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The much awaited UEFA European Championship 2016 kicks off tonight as hosts France take on Romania at the Stade de France. The tournament will see Europe’s elite nations compete in France with a treasury of some of the world’s best players who are all capable of wreaking havoc on any given day against any opposition.
The best part, however, about the current edition of the UEFA Euro is the unpredictability of most of the teams. While some depend on extraordinary individual talents who can single-handedly influence a game, others have got the privilege of a balanced squad.
Will it be Germany again? Or is there something more emphatic to be witnessed? We pick our favourites and the dark horses.
The Favourites
Germany
The current World Champions Germany are the obvious favourites to win the Euro. From Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels to Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Thomas Muller, Julian Draxler, Mario Gomez and Mario Gotze, there’s not one area where Joachim Low’s side lack. It’ll be surprising not to see the Germans running away with the silverware.
France
A star-studded squad boasting names as Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi, Kingsley Coman, Dimitri Payet, Laurent Koscielny and Hugo Lloris, France appear to be ready to challenge for the trophies. With the addition of home support to their frightening line-up, it won’t be easy for anyone to overcome them.
England
England haven’t won a major competition since 1966 and go into the tournament with another squad that promises a lot but is yet to deliver on the biggest stage. Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Daniel Sturridge, Jack Wilshere, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Ross Barkley-like players should ideally help their cause, but a weak defence certainly won’t. Can the Three Lions roar in France?
Spain
The Defending Champions will be looking to get their third European title in a row, especially with the kind of terrifying midfield and defence they possess in Andres Iniesta, Koke, Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets, David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos etc. Though, the one problem they have is a lack of an established striker and it’s still not clear if they’ll actually play a Striker or go with a false no.9, something that Vicente Del Bosque most famously did in the UEFA Euro 2012 final.
Belgium
A squad worth £318.9 – the most expensive in the tournament – should be enough, isn’t it? Belgium have got all that is required to be able to win big trophies, but whether they can actually utilise the potential they have remains to be seen. Anything other than a final at least would mean underachievement.
The Dark Horses
Croatia
Croatia actually have a very good squad, but have been impetuously overlooked so far. With the likes of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Rakitic in central midfield to help Mario Mandzukic up top, they don’t seem like they’ll struggle to score. Can the defence step up too?
Poland
Poland do have a hard group that includes Ukraine and Germany and they may struggle to get out of it, however, one might feel like they can spring a surprise or two. Robert Lewandowski at his premium best can do just about anything, provided he gets the decent bit of support from his team-mates.
Sweden
Sweden have a tough nut to crack in Belgium, Italy and Republic of Ireland, but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic leading the line, nothing’s impossible. And here, it won’t just be Zlatan but a number of other young players who can make the tournament their own.
Ukraine
Ukraine are in Group C alongside Germany, Poland and Northern Ireland. Though Ukraine don’t have a lot of star names barring Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko, their technical strength combined with a strong defence could make their opponents suffer.
Switzerland
Switzerland’s is another tough group that features Albania and France, but that’s no reason to think why they can’t go into the quarter-finals considering that they have Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Stephan Lichsteiner, Ricardo Rodriguez and Admir Mehmedi in the side who are all top players.
