Euro 2020 news LIVE: Harry Maguire trains with England ahead of Croatia tournament opener

Follow all the latest updates the day before the tournament kicks off in Rome

Countdown to Euro 2020: Daily briefing

Welcome along to all the latest coverage ahead of Euro 2020 which gets going tomorrow in Rome. That’s come around quickly. Italy vs Turkey is the first game taking place at 8pm BST on Friday night, preceded by an opening ceremony of some kind – presumably scaled back given the pandemic. UK viewers can watch it all unfold on the BBC and online via the iPlayer.

There is a relaxed feel around the England camp, underpinned by Jack Grealish’s jovial press conference yesterday where he joked about Aston Villa’s lack of set-piece quality to take advantage of him being so regularly fouled, laughed off comparisons with Paul Gascoigne and – more bizarrely from one Italian journalist – Francesco Totti. Later Declan Rice discussed carrying “no fear” into the tournament and why he chose England over Ireland.

All the talk is about Gareth Southgate’s first selection for the opener with Croatia on Sunday with suggestions growing he could well opt for a back three with four full-backs in the line-up including Luke Shaw at centre-half. Harry Maguire trained for the first time this morning as he bids to prove his fitness for the tournament.

We will have all the latest news and updates right here ahead of the tournament finally getting under way this week, with press conferences from the Scotland, Wales and England camps all to come today.

Latest Euro 2020 news

• Euro 2020 begins on Friday
• England consider four full-backs in first fixture
• Jack Grealish relaxed ahead of Croatia game
• Harry Maguire trains with squad for the first time

[10 June 2021 17:44 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020: Reece James optimistic about England’s chances with home advantage

Reece James believes football could be coming home this summer, with the right-back saying England probably have their best chance to win a major tournament since 1966.

Excitement is building ahead of Sunday’s Euro 2020 group opener against Croatia at Wembley Stadium, where the Three Lions will be hoping to return to play the 11 July finale under the arch.

Gareth Southgate’s men have the chance to follow in the footsteps of the heroes of the 1966 World Cup by lifting silverware on home soil this summer – an opportunity not lost on Chelsea right-back James.

[10 June 2021 17:32 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020: John Fleck rejoins Scotland squad as Steve Clarke enjoys clean bill of health

John Fleck was reunited with his Scotland team-mates as Steve Clarke enjoyed a clean bill of health at his first training session at their Euro 2020 camp.

Fleck had to self-isolate in his hotel room in Spain after testing positive for Covid-19 during Scotland’s training camp last week.

Head coach Clarke left six players behind in Spain as a precaution as Scotland drew with Holland in their first warm-up in Portugal last Wednesday, while Fleck had an even longer stay.

[10 June 2021 17:24 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020 news: James and Cole speak ‘nearly every week'

Chelsea and England defender Reece James spoke of his relationship with Ashley Cole, and the influence of the Blues legend on his game.

“Me and him speak nearly every week. He is one of the best left-backs to ever play the game. Even though he was a left-back, the position is basically the same just on the other side. He helps me a lot.”

[10 June 2021 17:12 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020 news: Griezmann injury scare

Antoine Griezmann suffers from a contusion in his left calf following a knock during France’s 3-0 win over Bulgaria. Both Karim Benzema and Griezmann trained indoors today.

[10 June 2021 17:01 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020 news: Ramsey ‘planned’ to miss training

Aaron Ramsey says it was a deliberate decision for him to miss training just over 48 hours before Wales’ Euro 2020 opener against Switzerland.

The 30-year-old featuring in only 19 of the 44 games they have played since reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016, and Ramsey insisted Wales fans should not be alarmed by him sitting out the squad’s penultimate pre-game training session in Baku.

“It was planned that I stayed off my feet,” Ramsey said.

“It was a very light session for the boys. I’m all good and looking forward to Saturday.”

The midfielder has started only 24 league games for Juventus since joining from Arsenal in 2019, leading to him putting a greater emphasis on his own fitness.

[10 June 2021 16:52 · Andrew Gamble]

Who will win Euro 2021? Favourites, betting odds and tournament tips

The rearranged Euro 2020 tournament is nearly here, with Europe’s best competing to be crowned the continent’s top team.

Delayed from a year ago by the coronavirus pandemic the competition will finally get under way when Italy and Turkey kick things off in Rome on Friday 11 June.

Twenty-four teams will battle it out through group stages and knockout rounds before a winner is crowned on 11 July at Wembley Stadium in London.

[10 June 2021 16:41 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020 news: Survey says almost a quarter of England fans believe football is coming home

YouGov survey of over 2000 football fans on behalf of Betfair ahead of the Euros sees 23% of England fans picking England as the winner.

• More than half of England fans who are backing their nation to lift the trophy think this is the best England team since the Golden Generation of 2006.

• Almost 40% of all England fans are more confident than they were going into the 2018 World Cup.

• However almost 60% would rather their team won the league or was promoted next season than England wins the Euros – Spurs fans the most likely of the big six to say that (67%) Manchester United fans the least likely (44%).

• While more than half of England fans will also cheer on their Scottish and Welsh neighbours, only a third of Scottish fans will cheer on England and less than half of Welsh fans will .

• Current Betfair odds have England at 5/1 to win the tournament, with France the favourites at 9/2. Wales are 175/1 and Scotland 250/1.

• Betfair ambassador Glenn Hoddle said of 23% of England fans believing England will win the Euros: “23% 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% of the country thinking we’ll win, is it?”

[10 June 2021 16:30 · Andrew Gamble]

Euro 2020 news: Robertson hands out gift boxes

Scotland striker Kevin Nisbet reveals captain Andy Robertson gave every squad member a box of gifts ahead of Euro 2020.

Each box reportedly contained containing Apple watches, AirPods, shortbread and Irn Bru.

[10 June 2021 16:22 · Andrew Gamble]

Ireland players taking the knee a ‘provocation’, Viktor Orban claims

Viktor Orban has accused the Republic of Ireland’s players of “provocation” after they were booed as they took a knee ahead of their friendly in Hungary on Tuesday evening.

Sections of the crowd at the Szusza Ferenc Stadion in Budapest jeered as the Ireland team made the anti-racism gesture before kick-off, a response later described as “incomprehensible” by manager Stephen Kenny.

However, Hungarian Primer Minister Orban, a hard-line nationalist who has taken a firm stance against immigration, told a press conference on Thursday: “We can’t interpret this gesture in any other way. Looking at it from our cultural point of view, it’s an incomprehensible thing, a provocation.

[10 June 2021 16:04 · Andrew Gamble]

England’s oldest and fastest player Kyle Walker targeting Euro 2020 glory

Kyle Walker is targeting Euro 2020 glory with England as the oldest member of the squad claims he would already be taking home the gold if challenged to a 100-metre sprint by any of his team-mates.

The 31-year-old is likely to start in Sunday’s Group D opener against Croatia at Wembley, with the Manchester City full-back preparing for another tournament with the Three Lions.

England have one of the youngest squads at the finals, with Walker and Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson the only two players over the age of 30.