Preview

Jun

2024

Preview: Scotland vs. Switzerland

Scotland’s wait for a first win at a major tournament since Euro 1996 was extended a little further after they were soundly beaten by Germany in Euro 2024’s opening fixture last Friday.

By Nathan Evans

Steve Clarke’s side struggled from the off in Munich, conceding twice in the opening 20 minutes of the game before defender Ryan Porteous was dismissed for a reckless challenge on İlkay Gündoğan which resulted in a penalty.

Kai Havertz dispatched the resulting spot kick before Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can rounded off the hosts’ scoring either side of an Antonio Rüdiger own goal, which proved the only bright spot for the Scottish, who failed to muster a shot on target of their own at the Allianz Arena.

As such, following that reality check, this second match against Switzerland now assumes even more importance as defeat here, coupled with their current goal difference, could potentially end any chance of progression to the knockout rounds of the competition.

But there are a few significant omens that could come into play for Andy Robertson and his teammates, not least the fact that their last major tournament victory came against the Swiss with a 1-0 success at Villa Park in 1996. They can additionally hold onto the hope that they’ve also not lost back-to-back competitive fixtures since September 2021.

Despite that however, the Swiss start as favourites with the bookmakers to back up their 3-1 victory over Hungary with another victory here.

Not only was that just the fourth win that Switzerland have ever taken at the European Championships, from 19 attempts, but it further extended their fantastic recent form which has now seen them lose just one of their last 15 international outings since a 6-1 loss to Portugal back in December 2022.

Much of that form has been built on Swiss coach Murat Yakin’s use of experienced players, especially as three of his regulars in Ricardo Rodriguez, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka all have over 110 caps to their name, though their opening match potentially provided the story of the Euros so far, in a different manner.

That’s because Yakin gave 27-year-old forward Kwadko Duah just his second international start, a move that paid off after twelve minutes as he struck the opener versus Hungary. As such, he’ll remain as their player to watch as they look to effectively seal qualification to the knockout rounds by claiming another win against Scotland.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Germany vs. Hungary

It’s fair to say that Germany’s Euro 2024 opener against Scotland couldn’t have gone much better as they cruised to a 5-1 victory in Munich.

By Nathan Evans

Not only did that scoreline do a lot to promote the hosts into the discussion around potential tournament winner after just one performance alongside France and England in particular, but the win also acted as both the biggest by a host nation in their opening match at a European Championship, as well as their own biggest victory ever at the EUROs.

Much had been spoken beforehand about how this Germany squad was weaker than usual on paper, but it seems that manager Julian Nagelsmann has masterminded the perfect balance of youth and experience which showed on matchday one.

Youngsters Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala stole the show in attack, both getting on the scoresheet and proving dangerous for the Scottish backline throughout, whilst Kai Havertz, Niclas Füllkrug and Emre Can also struck as ten-man Scotland proved no match for Die Mannschaft.

Next up is Hungary, who themselves already have their collective backs against the wall after they suffered a 3-1 defeat to Switzerland on Saturday. Not only was the result not what Dominik Szoboszlai and co. were hoping for, but their overall performance left a lot to be desired in Cologne.

That was particularly evident in the first half as they headed into the break two goals down due to some lacklustre defending which failed to stop the Swiss from easily cutting through their backline. Despite a second half goal from Barnabas Varga which renewed confidence as Hungary played much better, Switzerland’s Breel Embolo sealed the match on the break with a clever lobbed finish in injury time.

That leaves Marco Rossi’s side in the unenviably position of likely needing to get something from this second match against Germany in order to qualify for the knockout rounds. He’ll need to act quickly on the training ground to try and raise his side’s morale in particular, as despite losing just one of their 16 internationals heading into the tournament, they fell well short when it finally mattered in their Euro 2024 opener.

If there’s a silver lining to be found ahead of this clash with Germany though, it’s that of late, the Hungarians have proved tough to beat for the host nation. That’s been particularly evident on German soil too as Hungary have lost just one of the last six such meetings which still leaves them relatively well-placed to cause a much needed upset in this latest clash.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Croatia vs. Albania

Croatia arrived at Euro 2024 with many admirers but were left frustrated as they opened up their Group B account with a 3-0 defeat to Spain in which they struggled in front of goal.

By Nathan Evans

Despite becoming the first side in 136 competitive matches (since the final of Euro 2008!) to hold more possession than Spain in a game, Zlatko Dalić’s side were frustratingly lacklustre in attack as they were carved open by their opposition with ruthless efficiency at the other end of the pitch.

