'People think it will be an easy game': Jude Bellingham has his say on England v Slovakia

Though it’s been far from pretty, England are through to the round of 16 at the Euros, but the Three Lions should be pretty confident of their chances of progressing further after coming up against Slovakia, right?. Well, at least Jude Bellingham is…

The young star has been a standout in a rather underwhelming side, but maybe things are about to turn around for England?

When asked what he thought about Sunday’s clash, the midfielder said: "You’re always going to have tough games at this stage of the tournament. People will see it’s Slovakia and think it will be an easy game but that’s definitely not the case," he told 'The Lions Den', the England football social media channel.  

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"They will pose a different kind of threat and be hard to break down. When you play teams who come at you a bit more it can be a bit more open."

Pictured: Slovakia takes control of the ball against Romania.

"But it will be an interesting game and one we’re confident going into. I know the performances haven’t been as good as they could be in the first three games but this is a great opportunity to get back to the level we need to be at."

This is probably not what fans of the Three Lions want to hear right now, with Manchester United legend Roy Keane warning that complacency will cost England dearly in the must-win clash. 

"They know they have a tough game coming up at the weekend and they can’t underestimate anyone. They have done that before and it has backfired," he told ITV, as reported by Football365. 

"They have to up the ante. It is a different mindset now, knockout football, different dynamics," he said. "England will have to improve, it will be a tough game."

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That England is facing Slovakia at this stage might be something of a surprise, as Slovakia has progressed as one of the best third-placed teams. 

Having caused an upset against Belgium in their opening game before losing to Ukraine and drawing with Romania, Slovakia finished with four points – as did all teams in Group E – with goal differences determining the final places. 

This is one of the quirks of the UEFA grid format for this competition, in which the top teams in Groups B, C, E and F take on one of the four teams that have gone through as best third-placed finishers.

So can a third-running Slovakia cause an upset on Sunday? Well, Former Slovakian international Adam Nemec (pictured) thinks so.

"If we’re honest, we can say that England are miserable at the moment," Nemec told the Guardian. "They are not nice to watch, they are not putting in good performances and the coach and the players are under enormous pressure back home. We can exploit that. Anything can happen at this stage."

What do you think? Do you give Slovakia a chance against this England side?

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