England announce Danish date
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Article summary
England will begin their preparations for UEFA EURO 2004™ against fellow qualifiers Denmark.
Article body
World Cup replay
Sven-Göran Eriksson's side, who finished top of qualifying Group 7 above Turkey, will meet the Group 2 winners at the home of Manchester United FC in a replay of the second-round meeting between the sides at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. England won that particular encounter 3-0, with Rio Ferdinand, Michael Owen and Emile Heskey all on target.
'Great occasion'
"We are delighted to have secured Denmark as opposition for the first match in our preparations for next year's European Championship," FA Director of Marketing and Communications Paul Barber said. "It will be a chance to celebrate our qualification on home soil. We wanted to stage this match in the biggest possible venue to meet the demand of the fans. Old Trafford has been fantastic for recent England matches and this promises to be another great occasion for both the fans and the team."
'High-level opposition'
Eriksson believes the Scandinavian side will prove testing opponents. "Denmark are a passionate football nation with a proud tradition," the England coach told the FA's website. "They won the European Championship in 1992 and their qualification for EURO 2004™ shows that their current team is very strong. The match will be a very good chance to prepare the squad for next year's championship and test ourselves against high-level opposition."