The scoreline will have come as a shock for Croatian fans, who prior to this summer’s tournament had seen their side win six internationals in succession, a run that was bookended by an impressive 2-1 win over Portugal in their final warm-up outing.

Those six matches had also seen Luka Modrić’s side concede just three goals in total, so a massive reset in terms of personnel or tactical changes ahead of this must win match versus Albania should not be expected.

Instead, only small tweaks are likely to be seen, as in truth, Croatia should still get the better of their opposition in this outing, even despite their woeful performance on matchday one.

With no prior head-to-head results as this is the first competitive match between the two sides, a look at the Croats recent results against similar ranked nations could instead provide plenty of positivity for Dalić’s side.

Not since a 1-0 defeat to Iceland all the way back in June 2017 have Croatia been defeated by a side lower in the current FIFA rankings than Albania, who occupy 66^th spot at present. Since then, Croatia have spent much of their time well within the top ten ranked sides in international football and have enjoyed massive success at major tournaments even in spite of their small population.

That’s a good omen then ahead of this match, as too is the fact that not since Euro 1996 have they lost back-to-back matches at the same major tournament.

Albania did show fight, spirit and plenty of quality in their opener against Italy though which will come as concern for their much favoured opposition. In that match, Nedim Bajrami struck the fastest goal in European Championship history after just 23 seconds but ultimately, Italy’s overall quality proved too much for the Balkan state.

A response is now needed as another defeat here would likely signal the end of their Euro 2024 journey, and finding the same form that saw them score exactly three goals in both of their final two warm-up friendlies could go a long way to remedying their situation.

That being said, Albania haven’t beaten a nation inside of FIFA’s current top ten since a 1-0 friendly victory over France in June 2015, and although they’ll still be confident of causing an upset here, this match against Croatia could prove a bridge too far for Sylvinho and his team.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Portugal vs. Czechia

Considering that they were the only team to qualify for this tournament with a 100% record and the wealth of talent at their disposal, that Portugal haven’t been talked up more as being potential winners of Euro 2024 is a surprise. Rúben Dias. Diogo Dalot. João Cancelo. João Palhinha. Matheus Nunes. Rúben Neves. Gonçalo Ramos. João Felíx. Rafael Leão. Diogo Jota. Pedro Neto. This team can play.

By Ian King

Their 2023 was perfect. Eight games, eight wins. They weren’t always pretty, but they put nine past Luxembourg and five past Bosnia and Herzegovina. But this year has brought a couple of defeats, against Croatia and Slovenia. Roberto Martínez is a highly experienced head coach, but he didn’t always make the right decisions with Belgium. Will he make the right ones this time around?

Three players in the squad form a level of experience that no other in the tournament can match. Rui Patricio is unlikely to start against Czechia. He’s 36 years of age. Pepe is still terrifying opposing forwards at 41 years old. And then, of course, there’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now 39 years old and playing at the arguably more sedate pace of the Saudi Pro League, Ronaldo scored twice in their last friendly, though these were also the first goals he’d managed for his country since scoring against Liechtenstein last November. He is the captain, and it’s just about certain that he’ll start, but whether he finishes every match may turn out to be a somewhat different question.

The Czechs suffered a late injury blow when midfielder Michal Sadílek was forced to pull out of Euro 2024 after injuring his leg by falling off a bike just over a week before the start of the tournament. It was a blot on the landscape for a team that has had a decent time of things lately, qualifying for these finals in a slightly surprising second place in the group on goal difference behind Albania, but winning all four of their friendly matches this year, albeit without playing exceptional opposition.

They certainly have enough about them to make this an uncomfortable evening for Portugal, who won this competition eight years ago but who had an unhappy time of things last time around, only winning one of their group games to qualify as a best third-placed team and then losing in the second round to… Roberto Martínez and Belgium. What goes around, comes around.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Türkiye vs. Georgia

You only have to look at their actual qualification record to see the extent of the hill that Georgia have to climb in order to make a go of their major tournament debut. They won just two of their eight qualification group matches, and both of those wins came against Cyprus, who lost all eight of theirs. They weren’t just pushed out of the top two in the group by Spain and Scotland; they finished fourth, behind Norway as well.

By Ian King

Qualification came about through the Nations League, in which they won a group also featuring Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Gibraltar while dropping just two points. This put them into the play-offs for the finals of this tournament, where they beat Luxembourg 2-0 in the semi-final before beating Greece on penalty kicks following a goalless draw in Tbilisi.

Türkiye remain the Jekyll and Hyde of European international football. The last time they qualified for a World Cup Finals – now more than twenty years ago, for those among us who want to feel old – they got to the semi-finals. They did the same at the Euros in 2008. But since then all they’ve managed to do is qualify twice for this tournament, failing on both occasions to get through the group stages. Last time round they lost all three matches, to Italy, Wales and Switzerland.

