The Euro 2020 is a day away as it will kick off this Friday with an entertaining match. This tournament was supposed to take place last year, but since the global pandemic occurred it was pushed back until this year. Thankfully, it will be kicking off with an intriguing match and the tournament will have fans in the stands with a limited capacity in each stadium. Here is a brief look at the teams in each group.
Group A
This group consists of Italy, Turkey, Switzerland, and Wales. No doubt that the heavy favorite in this group is Italy. Nonetheless, Turkey are a dangerous team that has Burak Yilmaz is in hot form after a great season with Lille and winning the league with his team. Gareth Bale is the big hope that Wales has to help them advance to the next ground. Switzerland have an interesting group of players and we will see if they can do something great as a unit.
Italy have the most recognizable names, but can they manage to advance in a group that is not that difficult as the others? They have a new generation of players and are led my Roberto Mancini who has refreshed this Italy team with new players. Indeed, Italy is the team to beat in this group and we will see if they can handle the pressure of being the favorites of this group.
Group B
Belgium is clearly the favorite to top this group with a vast of talented players. Roberto Martinez is coaching a team that is projected to with it all since they have such a rich group of players. Led my striker Romelu Lukaku who had a fantastic year with Inter Milan is the main focus in a team of superstars.
The other three teams in this group are Denmark, Finland, and Russia. These three teams are not in the same level as Belgium, but they can definitely complicate things for them. The Russians are the favorites to come in second place of the group, however they must be careful of Denmark who has a team capable of defeating them.
Group C
Netherlands are the team that is the heavy favorite to win this group. Although, they will not have their team captain, Virgil van Dijk, due to a season long injury. Donny van de Beek is the latest team member who will miss the competition due to a recent injury. On the positive side, they will have other superstars available such as Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum, Frenkie de Jong, and Matthijs de Ligt.
Austria, North Macedonia, and Ukraine are the other three teams that complete this group. In paper none of these teams have the star power of Netherlands, but they can surprise them if they don’t focus. Austria have David Alaba, Marko Arnautovic, Marcel Sabitzer, and Yusuf Demir who will try to surprise everyone by topping this group.
Group D
England are the clear favorites in this group as they have the strongest roster on paper. They have quality players in each position. The team knows each other as they have played together for quite some time now. However, they still haven’t managed to win anything as a team. Will this be the year that England finally win something? Croatia, Czech Republic, and Scotland round up this group. It will not be an easy group for England as Croatia are their biggest threat in the group.
They are the 2018 FIFA World Cup runner ups and undoubtedly have the team to stun anyone. The other two teams are the ugly ducklings on the group, but as we know in sports anything can happen. Certainly, this group will be a tough one to win but England must win it to consolidate themselves as heavy favorites to win the competition.
Group E
Spain are the ones that are expected to win this group based on their rich history. It is important to realize though, that they have a generation of new players. We will have to see how they play for the first time with the national team in an international competition. Of course, there are still some familiar faces from the past, but we will see how they will cope with the pressure of being favorites.
Poland, Slovakia, and Sweden round up the group. Robert Lewandowski will command Poland and will look to do the same things he did with his club Bayern Munich this season. He will need to score plenty of goals to advance to the next round. Sweden no longer are a huge threat as Zlatan Ibrahimovic will not be playing in this tournament due to injury. By all means this group is a close one to predict but it certainly will be a group that will have big surprises.
Group F
Notably called the “group of death” this is the group with three heavy favorites to win it all. Those three are France, Portugal, and Germany. With this in mind, only two teams can advance directly to the next round. However, a third team can advance but will have to have higher points than the other third place teams in the other groups.
With this in mind, it is important to remember that there is a possibility that one of these three teams may not qualify to the next round. The other team in this group is Hungary who is in paper the weakest link. No doubt this group will have a lot to talk about as three historic teams will clash with one another to advance to the next round.
Incredible Tournament Ahead
All things considered, this tournament will have some great matches and big surprises. Portugal have a tough path to retain their title this year with a dangerous group that they were drawn in. Belgium, England, France, Germany Italy Netherlands, and Spain are the other juggernauts who will try to dethrone Portugal and become the new champions. Be prepared for jam packed action and lots of goals.
