

Daniel Sturridge's last minute goal against Wales, was more than enough reason of concern to the Slovakian national team. Daniel's teammate and certain rival in this Monday's clash, Martin Skrtel, is one of the centre backs who is going to have to deal with the forward. Despite being good friends and teammates at Liverpool, Skrtel knows that he needs to put that aside and think about the best for his country. Even if that means he may have to kick Sturridge once or twice during the game.
Martin didn't hesitate when he was quizzed if he would kick Sturridge during a match to benefit his team: "Obviously yes! We can be friends before the game and after the game but on the pitch we are not friends. If you ask Daniel the same question he would answer the same. We both try to do the best for our teams and if that means kicking him them I have to do it."
But Skrtel will have some mixed feelings, since he is facing a country where he's lived for quite a long time now: "It will be a very special game as I've been in England a long time. Obviously I just have to focus on my performance. Everyone knows about England's qualities which they proved in the qualifiers as well as in the previous two games. We know what to expect but believe we can do well.
"It's not just about Daniel Sturridge or the other strikers, we have to be ready for the whole team. It's always 11 versus 11 on the pitch and we have to try to be better than them. We're not looking at them as individuals, it doesn't matter if it's Sturridge, Kane or [Jamie] Vardy, we have to try to control them all and be better than them."
Going further in his analysis, Skrtel added: "They dominated against Russia and were unlucky to concede a goal so late. It was a different game against Wales, being 1-0 down and scoring a winner themselves in the last minute. They've played well in both games, showed their quality and confirmed they are one of the best sides in the world."
"We showed desire, character and heart against Russia, we were ready to fight for 90 minutes. We were under pressure in the second half but the desire to win was massive and we got a good result. Marek Hamsik is our star player but the main strength of the team is the team. We work together. We must use the weapons we used against Russia, to be together and to play with our hearts. When we give 100 per cent on the pitch and add in some quality then I think we are always successful."
Photo credit: England