ENGLAND’S Euro 2024 fate could come down to yellow cards with a horror clash against Germany waiting in the wings.
The Three Lions top their group after two games following a 1-0 win over Serbia and a 1-1 draw with Denmark.
Gareth Southgate’s men have already sealed their spot in the next round ahead of tonight’s game with Slovenia.
But what position England finish in is yet to be decided.
If they seal top spot, a clash against a best third-place team awaits.
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Those sides at the moment include the likes of Austria and Hungary.
A third-place finish for England sets up a brutal tie against group winners like Spain or Portugal — with Belgium another option.
But a second-place finish is little better for Harry Kane and Co, as it would pair England with tournament hosts Germany.
England know they can avoid the issue by getting the job done against Slovenia tonight.
However, there is a scenario where the Three Lions would have to rely on their disciplinary record to pip Denmark to top spot.
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Should England draw 1-1 with Slovenia, and should the Danes beat Serbia 1-0, it would leave the two nations on equal points, goal difference, goals scored and a deadlocked head-to-head record.
That would mean the rarely-seen disciplinary record would need to be used to separate the sides.
And it spells good news for England right now, as they have only picked up one yellow card in the tournament.
Conor Gallagher was booked after coming off the bench against Denmark, who have five yellows of their own.
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Each booking accumulates one point per team, while a red card receives three points.
Therefore the Danes have the higher score of 5-1, meaning England must get at least four tonight to make it a contest.
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Should the two sides finish on equal disciplinary points, then their respective rankings in the overall European qualifiers will be used to determine who finishes top.
That would hand an easy win to England, who finished third with 21 points from eight games -- five points ahead of 15th place Denmark.
And the final resort, which doesn’t apply as it is only used when the host nation is involved, would see the drawing of lots.
The disciplinary record head-to-head was seen at the World Cup in 2018.
Senegal finished on equal standings in every criteria with Colombia.
But they crashed out at the group stage after picking up six yellows to Colombia’s two.
The South Americans advanced to the next round where they faced England, losing on penalties.
