Milan Skriniar believes Slovakia could benefit from the pressure that’s building on Gareth Southgate and England.
The Three Lions have failed to sparkle in Euro 2024 with dour performances against Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia.
That has led to a wave of criticism from fans and the media despite England qualifying for the round of 16 as winners of Group C.
Next up is a meeting with Slovakia on Sunday and Paris Saint-Germain centre-half Skriniar thinks the situation helps his side’s chances of progressing.
The Slovakia captain said: “Even in the first match [a 1-0 win over Serbia] they went in with the fact that they are England, and they have to manage things in terms of results.
”The media and fans [have been critical] after their matches, so they will be under much more pressure than us. It can work in our favour.”
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Skriniar is aware England have world-class players – although they have yet to prove it in Germany – but believes Slovakia’s team ethic will see them through.
“In my opinion, they rely on individual quality and they know that they have players who can decide matches for them,” said the 29-year-old.
“That’s why I think we can handle them through teamwork.
“They have big stars, big players, really good players. But we saw some games also in the group that, as a team, they are not at their best so far. So, this can be our opportunity to beat them.
“There is a lot of pressure on them. That may be an advantage for us, because they really need to convince the world they came here to win. If Slovakia beat England it will be the best result in Slovakia’s history.”
A feature of England’s struggles has been their sloppiness in possession and Skriniar is expecting a more direct approach in Gelsenkirchen.
“The English love to play long balls,” he said. “And the only thing you can do against that is winning aerial duels and getting the second balls.
“They can play the tiki-taka, but when it doesn’t work, they can utilise Jordan Pickford’s long balls.”
