The tournament’s under way and in a matter of hours, England will face Russia in their opening match of Euro 2016.
Fifty years on from winning the World Cup at Wembley, some Englishmen are (yet again) daring to dream that this could be the year to end their wait for major tournament success.
So without further ado, here’s all you need to know about tonight’s match… and some stuff you probably don’t need to know thrown in for good measure.
Where is it being played?
Marseille’s Stade de Velodrome is the venue for England’s first Euro 2016 match. It’s not the biggest stadium in the competition, but with a capacity of 67,000 only the Stade de France can accommodate more supporters.
It’s well known for its atmosphere, and with the recent addition of a roof, it looks more impressive than ever.
What time’s it on and where can I watch it?
For viewers in the UK, ITV will be showing the game. Kick off is 8pm, but you knew that already, right?
How will England line up?
Honestly, who the hell knows?
Throughout qualifying, Hodgson regularly opted for a midfield diamond, but given the dismal showing in their last pre-tournament friendly against Portugal, some are suggesting the formation and personnel could be revised in time for kick off in the south of France.
Reports on Friday suggested that the diamond *and* Leicester’s Jamie Vardy will be ditched by Roy Hodgson, who guided England to ten wins from ten in qualifiying.
Ten wins from ten? Russia don’t stand a chance then, right?
Anyone that’s backed England at a major football tournament in the last half a century knows that things aren’t quite so simple.
Although Russia’s team perhaps doesn’t boast too many familiar names, their star man is undoubtedly striker Artem Dzyuba. The 6′Â 5″ Zenit St Petersburg striker scored six goals in his club’s Champions League campaign last season and was directly involved in 50% of Russia’s goals in their qualifying campaign – scoring eight and assisting one.
Only Gareth Bale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic contributed more to their country’s qualification for the tournament. We’re not saying Russia are a one man team, but keeping him quiet should go a long way to seeing off the Russian threat.
What’s the team news?
England
Roy Hodgson appears to have a clean bill of health ahead of the match. Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand and Manchester United’s Chris Smalling both picked up knocks during the week but appear to be fully fit for the match.
Russia
Russia could be missing Spartak Moscow midfielder Denis Glushakov – a doubt for the game after missing training this week through injury. Fellow midfielder Dmitri Torbinski has also missed training and is unlikely to start.
