Slovenia vs Denmark live updates: Euro 2024 match team news ...

And Happy Fathers' Day to the dads out there. I went for the classic Terry's Chocolate Orange (other confectionery brands are available).

If you haven't sorted them out with something yet, you could always get them (or yourself) a subscription to The Athletic.

The latest discount offer for the tournament is available here and is brilliant value, even if we say so ourselves.

Goalkeeper and national team captain Jan Oblak gets his “fulfilment of a childhood dream”. He made his international debut back in late 2012 but will finally represent Slovenia in a major tournament. The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper’s standard has dropped a bit in recent years, but his international record is solid: 30 clean sheets and only 53 goals conceded in 64 caps.

At the other end, Slovenia have another match-winner in Benjamin Sesko. He has just turned 21, but at 6ft 4in (193cm) provides a phenomenal profile and has had an excellent debut season at RB Leipzig.

Sesko brings a lot in build-up, able to take aerial balls and bring midfielders into play, as well as chase channels. Most importantly, though, he scores goals — every type you can imagine, and at an excellent rate. He is Slovenia's youngest player, youngest goalscorer and has 11 goals in 29 caps.

Of course, the first game of the day (Slovenia vs Denmark, covered by this live blog, being the second) is ongoing.

We're into the second half of that match.

Follow it using our live blog here, run by super Ed Mackey.

Slovenia are back, at their first major tournament since the 2010 World Cup. At a glance, not a lot looks to have changed.

Matjaz Kek managed them in South Africa in 2010 and is in his second stint as national team boss, having returned in November 2018. They play a 4-4-2, as they did then, though none of the 2010 squad remain.

It is a team built on structure: “I like to give players freedom, but I demand their full responsibility,” said Kek ahead of the March friendly win (2-0) at home to Portugal. “We must be able to suffer defensively, but we must also think about when we have the ball. We cannot just wait in a block,” he added.

The switch to 4-4-2 came at the end of the 2022 Nations League, when they finished third in a group featuring Sweden, Serbia and Norway, having initially played a back three.

In the 19 games since the system switch, Slovenia have 13 wins, four draws and only two defeats, outscoring opponents 34-16 and keeping seven clean sheets. That form meant 2023 was their best calendar year ever for wins (seven, from 10 games) and goals-per-game (two).

Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022 went entirely differently for Denmark. At the last Euros, they made the semi-finals for the first time since they won the tournament in 1992. Their cross-heavy 3-4-3 was awkward to defend against, especially right-footed left wing-back Joakim Maehle.

But they flattered to deceive in Qatar. Head coach Kasper Hjulmand was consistent in his pre-tournament message, wanting to evolve beyond “underdog” football to “be proactive, dominate as much as possible, go for goals”.

Tunisia cancelled out their shape in the first game (0-0) and, after losing to France (2-1) on matchday two, they switched to a 4-3-3 for the final match versus Australia.

Denmark lacked incision. Their switches to Maehle were as predictable as defendable. Australia won 1-0 with a counter-attack goal.

We “haven’t played with the tempo and the rhythm,” said Hjulmand afterwards, adding that “the structures just go out of the match”. It was the only time in Hjulmand’s tenure (50 games) that Denmark have gone three games without a win.

The numbers made for stark reading: No wins and only one goal scored, from a set piece; the only team to not complete a through ball; the most switches of play per game; the lowest dribble success rate.

As we've had four (completed) games so far, we're a third of the way through the action in Group A and B.

Here is how they're looking:

Germany got the party started on Friday in emphatic fashion, thrashing an awful Scotland team in Munich.

Then Switzerland had to battle against Hungary before Breel Embolo's stoppage-time goal in yesterday's first game before Spain cruised past Croatia.

In the last game of the day, Italy survived an early scare to see off Albania in Group B.

We enjoyed the first of the three-match days at Euro 2024 yesterday and it certainly did not disappointed.

We've got another one today and it all gets underway in about 15 minutes' time — here is the line up:

Luckily for you, all three matches have dedicated live coverage here on The Athletic, so you don't need to go anywhere else for the next few hours.

The 36 group-stage matches will take place across just under two weeks.

There are 12 days between Germany’s curtain raiser against Scotland on Friday, June 14 and the final round of group-stage fixtures on Wednesday, June 26.

So get ready for a lot of football!

The 24 teams have been split into six four-team groups and it is hard to argue against Group B looking like the toughest while Germany, England and Belgium have been handed seemingly favourable draws.

Welcome to The Radar — the Euro 2024 edition. Each major tournament, we build a scouting guide highlighting the players to watch.

Below, there are 50 players, with at least one representative from each of the 24 nations competing in Germany. We’ve profiled established stars and rising talents, with a bespoke data visualisation for every player, with all our data correct as of Sunday, June 9.

Just click to expand and collapse each card, and you can use the filters to sort players by nation, club or position. They are handily arranged in group order to make it easier for you to get the lowdown on the players who pose an immediate threat to the nation you are supporting this summer.

Click here to follow Euro 2024 on The Athletic and get relevant stories in your personalised feed.

GO FURTHER

The Radar – The Athletic’s Euro 2024 scouting guide

Goalkeepers: Kasper Schmeichel (Anderlecht), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin), Mads Hermansen (Leicester City).

Defenders: Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray), Alexander Bah (Benfica), Joakim Maehle (Wolfsburg), Rasmus Kristensen (Roma), Victor Kristiansen (Bologna).

Midfielders: Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Thomas Delaney (Anderlecht), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting Lisbon), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Christian Norgaard (Brentford), Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford).

Forwards: Jacob Bruun Larsen (Burnley), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge), Anders Dreyer (Anderlecht), Kasper Dolberg (Anderlecht), Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig).

Goalkeepers: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Vid Belec (APOEL), Igor Vekic (Vejle).

Defenders: Petar Stojanovic (Sampdoria), Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Miha Blazic (Lech Poznan), Jure Balkovec (Alanyaspor), Zan Karnicnik (Celje), David Brekalo (Orlando City), Erik Janza (Gornik Zabrze), Vanja Drkusic (Sochi).

Midfielders: Timi Max Elsnik (Olimpija Ljubljana), Jasmin Kurtic (Sudtirol), Benjamin Verbic (Panathinaikos), Sandi Lovric (Udinese), Adam Gnezda Cerin (Panathinaikos), Jon Gorenc Stankovic (Sturm Graz), Tomi Horvat (Sturm Graz), Adrian Zeljkovic (Spartak Trnava), Nino Zugelj (Bodo/Glimt).

Forwards: Josip Ilicic (Maribor), Andraz Sporar (Panathinaikos), Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), Zan Celar (Lugano), Jan Mlakar (Pisa), Zan Vipotnik (Bordeaux).

Capacity: 54,812

Opened: 1933

Located in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, it's the home of Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart, who finished second in Germany's top flight this season, ahead of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund and only behind winners Bayer Leverkusen.

Here is how you can tune in to the action live on TV:

This one is being played in the middle slot of the three, so it is 6pm local time.

That is 5pm BST in the UK and, in the States, it is 12pm ET and 9am PT.