Euro 2024 Preview
Euro 2024 kicks off in just a matter of days, with hosts Germany taking on Scotland on Friday 14th June at 8pm. With the Allianz Arena hosting the first game, we will see a football tour of Germany taking place as the 6 groups of nations play for the eventual title currently held by Italy after their penalty shootout victory over England in the Covid-delayed 2020 tournament.
With 51 games taking place from the 14th June – 14th July we will see superstar names battling it out across 3 group games and 4 knockout rounds to become eventual champions. Many people have listed England or France as favourites, but Spain and Portugal are some people’s outside shout, and of course you can never write off Germany.
With the 6 groups of 4 competing in 3 rounds of fixtures taking place from the 14th June – 26th June before the knockout rounds begin on the 29th, the top 2 sides will qualify automatically, and 4/6 of the 3rd placed sides will also progress, giving some of the outside nations a huge chance to reach the knockout rounds and progress further than many may predict.
Hosted in Germany, we will see the hugely popular club stadiums in use, while fans from around Europe will travel in large numbers to support their side.
In this post we will preview each of the groups taking place, looking at key matchups, key players who will be relied upon heavily for their country and also make a prediction for how each group will likely finish following the 3 rounds of games.
Don’t forget to keep checking back with this blog, the YouTube channel and of course on social media where we will be putting out daily and weekly content covering the whole of the tournament. If you have anything to add, or notice anything we should be talking about then head over to Twitter/X (@NextGoalWinBlog) and we will feature any feedback/comments in future posts/videos.
Group A
In Group A there are some interesting matchups, with host Germany meeting Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland in what could become a very close contest in 2nd/3rd. Although their 2022 World Cup campaign was a disaster by their own high standards, Germany have managed to get a few decent results in 2024, notably beating France in a friendly back in March and the Netherlands also in this period of games. They still have huge question marks over their side, but with a home tournament, a clear plan under Nagelsmann and some hugely talented players, they should see their way through the group fairly comfortably. With the likes of Musiala and Wirtz being supplemented by the experience of Kroos, Muller and Neuer, they have enough at their disposal while also seeing the likely final outing for Germany of those more experienced names. I think most will expect a strong start from Germany seeing them comfortably into the knockout rounds.
Their opponents on the opening game, Scotland, are an unpredictable prospect for the group, having qualified in Euro 2020 but then missing out at the World Cup in 2022, they are not yet a guarantee at major tournaments, but in order to reach this stage they have produced a huge set of results including wins against Spain and Norway. Having secured qualification, their form however has dropped off significantly since then, with a heavy defeat away to the Netherlands and then at home against Northern Ireland, they will be hopeful their upcoming warm-up games will help get themselves back on track. They have also struggled with a few injury concerns, most notably Lewis Ferguson who has had an incredible season at Bologna helping them to secure Champions League football and winning the best midfielder award in the league. They will have the more notable additions in Robertson and McTominay available, while Che Adams is also coming off a strong season helping Southampton to return to the top flight. I think having the potential to qualify in 3rd will massively boost Scotland’s hopes, and I actually have predicted they will exceed expectations and may even reach the quarter-final stage depending on their last 16 draw.
The other sides bring in a bit of unknown for the tournament, with Switzerland containing a squad of very strong individuals, however they head into the tournament lacking a bit of firepower in attack. Looking at the names on their team sheet it’s hard to spot a clear reliable goal scorer who can make the most of chances, which will likely see Switzerland become frustrated and struggle to turn performances into wins. They qualified out of their group but flattered to deceive with only 4 wins in 10 and 11 goals scored. They only managed a 2nd placed finish behind an impressive Romania campaign, however on paper it should have been much easier, and thus exposing the key potential issues Switzerland may have.
