England vs Denmark: Keeper Kasper Schmeichel asks 'has it ever been home?' ahead of Euro 2020 clash
England might be the favourites to win at Wembley in Wednesday night's Euro 2020 semi-final but their opponents Denmark are determined to stop football from coming home.
For Denmark, the tournament had been a huge emotional rollercoaster after star midfielder Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during their opening match to Finland.
The spirit shown by the team following Eriksen’s on-pitch collapse when they formed a shield around him as he received CPR has won them fans around the world and spurred them on to their semi-final clash with England.
"Has it ever been home?" - Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel cheekily reminds England they have never won a European Championship
And the Danes are not cowed by English expectation or desperation and have scored several banter winners in the run-up.
Danish national team goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who plays for Premier League club Leicester, was asked what it would mean for him if his team stopped England bringing football home, Schmeichel replied: “Has it ever been home? Have you ever won it?”
In reply to "1966", Schmeichel reminded the journalist that it was the World Cup, not the European Championships.
Ex-Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel (and Kasper's dad) said the Danish side “knows how to win”.
“I’m very confident about the Danish team,” Peter Schmeichel told GMB. “You might think this run of form has come from the incident with Christian Eriksen, it hasn’t, it’s a team that’s played 44 games and lost three so it’s a team that knows how to win and how to play.
“It’s a team that’s been in the making for four years and we have a new coach who has taken over that incredible building work and added some extra elements to it and made it a lot better.”
Danish tabloid B.T. also poked fun at England, taking out a full-page advert in The Sun featuring a picture of Vikings and the message, "It’s not coming home… We’re coming home!"
The B.T. website called on Danes to evoke 10th century King Sweyn Forkbeard’s conquest of England in 1013, adding: “We plundered England then, and we must do the same this time.”
England v Denmark: What you need to know about the Euro 2020 semi-final
When is the match happening?
When is the match happening?
The Euro 2020 semi-final kicks off at 8pm on Wednesday 7 July at Wembley Stadium.
Can I get a ticket?
Can I get a ticket?
The FA has said the England Supporters Travel club will have an allocation of nearly 8,500 tickets for the game, with remaining tickets going on sale to those who applied for tickets in the original ticket application process in 2019 but did not choose to return them or requested a refund. Otherwise, it looks like there isn't another way to get tickets - all tickets for the games are sold via the Uefa ticket portal and both England's semi-final and the final are marked as sold out.
Where can I watch the game on TV or online?
Where can I watch the game on TV or online?
The game will be broadcast on ITV, with coverage starting from 6.30pm. It will also be available to stream online on the ITV Hub (for viewers in the UK only).
When is the final?
When is the final?
The Euro 2020 final will take place at Wembley on Sunday 11 July at 8pm.
The Viking invasions proved to be a bit of a theme.
Referencing Denmark’s 1-0 win over England at Wembley Stadium last October, Danish newspaper Politiken ran a headline that read: “Denmark has all the right weapons to conquer Wembley – again.”
Vikings from across Scandinavia first invaded Britain in 793 "bringing ruin and slaughter" and continued to invade, loot and capture people over 300 years. In 866 they captured what we now call York (Viking name: Jorvik) and made it their capital.
Will the Danes once again conquer England and bring take football back to Denmark?
Lars Thuesen, Danish ambassador to the UK, said 8,000 Danish people living in the UK will be among the Wembley crowd later, with numbers limited due to travel restrictions.
Watch England v Denmark live on ITV and ITV Hub on Wednesday 7 July - coverage begins from 6.30pm, kick off at 8pm