England’s Rashford hoping to start against Scotland

• Sweden expected to go forward against Slovakia • Croatia looks to fire up attack, stifle Schick

When the European Championship was put on hold last year, Marcus Rashford spent his time lobbying the British government on child poverty rather than playing for England.

It's been a year since the campaign that convinced Prime Minister Boris Johnson to perform an about-turn and continue providing free meals for kids.

Since then, calls with Johnson — and even former U.S. President Barack Obama — have become as familiar to Rashford as trying to score for Manchester United and England.

Apart, of course, from his new status as a role model and an influential societal campaigner who has cut across political lines. The focus now is still on doing what's best for his country, but on the field at the delayed Euro 2020.

Not even his status as a national figurehead could earn a starting spot in the opening win against Croatia but Rashford did come off the bench and finish wearing the captain's armband after Harry Kane was substituted.

It's a sign of the depth of options available to England coach Gareth Southgate that Rashford is a backup despite his 21 goals in 57 appearances for Manchester United last season.

The 23-year-old Rashford has been playing through the pain barrier, with shoulder and ankle problems this season.

"It has been a while for me playing without the things that hold you back in some way," Rashford said. "But it is the last push for this season."

Another player who was part of the run to the semifinals at the 2018 World Cup entered England's Euro 2020 camp with fitness problems — Rashford's United teammate Harry Maguire.

The center back damaged ligaments in his left ankle in a Premier League match in early May when Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi landed on him. Maguire only returned to full training last week, but said he was ready to start against Scotland.

Beating Croatia has given England some breathing space in Group D, unlike in 1996 when it last played Scotland in the European Championship — also at Wembley — after drawing the opening game.

The Scots, who lost to the Czech Republic 2-0 on Monday, have never advanced from the group stage at a major tournament and this is their first since the 1998 World Cup. Scotland's hopes in London could be aided by Kieran Tierney if he is able to return in defense after missing the opener.

Sweden expected to go forward against Slovakia

Sweden is promising a more expansive approach against Slovakia at the European Championship.

That won't be difficult.

Against Spain in their Group E opener, the Swedes had only 15% possession — the lowest figure on record in the history of the tournament. In terms of passes, they had 161 compared to Spain's 917.

Sweden coach Janne Andersson will say the game plan of hunkering down, defending deeply and compactly, and then attempting to hit on the break worked.

After all, the final score was 0-0 — a satisfactory result against the team regarded as the best in the group — and Sweden arguably created the best two chances of the game, for strikers Alexander Isak and Marcus Berg.

That won't be accepted Friday, though, when they play a less possession-based opponent in Slovakia, a team cut from a similar cloth to Sweden in terms of defensive rigidity and simplicity of its approach.

Indeed, it might be Slovakia which is happy to retreat and soak up pressure on this occasion in the fourth match at Euro 2020 to be played in St. Petersburg this tournament.

Slovakia's preparations were disrupted by a positive test for the coronavirus for one of its fringe players, Denis Vavro. The 25-year-old defender and a member of the team's coaching staff are isolating after returning positive results following testing on Wednesday.

The Slovakia team is working with Russian public health authorities regarding contact tracing. No other player has been quarantined yet.

The Slovaks opened with an unexpected 2-1 win over Poland — Vavro was an unused substitute in the match — and might only need a point from their remaining two group games to advance. That would maintain their 100% record of reaching the knockout stage in every major tournament they have qualified for since becoming an independent country in 1993, after doing so at the World Cup in 2010 and at Euro 2016.

Getting that point will most likely be easier against Sweden than against Spain in their group closer.

Marek Hamsik will have a better insight into Sweden than anyone on the Slovakia team.

In an effort to get playing time ahead of Euro 2020, Hamsik — Slovakia's long-time star player and a Napoli great from 2007-19 — quit Chinese club Dalian and returned to European soccer with Swedish team IFK Gothenburg in March.

He instantly became the most high-profile player in the Swedish league, and one of the biggest ever signings in its history, even if he wound up playing only six games and scoring one goal.

At 33, Hamsik has his best days behind him but he showed against Poland his talent is still a level above most players with his touch, awareness and timing of the pass.

Whether he can play three games in a 10-day span in group play is questionable, potentially meaning he'll be on the bench at the start against either Sweden on Friday or Spain on June 23.

He played the full game against Poland, but has been troubled by a calf problem.

Andersson must also decide whether to recall Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski, who is back training with the squad after spending time in isolation because he contracted the coronavirus before the tournament started.

Croatia looks to fire up attack, stifle Schick

Croatia's chances of advancing in the European Championship hinge on two things — firing up a struggling front line and containing Czech Republic forward Patrik Schick.

Under pressure to deliver at Euro 2020 after reaching the World Cup final three years ago, Croatia was stifled against England in the first group match and lost 1-0.

Croatia assistant coach Vedran Ćorluka called on the team to be "more dangerous" and "attackminded" in the Group D game against Czech Republic at Hampden Park on Friday.

But Ćorluka knows Croatia's next opponents very well and how tricky they can be.

He played in central defense when Croatia threw away a two-goal lead against the Czechs in a group match at Euro 2016 that finished 2-2.

And he thinks they are even better this time around.

Much of the Czech Republic's threat comes from Schick, who scored twice in a 2-0 win over Scotland on Monday, including a recording-breaking goal from near the halfway line when the striker spotted the goalkeeper far off his line.

But Croatia isn't planning to change its defensive tactics to deal with Schick.

Other Czech players that Croatia will have to shut down are midfielders Jakub Jankto, who Ćorluka described as "fast and dynamic," Vladimír Darida, Tomáš Souček and Alex Král.

For Croatia, playmaker Luka Modrić will need to step up his game after failing to shine against England at Wembley Stadium.

He was forced into deeper positions by England's defense, a situation he will have to overcome against the Czechs.

But Czech Republic players don't think the 35-year-old Modrić, who won the 2018 Ballon d'Or, has lost his finesse, or his ability to dictate play in midfield with his passing and vision.