Finally, Hungary qualified well, topping their group which included Serbia. In their qualifying campaign they went unbeaten across the 8 games, winning 5 and drawing 3. I think they may also struggle at points with attacking output in the bigger games, and may struggle to impose themselves on the other teams in this group. They have their most notable player Dominic Szoboszlai available and ready to go, but he will need a huge tournament to get his team out of the group stage, although a 3rd place finish wouldn’t be completely unthinkable.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Germany vs Scotland (14th June)
Game 1 – Hungary vs Switzerland (15th June)
Game 2 – Germany vs Hungary (19th June)
Game 2 – Scotland vs Switzerland (19th June)
Game 3 – Switzerland vs Germany (23rd June)
Game 3 – Scotland vs Hungary (23rd June)
Predictions:
- Germany
- Scotland
- Switzerland
- Hungary
Group B
In Group B you have the reigning champions in Italy, along with the Nations League winners and Runner-up in Spain and Croatia respectively. To make up the 4, Albania offer some threat with them topping their qualification group. It’s a tough group to call, however I think we may see some sides disappoint in this tournament coming from this group.
It’s fair to say Spain aren’t the side they were 10-15 years ago, missing a lot of talismanic players who can control the game, but what they have instead is a huge pool of young talents ready to emerge on the very top international stage. Although their qualification campaign had some ups and downs, they managed to top the difficult group and turned around their form to prevent any difficult ending to their qualification. I think looking at the squads, I would expect most to think Spain will top this group with more than enough quality to get past Albania, and although Croatia and Italy have recent history in their favour, their respective squads are nowhere near their best. For Spain, the likes of Williams, Yamal, Pedri, Rodri, Grimaldo and Raya will be able to produce enough to top the group, although in the latter stages things could get a bit tricky for this slightly inexperienced squad.
The reigning champions Italy are my predicted underperformers for this tournament unfortunately, as looking at a lot of their squad, they are missing the quality that’s helped them to success throughout their history. Even at Euro 2020 they had enough of their experienced heads still around to guide the younger players to help them to success, however after failing to qualify for the World Cup, they will struggle again in this tournament. I still have them as my predicted 2nd placed finishers in this group, however I think that will likely be the only success they get from the tournament as they struggled in their qualifying group and the squad is missing one or two pieces to make them more competitive.
Croatia always seem to turn up to international tournaments, with their 2018 World Cup final, the runner-up in the Nations League, and despite people often thinking their squad is aging and perhaps in need of a reset, they qualified without too much fuss in 2nd just behind Türkiye. With the final run for Luka Modric surely being in this tournament, they have other big players like Kovacic and Gvardiol who can offer reliability but perhaps not quite the cutting edge needed to qualify in the automatic places. I always find Croatia such a tough side to predict because they can turn up at times where other teams struggle, but I think a 3rd place qualification spot is pretty likely.
The team rounding out the group, Albania, have drawn the short straw. Despite qualifying top of their group containing the Czech Republic and Poland, this group stage will be tough. Despite having a couple of household names from European football in their side, it will be tough for them to progress from the group, however having a final game against a Spain team who may have already qualified could be a useful 3rd game to take from the group.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Spain vs Croatia (15th June)
Game 1 – Italy vs Albania (15th June)
Game 2 – Croatia vs Albania (19th June)
Game 2 – Spain vs Italy (20th June)
Game 3 – Albania vs Spain (24th June)
Game 3 – Croatia vs Italy (24th June)
Predictions:
- Spain
- Italy
- Croatia
- Albania
Group C
Group C contains many people’s favourites (although I’m not sure I can agree fully and get my hopes up), as England face previous Euro opponents in Denmark, along with Serbia and Slovenia who can create problems for any opposition.
Going in as favourites is perhaps surprising for England who have failed to win any international major silverware since 1966, but with a squad including the top scorer in Europe, the Champions League winner and the Premier League player and young player of the season in their attack, and a defence containing several title winners and some of the biggest names in European football. With plenty of goals in their midfield/forward line, they could dominate the group comfortably, however some performances in recent outings have felt slow and methodical which Southgate often opts for, keeping most of his major players on a leash unless absolutely required. This mentality could help England progress far, but it would also be great to see the likes of Kane, Foden, Bellingham, Saka and Palmer do their thing and lead England to a fairly comfortable group campaign. While their opponents could create slight issues, I think once England have been able to break them down they could score big in a couple of these games, but also they will need to be very cautious to avoid any upsets as despite the top 3 being able to progress, England don’t want to be relying on results of others or taking their qualification the the final game.
