Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel will have no second thoughts about kicking England striker Daniel Sturridge, his Liverpool teammate, to help his country win their final Euro 2016 Group B game on Monday.
England top the standings with four points from two games, one ahead of Slovakia and Wales with Russia at the bottom on one.
“We can be friends before and after the game but on the pitch there is no friendship and I am sure Daniel would tell you the same thing,” Skrtel said.
“So if I have to kick him to help my team, I will.”
Sturridge scored a stoppage-time winner in England’s 2-1 victory over Wales after coming on as a half-time substitute.
More from Euro 2016:
• Richard Jolly: Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy should be rewarded for their England rescue
• Poll: Kane, Sturridge, Vardy or Rashford — who should start for England against Slovakia?
• Andy Mitten's Euro 2016 diary: St-Etienne is steeped in rich football history, just ask the English
“It’s not only about Sturridge, it’s about all their strikers so it doesn’t matter if it’s him, (Harry) Kane or (Jamie) Vardy in the starting lineup,” Skrtel said.
“We have to be ready for their entire team, who showed in the opening two games that they are one of the best in the world.
“We have to control them and be better than them. As for one-one-one duels with Sturridge, of course we know each other very well but it is difficult to predict specific situations.”
Skrtel played under England manager Roy Hodgson at Liverpool and he said his former coach had exceptional qualities which helped him get the national team job in 2012.
“The time Hodgson spent at Liverpool wasn’t very successful for the club but I rate him very highly because in my eyes he is a quality manager,” Skrtel said.
“He has done a great job with England in the Euro 2016 qualifiers and is doing very well here.”
Slovakia coach Jan Kozak acknowledged that his team had everything to play for at the highly atmospheric Geoffroy Guichard stadium in St Etienne.
“I think we need to get at least a draw to advance to the knockout stages so there really is a lot at stake,” he said.
“It’s been a long and difficult journey to reach the European Championship and of course we want to stay here.”
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All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE (+4 GMT) unless stated
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Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
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Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
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- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
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- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
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July 2021: Tax break on transactions between £125,000 to £250,000 starts on July 1 and runs until September 30.
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