England v Slovakia: Sky Sports Fantasy Six-a-Side pundit head-to-head challenge
Monday 20 June 2016 20:01, UK
Paul Merson and Phil Thompson go head-to-head in the third round of their Euro 2016 Sky Sports Fantasy Six-a-Side challenge as they look to land £1,000 for their charity of choice.
Fantasy Football Club's Merse has nominated Children with Cancer while Thommo, who won the Fantasy Six-a-Side Premier League pundit competition, is looking to raise money for Nugent Care.
Merse edged their opener, England versus Russia, by literally the narrowest of margins as he scored 252.5 points to Thommo's 252, before doubling his lead with another tight win in England's 2-1 win against Wales.
Up next is the crucial clash between England and Slovakia on Monday night, with Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Marek Hamsik the Elite Players.
Here's who the Soccer Saturday pundits are selecting...
Merse's team
Wayne Rooney (Elite Player) - I don't think Kane or Dier will play, so I'm choosing Rooney as my elite player. He will see a lot of the ball and take penalties.
Daniel Sturridge - He is the best England player. He could play in the first XI of any other team in the tournament.
Jack Wilshere - I think he will play ahead of Dier in this game. It's a squad game and I think this is a game to play him form the start.
Jamie Vardy - I could end up with no points or millions of points this week because I'm trying to second guess Roy Hodgson's team. I think Vardy will play ahead of Kane in this game.
Chris Smalling - We were worried about our back four before the tournament, but they have looked fairly solid so far - although admittedly they haven't been tested much yet.
Adam Lallana - I think he has played well in the two games so far. He gets on the ball and passes it, so should pick up points. He's one who I think may keep his place.
Thommo's team
Eric Dier (Elite Player) - He's a safe bet to rack up a good score. From that deep role he's nailed on to pick up many, many points with passes, tackles and interceptions, while he has the added appeal of being a free-kick specialist now!
Robert Mak - He's a prominent figure in the Slovakia midfield and dictates a lot of the play, while I think he also managed double figures in goals for his club last season.
Daniel Sturridge - His goalscoring record is as good as anybody and I think he'll get the chance to add to his winner, from which his confidence must be sky high.
Jamie Vardy - I think Roy will start with same attacking system as the one he went with for the second half against Wales, and if Vardy is on the pitch, you always expect him to score.
Nathanial Clyne - The one other change I think could happen is Walker being rested. He was man of the match for me against Wales and I've never seen a player run so much, so Roy might want to save his legs.
Danny Rose - The full-backs have so much opportunity to get forward in this team and Rose was also up-and-down the flank all day, creating chances with his passes and completing lots of passes. Once again, if he's rested I'll be transferring him out for Ryan Bertrand, although he hasn't done quite as much running as Walker so far.
