madrid superstar Karim Benzema looks likely to compete at Euro 2020 despite the knock he suffered against Bulgaria.
Benzema picked up a knee injury and hobbled off the pitch in tears, which raised concern over his fitness ahead of the summer’s Euros.
However, France boss Didier Deschamps is confident the star striker is going to be fit in time for Tuesday’s opener against Germany.
Journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi backed Deschamps’ claims as he said there is ‘no worry ‘for Benzema who will return to training in 72 hours at the latest.
Bouhafsi tweeted: “No worries for KB9! Karim’s muscle deflated that night and the pain was less.
“Nevertheless, the star of #Real was not scheduled to train this Wednesday. He will resume his training path within 48 to 72 hours maximum”
ENGLAND SCHEDULE
As we get ready for tomorrow’s Euro 2020 premiere, let’s have a look at England’s fixtures.
The Three Lions kick off their campaign on Sunday against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia at Wembley.
Then they will face off against Scotland in London on June 18.
Their final match of the group stage takes place on June 22 against the Czech Republic at Wembley
PADDY POWER’S ENGLAND FAN CENTRE
Who’s ready for another traumatic tournament experience?
You might need a visit to this place afterwards…
EUR THE ONE
Almost a quarter of England fans think the Three Lions will win Euro 2020, a YouGov survey has revealed.
More than 2000 fans were questioned about the upcoming Euros on behalf of Betfair, with 23 per cent of England fans backing Gareth Southgate’s side to go all the way.
Scotland and Wales fans also took part in the survey, but just 5 per cent of Scots and 7 per cent of Welsh fans backed England to win their first Euros.
However, 35 per cent of Scotland fans and 47 per cent of Wales fans will cheer on England, and former Three Lions boss Glenn Hoddle is pleased by the level of support.
He told Betfair: “I’m quite happy with that percentage, I thought it would be far less cheering England on. It’s always been this way, and I doubt it will change for this tournament.
“23 per cent seems a fair number, right on the money. We have a chance without any shadow of a doubt, with some good players – it’s never going to be 80 per cent of the country thinking we’ll win, is it?”
PADDY POWER’S GIANT FLAG
Paddy Power have unveiled a giant England flag at the home of Irish side Bray Wanderers – covering the entire pitch!
The Irish bookie is calling on everyone in the nation to back England this summer.
They’re promising to donate €10,000 for every England goal at the tournament.
And they’ll double the amount if Ireland’s former international Declan Rice or ex-youth star Jack Grealish score.
Here’s the flag…
EARNED IT
Robert Earnshaw is a cult hero on Twitter due to his fascinating insight into a range of topics, including aliens and the person who discovered milk.
The former Wales international will join ITV as part of their Euros coverage and if he is as entertaining on TV as he is on social media then viewers are in for a treat.
Several footballers have grabbed attention for their odd opinions and tweets, such as Louis Saha being grateful for the ‘good banter’ he had with his son over dinner instead of watching TV.
None compare to Earnshaw however, who has become the master of pondering the more obscure aspects of life, almost like a Welsh Karl Pilkington.
Perhaps his most brilliant ‘eureka’ moment came during the first lockdown last year, when he stated: “There is zero evidence that today is Sunday.
“We are all kind of relying on the fact somebody has kept an accurate count since the first one ever.”
Click here to read more
MAG RACE
England were boosted by the return of Harry Maguire in training today ahead of their Euros bid.
And Jordan Henderson was also seen sprinting at the Three Lions base in a major boost for boss Gareth Southgate.
The Man Utd centre-back and Liverpool midfielder both had injury doubts hanging over them heading into the tournament.
It’s too early to tell whether either man could feature in Sunday’s opener against Croatia at Wembley.
But seeing two senior men and leaders back among the rest of the group is a shot in the arm for Southgate.
England face Scotland next Friday at Wembley before taking on Czech Republic in their final group game on June 22.
RON WAY ROUND
Cristiano Ronaldo was mocked for the ‘worst free-kick’ of his entire career during Portugal’s friendly with Israel.
The Juventus superstar was renowned for his set-piece taking, especially earlier in his career with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
But he woefully dropped his standards in Portugal’s final game before the delayed European Championships.
The legendary forward, 36, completed his iconic run up to the ball but riffled one right into the empty stands.
Ronaldo was ruthlessly slammed by fans online, who called for him to stop taking free-kicks all together.
FEELING ATTACKED
Kylian Mbappe was reportedly left feeling ‘attacked’ and ‘angry’ after team-mate Olivier Giroud’s comments that he doesn’t receive enough service while playing for France.
And such was his ‘fury’ at the Chelsea forward’s opinion, that he wanted to release a statement in order to hit back.
After coming on to score twice against Bulgaria on Tuesday night, ‘degraded’ Giroud, 34, appeared to accuse his team-mates of not picking out his runs enough.
He told L’Equipe du Soir: “I was a little quiet because, sometimes, I make runs and the balls aren’t forthcoming.
“I am not saying that I always make the best runs, but I am seeking to offer solutions in the box.”
According to L’Equipe, Mbappe was angered by Giroud’s comments – and wanted to call an impromptu press conference in order to hit back with some of his own.
BIG NAMES MISSING OUT
Here are just a handful of top European footballers who won’t be appearing at Euro 2020:
Virgil van Dijk
Erling Haaland
Sergio Ramos
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Marco Reus
Jan Oblak
Marc-Andre ter Stegen
Who’s the biggest name to miss out?
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NO GOLDEN BOOT AT EUROS
There won’t be a golden boot winner at Euro 2020!
Instead, the tournament’s leading scorer will receive the ‘Top Scorer’ trophy.
