Preview

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)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

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)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

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)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

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

By FotMob

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)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

If Germany, England, Portugal and France are the major favourites, then of all the outsiders to win Euro 2024, Spain might just have the best case.

By Karl Matchett

But Spain will need a little fortune, some bold decisions…and probably Álvaro Morata to bring his shooting boots on a regular basis. No immediate conclusion on which of those are most likely.

Despite missing the likes of Gavi from the squad, the technical ability of this La Roja side is unquestionable; in Rodri and Pedri they have two-thirds of perhaps a most perfect possible midfield, they have pace and depth in wide forward areas and three players who have just won the Champions League.

Even so, Luis de la Fuente might be forgiven for feeling his defensive options are a little below that of other major rivals, with Aymeric Laporte now playing in Saudi Arabia and Robin Le Normand serviceable, but unlikely to be considered a great any time soon.

That may not be such an issue if Spain can get the balance right in the middle of the park though, dominate play for long stretches, and find the right combination of their many final-third options – perhaps with Dani Olmo key to that, capable of playing as a No. 10 to shift the formation away from the regularly used 4-3-3.

Their first test will be a key one: A hugely familiar Croatia lineup, one with cohesion and experience…but also ageing legs. Indeed, Croatia and Spain played out a classic at the last Euros.

Marcelo Brozović is another plying his trade in the less-than-elite Saudi league these days, Ivan Perišić 35 years old and back in his home nation with Hadjuk Split. Luka Modrić, for all his enduring genius, is 38: he can remain a match-winner, but not if he’s chasing possession for 80 minutes of the 90.

As such, we can expect to see a first glimpse of how Spain deal with an aggressive and tenacious midfield defensively, but also one with great transition speed and ability. Mateo Kovačić, when fully fit, remains one of Europe’s kings in this regard, breaking lines with his acceleration past a challenge or two and into space, turning defence to attack in an instant.

Who finishes up on the end of those moves remains the question mark for Croatia, with Andrej Kramarić averaging a goal every 3.3 games across his long international career and no other attacking option yet managing a dozen goals for Croatia.

Perhaps it’s finally Lovro Majer’s time to shine, or maybe it’s more of the same for Croatia: looking short of the real deal at the Euros, where they’ve never been past a quarter-final. 

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every game from Euro 2024 live with FotMob — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.