Skriniar: "England Not at Their Best Moment"
Milan Skriniar, Slovakia’s captain, said in a press conference on Friday that England isn’t "at their best right now" and stated that his team has a "unique opportunity" to beat Gareth Southgate’s squad.
The Paris Saint-Germain defender is aware of the inconsistent form of their next opponent in the Euro 2024 Round of 16. England, having won only one of their three group stage matches (1-0 against Serbia), will face Slovakia with many doubts.
"England is full of great stars and has good players. But we’ve watched some of their group matches, and they’re not at their best. So this could be our chance to beat them. If we play as a team, like we did in the qualifiers and the group stage, I believe and hope we can win," he said.
"A victory would be something special, of course. Not just for me, but for the entire Slovakian nation. If Slovakia beats England, it would be the greatest result in our history. I hope and believe we can do it," he added.
Skriniar also talked about the possibility of facing Harry Kane, noting that he has faced the British striker a couple of times before. "I’ve played against him two or three times, so I know how strong he is. It will be a great match, with exciting duels, and I’m excited and can’t wait to play," he said.
For Slovakia’s central defender, England relies heavily on the individual quality of their players, knowing they can change a game at any moment. Therefore, he stated that it will be crucial for his team to stop them with a collective effort.
"Defense will definitely be important; we need to start defending from the front. But the key thing is that we start playing football. We need to show them that we know how to play and that they’re up against a team that knows what it wants," he added.
Finally, he compared the pressure on England to that on Slovakia: "I think they will undoubtedly be under a lot of pressure. The media and fans have scrutinized them after the matches, so they’ll have much more pressure than us. That can work in our favor."
"Our team isn’t very focused on criticism and pressure. We appreciate the fans' support. Everyone is calm and focused on the next task. We’ve seen the results so far, and no team is really a favorite anymore. We just need to keep a cool head; we’re under pressure, but at the same time, we’re in a relaxed environment," he concluded.
