Euro 2020 - 'Denmark are favourites' - Peter Schmeichel insists England are underdogs in semi-final clash

Published 07/07/2021 at 12:01 GMT

Peter Schmeichel is convinced Denmark are the favourites to reach the Euro 2020 final. England take on the Danes at Wembley on Wednesday night. “If I’m honest, I think Denmark are favourites. The night Denmark played Wales in the last 16 was precisely 29 years after our win. I think that we are a very good footballing nation,” Schmeichel said ahead of the game.

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Peter Schmeichel insists Denmark are favourites to reach the Euro 2020 final in their showdown with England at Wembley.

England are confident they will be the side taking on Italy in the final this weekend with the home support behind them.

The Three Lions smashed Ukraine 4-0 in the quarter-final, but Manchester United great Schmeichel – whose son plays in goal for Denmark – has branded England the underdogs.

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“If I’m honest, I think Denmark are favourites,” he told United’s official website.

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“The night Denmark played Wales in the last 16 was precisely 29 years after our win. I think that we are a very good footballing nation.

We are currently ninth in the FIFA rankings. I think we’ve lost five games in 50. We qualify for all the big tournaments, we do well, we got to the quarter-finals of the World Cup.

"We might be a small country but in football terms we’re up there. We think we can compete with anybody, we think we can have the same chance as anybody, but of course we don't have the same number of quality players as other nations have.

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"So for us, it's about creating an atmosphere and making sure everything is right on the day. Then it's set up for us to make results.

"I think it’s going to be tight. I really do believe this is very evenly balanced, in spite of what people may read in England. It's very much about what happens on the day.

"There are great similarities between the managers. They are very similar in their approach, man management, how they want to play the game.

“They’re very flexible, they keep very solid at the back and in midfield and then they have creativity in the wider areas and people who are getting on the end of chances up front.”

Schmeichel’s son Kasper has also had fun taunting England ahead of the game. The goalkeeper was asked if Denmark were keen to stop England chanting ‘It’s coming home’ and Schmeichel pointed out the Three Lions had never won the European Championships.

"Has it ever been home?” he replied.

I don't know, have you ever won it? To be honest, I haven't given any thought to what it would mean to stop England more than what it would do for Denmark.

“To be honest, I've focused very little on the England national team. It doesn't really mean anything to me.

“So, yeah, not really a lot of thought to England's feelings in this.”