They’ve had bad luck with injuries. Bournemouth’s Enes Ünal is out injured for the tournament, as are the former-Leicester defender Çağlar Söyüncü and the former-Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak. Türkiye arrived in Germany without a win in their last five games, including a 6-1 defeat to Austria and other defeats to Poland and Hungary, though it should also be added that their last result but one was a creditable goalless draw away to Italy. But in qualifying they finished a point ahead of Croatia and five clear of third-placed Wales.

By contrast, the only teams that Georgia beat in the whole of 2023 were Mongolia, Cyprus (twice) and Thailand. The only friendly match they’ve played this year was away to Montenegro, last week. They won this, but just one preparation match may leave them looking a little undercooked. But then Türkiye can be highly unpredictable. With four points all but guaranteeing progress to the next stage of the competition as a third-placed qualifier, both teams may well feel that they need to get off to a winning start.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Austria vs. France

Didier Deschamps only needs the Euros to complete his set of international trophies with France both as a player and manager. And Les Bleus are arguably the outright favourites at this tournament, but potential dark horses Austria could spoil their party at the very start.

By Neel Shelat

Rangnick-ball’s First Major International Test

There was a lot of intrigue when Ralf Rangnick took the Austria job following their failure to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Fans and experts alike were quite curious to see how his distinct tactical approach would work in international football, and so far, it has gone supremely well.

In hindsight, it is easy to see why. The most standout elements of Rangnick’s style of play are on the defensive side of things, which are much easier to pick up in a shorter amount of time from the players’ perspective. Better yet, Austria’s squad already included the right kinds of profiles to execute his direct and pressing-intensive approach, so everything naturally fell in to place nicely. No surprise, then, that this is Rangnick’s best coaching job of his career so far, in terms of win percentage.

However, Austria are yet to play a major international tournament under Rangnick, so this will be the first time his side are tested at the biggest of stages. Second place in the group should be their realistic target, but they have a great chance to make a statement against the tournament favourites in their opener.

Deschamps Won’t Fix It If It Ain’t Broke

Didier Deschamps is the only active coach who has won the World Cup both as a player and manager. No one in the history of the game has achieved such a feat both on the global as well as continental stage, so the 55-year-old Frenchman is one tournament away from creating a record all for himself.

This could well be the year it happens as Les Bleus are widely regarded as the tournament favourites. It is tough to make an argument against that too, as they will continue to use a formula that has served them well since 2016.

Their 4-2-3-1 system will see Kylian Mbappé work his magic on the left wing off a striker, while Antoine Griezmann is given creative license in the middle. Aurélien Tchouaméni will dictate the tempo of play ahead of a solid defensive base, while someone like Adrien Rabiot will do the dirty work in midfield.

France have a proven solid system capped off with genuine superstar power, so they can easily blow away any opponent on their day.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Belgium vs. Slovakia

Few people have even mentioned Belgium when discussing the top contenders at the Euros, but they are third in the FIFA Rankings going into the tournament and seem to have all the tools to challenge for the title. A solid Slovakia side should give them a decent test to start things off.

By Neel Shelat

Can Tedesco Guide the Red Devils to Glory?

For the last decade, there has always been talk of Belgium’s golden generation in the build up to every tournament. Having failed to qualify for any major tournament between 2002 and 2012, the Red Devils did very well to reach at least the last eight at back-to-back World Cups and Euros but ultimately could not do better than their third place finish at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Some thought the 2022 World Cup was their last chance, but the players felt they were too old. Indeed, that proved to be the case as Belgium were sent packing at the end of the group stage. That might yet prove to be a blessing in disguise in the long run, though, as Roberto Martínez’s subsequent resignation paved the way for Domenico Tedesco to take over.

The 38-year-old German head coach is yet to taste defeat with the Red Devils as he led them to an invincible Euro qualifying campaign and watched them hold their own in friendlies against teams such as Germany and England.

The likes of Eden Hazard and Vincent Kompany have all long retired now, leaving just some remnants of their generation such as Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in the squad. Tedesco has selected a good balance between exciting young talent and seasoned campaigners from around Europe to fill up the rest of the spots, so Belgium look as good as anyone, on paper at least.

Can Slovakia Adapt Without Possession?

Germany 2024 will be Slovakia’s third-consecutive Euros after initially failing to qualify for five editions of the tournament post-independence. They finished third in their group on both previous occasions, so that must be the minimum target this time.