Denmark are a capable side who qualified well with Slovenia who they share a group with at the tournament. With Rasmus Hojlund stepping up now as their talismanic striker they perhaps have sorted the problem which has plagued their international efforts previously. In the last edition of the tournament in the semi-finals, Denmark will have felt hard done by to be beaten by England, and will be certainly out for revenge. With Eriksen, Hojbjerg and Hojlund they also have a strong defence containing the likes of Kjaer, Andersen, Christensen and in goal Kasper Schmeichel who will likely be making his final tournament appearance for Denmark.
The teams left likely battling for 3rd spot will be Serbia and Slovenia, who both qualified in 2nd in their groups but impressed during the campaign. Serbia have firepower in attack, with Mitrovic and Vlahovic at their disposal, with a few others such as Tadic, Jovic and Milinkovic-Savic capable of producing moments of brilliance. Purely on paper I would expect them to have enough in their forward line to secure at least 3rd and likely one of the extra qualification spots available as a result, however Slovenia cannot be overlooked. They qualified in one of the larger grouped, but actually earned as many points as Denmark through this campaign. They also have some impressive names such as Jan Oblak in goal and one of the players I’m most interested to see this tournament in Benjamin Sesko. There is likely to be a big transfer on the cards for the young forward, so this tournament could help him start a potential move off in form impressing any potential suitors. I think however purely on paper, Serbia would likely have a bit more to edge into 3rd, but this group could become very tough very quickly if a couple of results go in the way of Slovenia and Serbia.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Slovenia vs Denmark (16th June)
Game 1 – Serbia vs England (16th June)
Game 2 – Slovenia vs Serbia (20th June)
Game 2 – Denmark vs England (20th June)
Game 3 – Denmark vs Serbia (25th June)
Game 3 – England vs Slovenia (25th June)
Predictions:
- England
- Denmark
- Serbia
- Slovenia
Group D
If you’re not one of the people predicting England will win the tournament, then your likely favourite is in Group D, as France meet the Netherlands, Austria and Poland. With some of Europe’s biggest names featuring in this group, we could see some very exciting matchups taking place.
Although they haven’t won this tournament since 2000, France have had huge successes at back to back World Cups, and their squad contains an abundance of talent, which has made picking the side a tough job for Deschamps. With some huge names being selected for the Olympics instead of the Euros squad, we will still be treated to some of the very best in world football competing for this France side who look destined to go very far. Like most I have them as favourites for the group, with Mbappe leading the way, and a nice chance to send off some of the experienced players such as Kante and Giroud in style, while the younger players such as Zaire-Emery will get valuable experience going forward to keep France a dominant force in international football. They can’t take qualification for granted in the group they are in, however I would expect them to continue their qualification and World Cup dominance to progress comfortably out of the group in 1st spot.
In the remaining places it’s really anyone’s guess at this stage. All 3 of the Netherlands, Austria and Poland in theory could claim 2nd or a 3rd place qualifying spot, but it will be tricky. the Netherlands have struggled to build confidence in their side as despite qualifying comfortably in the group along with France, and having key players like Xavi Simmons who I am very excited to see, Van Dijk, Frenkie de Jong and De Ligt, they still seem to be out of many peoples thoughts for going far in the competition. Their forward line looks decent with the players available, but they will need someone in their front line to really step up and get the goals, as this will be the difference maker for them to progress out of the group.
Austria and Poland to me feel like they might have a tough tournament ahead, with qualifying being decent for Austria but Poland were forced to do things the harder way to reach the tournament. Austria under Ralf Rangnick are missing a key standout difference maker looking at the squad available, while Poland have this in Robert Lewandowski, but he has really struggled on the big stage for his country as the service isn’t always forthcoming and can make things difficult. I wouldn’t be surprised if either of these sides got the 3rd placed qualification spot but I can’t see them troubling anyone come the latter stages of the tournament.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Poland vs Netherlands (16th June)
Game 1 – Austria vs France (17th June)
Game 2 – Poland vs Austria (21st June)
Game 2 – Netherlands vs France (21st June)
Game 3 – France vs Poland (25th June)
Game 3 – Netherlands vs Austria (25th June)
Predictions:
- France
- Netherlands
- Austria
- Poland
Group E
Group E could realistically go in any direction, with Belgium being the strongest side on paper, however Romania impressed during qualification, Ukraine fought hard in their group which contained England and Italy, and Slovakia also managed to qualify comfortably.
