England begin their Euro 2016 campaign tomorrow night (June 11, 2016) against Russia in Marseille and here is a fun fact- the Three Lions have NEVER won the opening game in all their previous appearances at the Euros. Roy Hodgson’s side were the only side to qualify for Euro 2016 with a 100% winning record and they will create history if they beat Leonid Slutsky’s men at Stade Velodrome on Saturday.
In England’s eight previous appearances at the finals of the European Championships, they have lost four and drawn four. Since the turn of the century, they’ve lost to Portugal (Euro 2000) and France (Euro 2004) and drew with Les Bleus at the last tournament in Poland and Ukraine
A poor result against the Russians will create pressure for England ahead of a high stakes game against the Welsh, and could leave them with a tricky must-win final clash against Slovakia.
| Year | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Yugoslavia | L 1-0 |
| 1980 | Belgium | D 1-1 |
| 1988 | Republic of Ireland | L 1-0 |
| 1992 | Denmark | D 0-0 |
| 1996 | Switzerland | D 1-1 |
| 2000 | Portugal | L 3-2 |
| 2004 | France | L 2-1 |
| 2012 | France | D 1-1 |
| 2016 | Russia | D 1-1 |
| 2020 | Croatia | W 1-0 |
England are set to ditch the diamond formation that they used in the friendly against Portugal, albeit without great success. Despite winning 1-0, the Three Lions were criticised for their performance and Hodgson is likely to revert to a 4-3-3. This will in all probability mean dropping Jamie Vardy, with Rooney partnering Dier and Alli in midfield, and Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling both likely to start in an attacking trio with Harry Kane.
At 45, Slutsky is the youngest manager in the tournament, and is in fact working for free, with the Russian FA left cash-strapped following a huge payout to Fabio Capello. Expectations aren’t too high in Russia, and a look at their last five results tells you why
Russia last five results- most recent first
Serbia 1-1 Russia
Russia 1-2 Czech Republic
France 4-2 Russia
Russia 3-0 Lithuania
Russia 1-3 Croatia
The expected Russian central defensive pairing, Ignashevich and Berezutski, have a combined age of 70, and they will face a stiff challenge against a youthful English side (average age of just 25) which has pace to burn. Slutsky will also have to do without the services of the key duo of Igor Denisov and Alan Dzagoev, both of whom will will miss this tournament through injury.
In comparison, England have been in great form, bar the loss to Netherlands at Wembley in March. Many expect Roy Hodgson’s side to beat the Russians, and put themselves in the drivers’ seat in Group B.
England last five results- most recent first
England 1-0 Portugal
England 2-1 Australia
England 2-1 Turkey
England 1-2 Netherlands
Germany 2-3 England
Who will be the referee?
The man in charge of the whistle will be Italian Nicola Rizzoli, who also refereed England’s opener against France at Euro 2012. He was also the man entrusted with the last World Cup final (2014) and the 2013 all-German Champions League final.
We leave you with a short vid of England’s opening game of Euro 2012 against France, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Joleon Lescott scored for England and Samir Nasri for France.