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
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.
Euro 2020 news: James ‘comfortable’ at right centre-back
England right-back Reece James commented on his versatility amid speculation he is set to be deployed by Gareth Southgate as part of a back three.
“I played right centre-back many times in the academy but at professional level it is different. You can’t go on and join in attacks, you are limited to where you can go and what you can do.
"This season I’ve played a lot of positions, right back and wing-back, right centre-back as well. I’d say anywhere across those three, I’m comfortable.”
The Chelsea star also noted how English players and fans must ignore domestic rivals and unite together.
“I want to step away from club rivalries. In the final we faced Man City but here we are together.
“We are one team."
Euro 2020 news: Llorente set for Spain return after negative tests
Spain defender Diego Llorente is poised to return to the squad’s Euro 2020 training camp after showing negative for Covid-19 in the last two round of tests, the team said on Thursday.
The Leeds United defender will undergo further tests and return to training with the squad on Friday if he remains negative.
Why are footballers taking the knee at Euro 2020?
The sight of footballers taking the knee is set to become a familiar one over the course of Euro 2020 – ahead of England games, at the very least.
Fans who have followed the Premier League and other competitions in England over the last year will already be accustomed to players kneeling ahead of kick-off, while the gesture has been adopted elsewhere around Europe at times, too.
The action of kneeling ahead of a sports event began in 2016 when NFL quarter-back Colin Kaepernick did so in the US to protest racial inequality, and the gesture found its way into football last year following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Euro 2020 news: Benzema could be available versus Germany
Karim Benzema has not suffered a serious injury in France‘s game against Bulgaria on Tuesday and he is expected to be available for his team’s 2020 European Championship opener against Germany on 14 June.
The Real Madrid striker picked up a knock in Les Blues’ 3-0 friendly victory over Bulgaria, in his national team’s last game before the major tournament.
However, Benzema‘s recovery is expected to be speedy and the doctors’ idea is to follow a conservative treatment for a couple of days before returning to training.
Euro 2020: Azerbaijan football boss reassures Wales fans over Covid-19 safety
Azerbaijan football boss Elkhan Mammadov is confident Wales fans will enjoy a safe Euro 2020 stay in Baku amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 2,000 Wales supporters are due to make the 3,000-mile trip to the shores of the Caspian Sea for their European Championship games against Switzerland and Turkey in Baku.
The fans have travelled against the advice of the Welsh Government, with Azerbaijan being on the ‘amber list’ that requires people to book Covid-19 tests on days two and eight upon their return and quarantine for 10 days.
Azerbaijan football boss reassures Wales fans over Covid safety at Euro 2020
Around 2,000 Welsh supporters are due to travel to Baku for games against Switzerland and Turkey
Euro 2020 news: Low hails ‘extremely flexible’ France
Joachim Low hailed the French national team’s ability to adapt to the game of their opponents ahead of the 2020 European Championship.
France will face Germany in their tournament opener on 15 June, as they are both in Group F along with Portugal and underdogs Hungary.
“We know France very well,” Low told German agency SID. “They are the best team in the world at adapting to their opponents. They are extremely flexible.
“They have amazing individual class and are difficult to predict.”
Low went on to hail Portugal‘s attack and stressed that his team should be focused on their defensive duties in the match with Fernando Santos‘ side.
“Portugal have great attacking strength, play at a very high level since 2016 and are a very homogeneous team,” Low added. “Facing these opponents, you have to give your all, you can’t make mistakes. If your concentration is not at its maximum, they will exploit it mercilessly.
“Our defence has to be compact. Without losing our attacking drive, we must internalise this work in defence.”
Asked about his team’s attitude ahead of the tournament, Low expressed his confidence that his players will do what it takes to have a successful tournament.
“What I see in terms of energy and commitment in the team is excellent. The players are very ambitious and want to achieve good results. There is a good dynamic in the team.”
Euro 2020 news: Ronaldo within touching distance of Ali Daei record
Portugal completed their European Championship warm-up with a 4-0 thumping of Israel on Wednesday evening, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring another international goal to take his tally to 104 in 175 appearances.
Each half saw two late goals scored allowing Portugal to put some gloss on a performance that otherwise left a lot to be desired, but Cristiano Ronaldo - in scoring their second before half-time - moved one step closer to Ali Daei‘s record.
The Juventus forward is just five shy of the Iranian’s record of 109 - can he match or break the record at Euro 2020?
Euro 2020 sweepstake: Download and print your Euros kit for 2021 tournament
Euro 2020 is finally upon us with the cream of European football set to battle it out for the right be crowned the continent’s best.
It all kicks off on Friday evening when Italy and Turkey get us underway - 12 months after they were meant to - in Rome.
England begin their quest to bring football home on Sunday against Croatia with Wales, who did so well in France five years ago, and Scotland, back at a major tournament for the first time in 23 years, also hoping to contend.
Euro 2020 sweepstake: Download and print your Euros kit for 2021 tournament
Download our special Euro 2020 sweepstake kit for free
Euro 2020 news: Scottish FA commit to anti-racism stance
The Scotland Men’s National Team will continue to take a stand against racism prior to kick-off for all UEFA EURO 2020 matches.
The squad, coaching staff and backroom members will stand up to racism ahead of the Group D matches against Czech Republic, England and Croatia.
“It is important we continue to tackle the issue of racism and raise awareness of the need to change people’s mindsets but also their behaviours,” said captain Andy Robertson.
“Prior to our World Cup qualifiers in March we spoke as a group and felt that taking a stand was the best way for us to show solidarity and also to reinforce the need for meaningful change in society.”
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