I think just looking at the squads on paper, Belgium would have to be favourites to top the group, as the likes of Doku, De Bruyne, Lukaku and Openda can be difference makers in tough games, and I think their quality in individuals will be enough to get them to the top of Group E. I have doubts over their progress in the knockout rounds as despite having some top talents, I can’t imagine any of the other major sides being too fearful of this current Belgium side.
Ukraine could be interesting, as despite finishing 3rd in their qualifying group, they performed well in some of their qualifiers and had to go the long way via the playoffs. The attacking talent available to the Ukraine is where their biggest strength lies, with Mudryk desperately looking for a good tournament to rebuild his reputation in recent seasons. Artem Dovbyk however will lead their line after a fantastic campaign for Girona which saw him score 24 goals in 39 appearances winning the golden boot in La Liga. With this attacking threat I would expect goals in Ukraine’s games, which could allow them to progress.
Probably the biggest surprise package in qualification was Romania who topped their group which contained Switzerland and Israel, all while not losing a game. With their defence being a huge factor in their success, they will be hoping to grind out enough results to give them a chance of progressing, or keep themselves in contention for a 3rd place spot.
Finally, Slovakia are perhaps the more unlikely contenders in this group. Although qualifying well from their group, the gulf in quality from them to Portugal was clear, and with some lower ranked teams in the group, qualification was likely from the start. They do have a couple of notable players from across Europe’s major leagues, but I think it will be a tough tournament for Francesco Calzona’s side.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Romania vs Ukraine (17th June)
Game 1 – Belgium vs Slovakia (17th June)
Game 2 – Slovakia vs Ukraine (21st June)
Game 2 – Belgium vs Romania (22nd June)
Game 3 – Slovakia vs Romania (26th June)
Game 3 – Ukraine vs Belgium (26th June)
Predictions:
- Belgium
- Ukraine
- Romania
- Slovakia
Group F
Last but not least we have Group F, containing one of the qualifiers most impressive sides, and actually my favourites to win. Türkiye do possess some exciting young players coming through, but for me it’s Portugal who are the standout in this group and my favourites to go on to win the whole thing.
If you check my predictions post which should be out very soon, I go into a lot more detail why I believe Portugal will win the tournament, but I think their individual quality will make light work of the group they are in for the tournament, and I expect plenty of goals to follow. I think to give Cristiano Ronaldo his final European Championship send-off in style will be the biggest story of the tournament for Portugal, but it will be the likes of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes who come away with the plaudits.
After this, the remaining places are up for grabs, with Türkiye looking the most likely of the rest to take 2nd spot. With some really exciting young players in their side I am looking forward to seeing Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz feature heavily in the tournament and I think they could become difference makers and enjoy the games against the Czech Republic and Georgia to get them through.
Czech Republic offer an interesting but uncertain proposition to the tournament, with Patrik Schick being the standout after a remarkable campaign for Leverkusen. With teammates Adam Hlozek and Matej Kovar in the side, they will be looking to bring their club form into the tournament, however I think the game with Türkiye will be the real decider in this one for who progresses.
Finally we have the least likely to win the competition according to bookmakers at a big 500/1 outside shot, Georgia enter their first major tournament since they were a part of the Soviet Union, and while the experience will be fantastic for all the players and staff involved, I am struggling to imagine them having much success. With Khvicha Kvaratskhelia being the standout player by some distance in the squad, all eyes will be on him to produce the magic if Georgia have a chance of progressing out of their group, and with his future still to be decided in the club game, a strong showing from him in the Euros might add a few extra 000s on his fee.
Fixtures:
Game 1 – Türkiye vs Georgia (18th June)
Game 1 – Portugal vs Czech Republic (18th June)
Game 2 – Georgia vs Czech Republic (22nd June)
Game 2 – Türkiye vs Portugal (22nd June)
Game 3 – Georgia vs Portugal (26th June)
Game 3 – Czech Republic vs Türkiye (26th June)
Predictions:
- Portugal
- Türkiye
- Czech Republic
- Georgia
Let us know what you’re most looking forward to at the upcoming tournament, and let us know your thoughts on Twitter/X (@NextGoalWinBlog).
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