A few months ago, The Halftime Snack produced a Too Early Guide to the 2020 European Championship. We made erroneous claims, provided a few fun historical facts, and highlighted some players to watch. Now, we return just hours away from kickoff to amend some of our prognostications and give a more educated and timely guide on who to look out for and, more importantly, who to put money on. It may be a year longer in waiting, but our anticipation has never waivered.

Group A

Group A is sneaky good. They’re not the dreaded “Group of Death”, that’s clearly Group F, but there is a lot of talent in Group A. Out of all the groups, there is the least amount of disparity between the best team, Italy - ranked 7th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, and the worst team, Turkey - ranked 29th in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking.

Italy

Predicted Group A Finish: 1st

After missing out on the World Cup for the first time in 70 years back in 2018, Italy has been on a comeback tour. Three years ago they were ranked 21st in the World (the lowest they had been ranked since 1992), they cracked the Top 10 a few months ago, and have now made their way up to 7th best in the World. Italy has not only won their last eight games, they haven’t been scored on in their last eight games.

Players to Watch: It’s strange to admit, but Italy kind of lacks a superstar. They are a really balanced team with many great players including Ciro Immobile (31-years-old) and Giorgio Chiellini (36-years-olds), but the player you should really keep an eye on is 22-year-old goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma who will attempt to fill the retired Gigi Buffon’s massive gloves.

Switzerland

Predicted Group A Finish: 2nd

Switzerland has found their rhythm just in time for the Euros. They’ve won their last six games in impressive fashion. In those six games, they scored 19 times while only letting in 4. They’ve always had a sturdy defense, but this new prowess on offense makes this Swiss squad something to be feared. However, it should be noted that the best team they have played in this last stretch before the Euros was USA (20th in the World) in which the Swiss won 2-1.

Players to Watch: Xherdan Shaqiri has long been the biggest offensive threat for Switzerland. The Liverpool winger who has 23 goals in 91 caps was born in Yugoslavia to Kosovar Albanian parents and has had a tumultuous relationship with his national team. Shaqiri even announced at one time that he’d like to switch national team alliance to Kosovo once they were recognized in 2016 by FIFA, but he ultimately stayed with Switzerland. He has performed well lately and maybe because some of the pressure has lifted from his shoulders. Some of that pressure is being displaced to Mario Gavranovic. He has scored 4 times in the last 3 games and already has 14 goals in just 30 caps.

Turkey

Predicted Group A Finish: 4th

Turkey has been a consistently consistent team for a very long time. Since 1992 when FIFA began ranking national teams, Turkey has been ranked somewhere in the “good not great” 20th to 50th range for twenty of those twenty-eight years. They’re currently ranked the 29th best team in the World. They’ve continued to be consistently good (not great) so far in 2021 with 4-wins (one of which against a very talented Netherlands squad) and 2-draws (against a mediocre Guinea squad and a bad Latvia team). Turkey is going to cause some challenges in this group and steal a few points, but it likely won’t be enough.

Players to Watch: The stalwart Turkish defense is led by 24-year-old Leicester City center back Caglar Soyuncu. Soyuncu is one of the most aggressive players in all of Europe, but because he’s such a good tackler, he typically stays out of penalty trouble. Turkey doesn’t produce much in the offensive third, but if they do, it’ll likely come from A.C. Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. He’s a playmaker and great at setting teammates up, but he can also score from range.

Wales

Predicted Group A Finish: 3rd

The Dragons return to the Euros after finishing 3rd in their first ever European Championship appearance in 2016. However, it was more of a crash landing than a smooth glide back for Wales. They lost 2 of their first 3 games in qualifiers, and had to get good results in their last five games to make the cut… which of course they did. However, since qualifying they’ve been far less dependable. Wales suffered bad losses to very good teams like England (3-0), France (3-0) and Belgium (3-1); but they’ve also had big wins against Mexico (1-0) and the Czech Republic (1-0). This unpredictable Wales squad could make a splash like they did five-years-ago or they could crash and burn early.

Players to Watch: The myth, the man, the legend, Gareth Bale will try to add to his goal scoring record with Wales. Bale, likely the greatest Welsh player of all time, has 33 goals in 91 caps with the national team and has a propensity to show up big on big stages. In the 2016 Euros, he scored 3 of the team’s 7 goals and set up 2 others. Near the end of the Premier League season the Gareth Bale of lore reared his head once more while on loan for Tottenham, so I think it’s safe to say “He’s Back!”. A couple young players that might someday fill Bale’s shoes include, Daniel James the 23-year-old Man U midfielder and Harry Wilson the 24-year-old Cardiff City winger on loan from Liverpool.

Group B

No one team benefitted from landing in Group B. Every team who is not Belgium will have to play Belgium, and Belgium essentially has to play three away games. With Copenhagen and St. Petersburg acting as two of the many Euro 2020 host cities; Belgium will first play away vs. Russia in St. Petersburg, then away in Copenhagen vs. Denmark, and finally away-ish vs. Finland in St. Petersburg which is just a 4-hour drive from Helsinki. The clear favorite is suddenly looking a little murkier.

Belgium

Predicted Finish Group B: 1st

Although Belgium is essentially playing all of the group games on the road, they are undoubtedly the best team in the group. They’ve been the “Dark Horse” for the last decade, but they can no longer hide in the shadow of bigger teams, Belgium is one of the most talented squads in Europe and everyone knows it. After finishing 3rd in the 2018 World Cup, they’ve only lost 1 game… they’ve played 24. Predictably, the Red Devils are ranked #1 in the World, but surprisingly, have just the third best odds of winning the Cup at +750 via DraftKings. This might be a team to put some money down on.

