July 6 – Denmark’s Andreas Christensen believes his side has what it takes to silence Wembley when they take on England in their Euro 2020 semi-final on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old defender, whose experience with Chelsea has proved a huge bonus in Denmark’s surge through the tournament, says he and his fellow Premier League players have the nous to deal with Harry Kane and co.
Kane, who scored against Germany in the last 16 after struggling in the group stage, added a brace in England’s 4-0 quarter-final win over Ukraine.
“We know his qualities, and everyone has an idea of what we can do to stop him,” Christensen told a news conference adding that Kane’s Tottenham teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will help to provide crucial know-how.
Despite playing for more modest clubs scattered throughout Europe, the Danes are not intimidated by England’s star-studded line-up.
“I feel like we have the qualities to play against everyone. As a team, I would not say they are that much better,” Christensen said.
After masterminding his side’s remarkable comeback from losing Christian Eriksen to a cardiac arrest in the opening game, coach Kasper Hjulmand is working on a plan to stop England’s forward line.
“We’re aware of Harry Kane, but you cannot place an order to wrap a player up. We know all about how they attack, so we’re creating some structures to stop the English attacks,” he told reporters.
The game will take place in front of 60,000 raucous fans at Wembley, but due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, only Danes resident in the United Kingdom will be able to attend.
“We’re going to be outnumbered, but we are happy and we try to be as calm as we can. We have shown that we have the quality to play against the best. It’s going to be about who wants it the most,” Christensen said.
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