They will likely be a little more ambitious, though, as Francesco Calzona has come in and implemented a more possession-dominant style of play in a 4-3-3 formation over the last two years. That served them well in a relatively easy qualifying group in which they only finished behind Portugal, but they will have to shower greater adaptability at the Euros.

Slovakia appear to have enough quality in the defensive department – led by PSG’s Milan Škriniar – to make the necessary adjustment, but how well they can execute will determine their fate in Germany.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

Preview: Romania vs. Ukraine

Group E is one of the more open groups at Euro 2024, so both Romania and Ukraine will back their chances of getting into the knockouts. A win and a draw could easily be enough, so their first clash presents a great chance for either side to start off on the right foot.

By Neel Shelat

Defence is Key for Romania

Romania have not reached the knockout stages since Euro 2000 but they have a golden opportunity to change that this time around. They qualified for the tournament as Group I toppers with an unbeaten record and just 5 goals conceded in ten games. That was despite the fact that they kept no more than 40% possession in half of their games.

Romania’s best player will lead their defensive effort as Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Radu Drăgușin is expected to start at the heart of their back line. His defensive positioning, anticipation and strength in duels will be crucial when his side have to resist long spells of pressure.

As long as they continue to keep things tight at the back, Eduard Iordanescu’s side will only need one or two moments of magic to make the difference up front. They will hope to see the likes of Nicolae Stanciu, Dennis Man and George Pușcaș deliver the goods at crunchtime.

Can Ukraine’s Attacking Firepower Take Them Through?

Ukraine put together a memorable run to the Euro quarter-finals last time around with a well-balanced side. On paper, their quality has only improved in the intervening years as the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Artem Dovbyk and Viktor Tsygankov have taken their games up a notch, but they made a much tougher job of qualifying this time around.

They failed to get through their group and were only saved by the lifeline that is the UEFA Nations League path to the final qualifying play-offs. Even after getting there, they made very tough work of defeating Bosnia and Herzegovina and Iceland, scoring late winners after conceding the opener in both games.

Serhiy Rebrov has not changed the formula a great deal since taking over, but something about the balance of his side seems off. Unlike Romania, they do not have a solid defensive base that can offer a platform to build a great campaign. If they get it right, though, Ukraine should have more than enough attacking quality to at least aim to for second spot in the group.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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Jun

2024

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FotMob is in Germany bringing you the atmosphere on-the-ground at the EUROs. Follow all the action below.

By FotMob

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Jun

2024

Preview: Italy vs. Albania

On 11 June 2016, Albania made history by playing their first-ever match at a men’s major tournament finals, losing to Switzerland. On 19 June they made more history: A first goal, scored by Armando Sadiku, then an hour later a first win, secured by that one goal to nil over Romania. They’ve never been to a tournament again since, until now, but if more history awaits them they are going to have to pull off one of the greatest shocks of recent European Championship history.

By Karl Matchett

In their group, Spain are two-time Euro winners in the last decade and a half. Croatia, while not historically good at the Euros, made the 2018 World Cup final and the 2022 semis just 18 months ago. And their first opponents, Italy, are the current reigning champions.

It’s a monstrous task for Albania to be sure, yet some hope remains. Firstly, in experience: from that historic win over Romania, goalkeeper Etrit Berisha and full-back Elseid Hysaj both remain in the squad, now third-and vice-captain respectively. Others involved then also remain, while Sadiku himself was still part of the national team up until last year.

Perhaps more importantly, several are playing at a very high level around Europe: Hysaj at Lazio, Berat Djimsiti at Atalanta, Kristjan Asllani at Inter, Armando Broja at Fulham. And maybe most importantly, Rey Manaj at Sivasspor, a striker in great form this past campaign and rediscovering the international goalscoring touch too. He hadn’t netted for Albania for almost three years, but did so in a warmup before the Euros – he’ll be crucial to their hopes of an upset.

And what an upset it would be: even if Italy failed to reach the last World Cup, they won the last Euros.

Expectation is upon them, from Luciano Spalletti in the dugout to Gigi Donnarumma with the captain’s armband and almost every attacking name in the squad. Only three players have clubs outside of Italy, and plenty are at sides with standout years behind them: five from Inter’s title-winning squad, four from Juventus and Roma – and Gianluca Scamacca, who just won the Europa League with Atalanta.

He may hold the key to how far Italy go. Others have to be the supply line and provide both on and off-the-ball quality as the Azzurri seek to find their way again, but the consistency of Scamacca’s 19-goal campaign at club level needs to be replicated on the international stage.

So many questions remain of them after three years of underperformance – it’s time to hit back with answers.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

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