England vs Netherlands U21 EURO semi-final preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, possible line-ups

England and the Netherlands meet in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-final at the National Football Stadium, Bratislava, on Wednesday 25 June.

Where to watch the game on TV

Fans can find their local U21 EURO broadcast partner(s) here.

What do you need to know?

If tournament football is about peaking at the right time then both these nations seem to have judged their progress to perfection as they head into the first semi-final in Bratislava.

England were the top scorers in qualifying with 41 goals but found the group stage a tougher ask, eventually squeezing through in second place with only one victory, in their opener against Czechia, from their three games. The Young Lions followed that up by beating a much-fancied Spain side 3-1 in the last eight, coach Lee Carsley declaring afterwards: "I said this team would click."

Netherlands were the first team to qualify and the only side with a 100% record in their qualifying group but the Jong Oranje also struggled through the group stage, needing a 2-0 Matchday 3 success against Ukraine after taking a solitary point from their first two outings. Reduced to ten men in the 21st minute of their quarter-final with Portugal, Michael Reiziger's team displayed outstanding resilience and a counterattacking punch as they edged through thanks to Ernest Poku's late goal.

These nations have plenty of pedigree in this competition. Holders England have now reached the U21 EURO semi-finals for a record-equalling 11th time while this will be the seventh appearance at this stage for the Netherlands.

Possible line-ups

England: Beadle; Hinshelwood, Quansah, Cresswell, Livramento; Scott, Anderson, Hutchinson; Elliott, Stansfield, McAtee

Netherlands: Roefs; Kasanwirjo, Van den Berg, Hato, Maatsen; Valente, Milambo, Flamingo; Manhoef, Van Bergen, Poku

Road to the semi-finals

England

Qualifying Group F winners: P10 W8 D1 L1 F41 A6
Group stage results (2nd in Group B): 3-1 vs Czechia, 0-0 vs Slovenia, 1-2 vs Germany
Quarter-finals: 3-1 vs Spain

Netherlands

Qualifying Group C winners: P10 W10 D0 L0 F32 A3
Group stage results (2nd in Group D): 2-2 vs Finland, 1-2 vs Denmark, 2-0 vs Ukraine
Quarter-finals: 1-0 vs Portugal

View from the camps

Lee Carsley, England manager: "Netherlands are a team we've been watching a while. They are very attacking, very, very expansive in the way they play. I like the system they play, which is similar to the way the Spanish play. I expect a tough game. We have spoken about making sure the Spain game can't be the highlight of our tournament. It would be unreasonable to ask the players to press for 90 minutes [against Netherlands]. We have to choose our moments where we play with a high tempo and make the most of the changes we create. It will be the same for both teams."

Alex Scott, England midfielder: "It is about the now for us and the hunger to go and win the tournament. Two years ago they won it and there's a bit of pressure on us as there always is on England teams. To win a tournament with England [the U19 EURO in 2022] was really special. A few of the lads have been there and done it and know what it takes to win a major tournament."

Michael Reiziger, Netherlands coach: "They are not playing in a typical English style. They are playing really well with a lot of good quality and they're growing into the tournament. It will be a tough game but that is logical. We've watched every match of England. Two strong teams that love to play football, two teams that have quality. It is going to be an interesting game. We have some comparison [with England]. We started not that well but are getting better every time, resulting in the fact we won a game with ten men."

Robin Roefs, Netherlands goalkeeper: "We have got more confidence and even if we lose possession, with some small adjustments, we can manage it. The mentality has probably changed. We prepare for penalties every game. We've paid a lot of attention to penalties."