Here’s a preview of the shiny new prize…
RONALDO WILL BE PORTUGAL’S STAR MAN – CARVALHAL
Portugal is full of massive individual talents – but let’s hope that the team’s ability is even greater than the sum of its parts.
Cristiano Ronaldo will once again be the big star, even at 36, with his enormous quality meaning that the team revolves around him.
Click here to read the thoughts of ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Cavalhal, writing exclusively for SunSport
GIROUD FIVE AWAY
Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud needs just five more international goals to match Thierry Henry’s record (51) and become France’s joint-leading scorer.
Can he do it at Euro 2020?
Credit: EPA
BEN ROBERTS EXCLUSIVE
When Robert Sanchez was handed his shock Spain call-up, the goalie made sure to pay tribute to ‘second father’ Ben Roberts.
Brighton’s goalkeeping coach has been instrumental in helping Sanchez go from a gangly teenager who could not speak English to one of the most exciting stoppers in world football.
Roberts’ tough-love approach created a deep trust between the pair and prepared Sanchez for the big time.
The 23-year-old had not played a single Premier League appearance 12 months ago but now is going to the Euros fighting for the Spanish No1 spot.
Roberts, who also developed Nick Pope, told SunSport: “When Rob got his first Spain call-up, I had a tear in my eye, to be honest.”
Click here to read Tom Barclay’s interview with Ben Roberts
EARLIEST MEMORY
What’s your earliest Euros memory?
Was it Wayne Rooney’s stunning performance at Euro 2004?
Or was it England failing to qualify four years later, perhaps?
There are just so many to choose from!
EURO ESTATE
A housing estate in Bermondsey, London has been covered in England flags ahead of Euro 2020.
Must have taken them ages to put up!
WARM-UPS DONE
All 24 qualified teams have played their final warm-up games ahead of Euro 2020.
The tournament will OFFICIALLY start tomorrow evening at 8pm (UK time) when Turkey face Italy at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Then there will be three games on Saturday:
Wales v Switzerland (2pm)
Denmark v Finland (5pm)
Belgium v Russia (8pm)
BRU-GOAL
Bruno Fernandes scored two and set another one up as Portugal hammered Israel 4-0 in their final warm-up match before Euro 2020.
There were also goals for Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo.
Portugal are the defending champions following their 2016 success.
HOW FAR WILL PORTUGAL GO?
Reigning champions Portugal have been handed a nightmare start to Euro 2020, drawn against world champions France, 2014 World Cup winners Germany and Hungary.
But, having also won the Nations League in 2019, they’ve won the last two European competitions.
Can they defend the Euros this summer?
GOOD MORNING FOOTBALL FANS
Real Madrid star Karim Benzema looks likely to compete at Euro 2020 despite the knock he suffered against Bulgaria.
Benzema sustained a knee injury and hobbled off the pitch in tears, which raised concern over his fitness ahead of the summer’s Euros.
However, France manager Didier Deschamps is confident the star striker is going to be fit in time for Tuesday’s opener against Germany.
Journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi backed Deschamps’ claims as he said there is ‘no worry ‘for Benzema who will return to training in 72 hours at the latest.
Bouhafsi tweeted: “No worries for KB9! Karim’s muscle deflated that night and the pain was less.
“Nevertheless, the star of #Real was not scheduled to train this Wednesday. He will resume his training path within 48 to 72 hours maximum.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United star Harry Maguire was the only player missing from England’s training yesterday.
The Three Lions kick off Group D against Croatia at Wembley on Sunday and Gareth Southgate had all of his players available for practice except for Maguire.
The United centre-back is set to miss the Euros opener with an ankle ligament injury he suffered at Aston Villa last month.
The 28-year-old is continuing rehab and there is no official word yet regarding a return to full fitness.
And Croatia do not intend to take a knee ahead of Sunday’s Euro 2020 opener against England.
That is according to The Athletic, who claim the 2018 World Cup runners-up do not plan to carry out the gesture to promote racial equality.
The Three Lions have confirmed that they will take a knee ahead of all games in the Euros.
England carried out the gesture during their two warm-up games against Austria and Romania despite boos from a minority of the crowd.
And finally, Spain and Sweden’s Euro 2020 opener against each other has been thrown into chaos after four players returned positive COVID-19 tests.
La Roja stars Sergio Busquets and Diego Llorente were put into isolation after being diagnosed with coronavirus.
Janne Andersson’s side also suffered a similar set back as Dejan Kulusevski and Mattias Svanberg also tested positive.
The Sweden duo are also isolating and the Group E fixture – due to be held in Seville on Monday – is now in serious jeopardy.
BENZEMA BOOST
Real Madrid star Karim Benzema looks likely to compete at Euro 2020 despite the knock he suffered against Bulgaria.
Benzema sustained a knee injury and hobbled off the pitch in tears, which raised concern over his fitness ahead of the summer’s Euros.
However, France manager Didier Deschamps is confident the star striker is going to be fit in time for Tuesday’s opener against Germany.
Journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi backed Deschamps’ claims as he said there is “no worry” for Benzema who will return to training in 72 hours at the latest.
Bouhafsi tweeted: “No worries for KB9! Karim’s muscle deflated that night and the pain was less. Nevertheless, the star of #Real was not scheduled to train this Wednesday. He will resume his training path within 48 to 72 hours maximum”
Pas d’inquiétude pour KB9 ! Le muscle de Karim #Benzema a dégonflé cette nuit et la douleur était moins importante. Néanmoins, la star du #Real ne devait pas s’entraîner ce mercredi. Il va reprendre le chemin de l’entraînement d’ici 48 à 72 heures maximum. #RMCsport— Mohamed Bouhafsi (@mohamedbouhafsi) June 9, 2021
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