Gareth Southgate will be relying on his strikers to step up (Image: Getty)
England are set to battle it out with Slovakia for a place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals on Sunday. The Three Lions finished top of Group C but have underwhelmed on the pitch, and they will need to improve markedly if they are to go all the way in Germany. Now in the knockout stages of the competition, penalties will need to be a consideration for Gareth Southgate from this weekend. Express Sport takes a look at who could step up for England if their clash with Slovakia goes the distance…
The Bayern Munich striker is an obvious candidate to step up for England. Despite missing a crucial spot-kick against France at the 2022 World Cup, the forward is clinical from 12 yards and remains the Three Lions’ first-choice penalty taker.
Although he does not have a single minute of football to his name at the Euros, Toney must be considered by Southgate if a penalty shootout appears to be looming. The Brentford forward has scored 37 of his 40 career penalties and boasts an impressive 93% success rate from the spot. There are fewer players in the squad that would be more confident than Toney when it comes to penalties, regardless of the pressure of the occasion.
Cole Palmer
There have been countless shouts for Palmer to be included in England’s starting eleven going forward, and although those calls have fallen on deaf ears, the Chelsea star will almost certainly feature in the Three Lions’ plans if a match does go to penalties. Palmer has scored all 15 of his penalties from Under-18 level upwards, including nine in the Premier League last season.
Ivan Toney is among England's best penalty takers (Image: Getty)
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Although he has never taken a penalty at senior level, Alexander-Arnold scored all four of his penalties at youth level and may be a consideration for Southgate. The Liverpool star’s accuracy and experience beyond his years will put him in good stead if he is called upon by his nation.
Bukayo Saka may look to right the wrongs of his 2020 miss (Image: Getty)
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Some storylines are written in the stars, and Saka scoring the winning penalty in the knockout stages of Euro 2024. The Arsenal winger missed a penalty in England’s loss to Italy at Euro 2020 and was subjected to horrendous racial abuse as a result. The incident has not deterred Saka from stepping up to the spot since and he has scored 16 of his 19 career penalties, making him one of the most clinical takers in the entire squad.
Conor Gallagher, Lewis Dunk and Jude Bellingham are also credible mentions, with the trio yet to miss a penalty despite taking at least four each.