Players to Watch: Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, and Romelu Lukaku are three of the most electric players in the game. Between the three of them, they have 113 goals in 280 appearances. There’s clearly a lot of offensive threats on this squad but it’s their defense in the last few years that has stepped up the most. Keep an eye on Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld, a beast on the back line, and the 6’7” Real Madrid goliath, Thibaut Courtois, in net.

Denmark

Predicted Finish Group B: 2nd

Denmark is the best team you’re not thinking about going into the Euros… unfortunately, Group B was a bad draw for this talented Danish team. In their last thirteen games, Denmark has won 9, drawn 2, and lost 2… their two losses both came at the hands of Belgium. In the eleven games not against Belgium, Denmark has a goal differential of +27 including a 4-0 win over Austria (23rd in the World), a 2-0 win over Sweden (18th in the World), and a 1-0 win over England (4th in the World). It’s safe to say this team will be tough to score on and have no problem putting a few in the back of their opponent’s net. Impress your friends and predict this squad to have a long run in the tournament.

Players to Watch: Christian Eriksen’s form may have dipped slightly since his transfer from Tottenham to Inter Milan, but he is still one of the biggest set piece threats in Europe from anywhere within 30 meters. To assist Eriksen in the midfield will be Borussia Dortmund standout Thomas Delaney. On any given day, Delaney will be one of the most physical players on the pitch.

Finland

Predicted Finish Group B: 3rd

In 2017, Finland was ranked the 110th best team in the world by FIFA, an all-time low for them. However, in the last four years they’ve crept their way up the rankings like a strong and steady glacier, thanks in large part to qualifying for the Euros (their first major international tournament since the 1980 Olympics) and now sit at 54th. Since qualifying, the Eagle-owls have continued to play with a purpose and have tallied wins over Bulgaria twice, Ireland twice, and a 2-0 win over defending World Champs France… in France. Although this team is coming into the Euros fresh-faced and wide-eyed, they might catch a team or two off guard and sneak into one of the 3rd place qualifying spots.

Players to Watch: There might not be another European player more in the zone right now than Teemu Pukki. Pukki, the Norwich City striker, scored 10 of Finland’s 16 goals in their ten qualifying games. Other than Pukki, there isn’t a lot of an offensive threat from Finland, so they’ll rely on the all-star Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeping of Lukas Hradecky.

Russia

Predicted Finish Group B: 4th

Similar to Demark, Group B was an unfortunate landing spot for Russia. In qualifying, Russia won 8 games and lost 2. Their two losses… you guessed it, both to Belgium. Russia is going to be an interesting team to watch. The up side, they’re playing two of their three group games in Saint Petersburg. The downside (along with being in Belgium’s group), Russia has been highly erratic. Recently, they found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-0 walloping by Serbia and have struggled against teams like Slovenia (63rd in the World) and Bulgaria (71st in the World). It’ll be interesting to see which team shows up for the Euros… the 2018 World Cup quarterfinalist squad that cruised through Euro qualification games that weren’t against Belgium, or the team that has only won two of it’s last eight games since clinching a spot? We’re leaning towards the latter.

Players to Watch: If Russia returns to their defensive prowess seen during qualifications, it’ll likely be because of the performance of Russia’s best player Mario Fernandes. The Brazilian, once banned from the Brazil national team, became a Russian citizen in 2017 and has since cleaned his act up and has excelled with CSKA Moscow and the Russian national team. The player to watch on the offensive half is 25-year-old Atalanta midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk. Miranchuk can control the middle of the pitch when he’s on form.

Group C

One of these teams is not like the others. Three teams in Group C are ranked in the top 25 in the FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings: Netherlands (16th), Austria (23rd), and Ukraine (24th). North Macedonia is ranked 62nd, and yet, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if they stole some points. Group C is definitely the weakest group and the three higher ranked teams have shown vulnerabilities. Meanwhile, North Macedonia has eagerly been playing the role of upsetter. It’s safe to expect a lot of close, low-scoring clashes in this group and some late game heroics.

Austria

Projected Finish in Group C: 4th

Austria is a dangerous team because you don’t know what to expect from them. They have two faces. When they play to their potential, they’re nearly impossible to score on. In their last seven wins, they’ve only given up 4 goals. However, when they’re not on form, they let more through than a toll road. In their last six losses or draws, they’ve given up 9 goals. There is talent on this team, and a weak group definitely benefits them, but Austria is not a team to bet your life savings on.

Players to Watch: David Alaba is an absolute stud. He primarily played as left or center-back for Bayern Munich but could also be found in the midfield on either wing or in the center…. and just a few weeks ago, he signed a contract to join Real Madrid likely as left back. The 28-year-old has already collected 81 caps for Austria and 14 goals (again, primarily as a defender). Other goals will likely come from the ex-Stoke/ex-West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic who’s now playing in the Chinese Super League, and from the 26-year-old RB Leipzig midfielder/forward Marcel Sabitzer.

Netherlands

Projected Finish in Group C: 1st

The Flying Dutchmen finished just 2-points behind Germany in qualifying and split the series. They lost a nail-bitter at home (3-2) but then beat Germany with an impressive 4-2 victory in Hamburg. And yet, the best outcome the Dutch have had in the last year did not take place on the pitch. Their best outcome was drawing a spot in Group C. Ukraine, because of their impressive qualifying performance, was the top tier (Pot 1) team in Group C. However, the Netherlands have as much or more talent and will be playing all of their group games in Amsterdam, they should be the clear favorites to finish 1st in the group.

Players to Watch: Memphis Depay, who had a disappointing and short stint in the premier league with Manchester United, has thrived for Lyon in Ligue 1 over the past few years and has been a consistent goal scorer for the Netherlands with 26 goals in 64 caps. The Netherlands is also home to arguably the best defender in the world right now, Virgil Van Dijk. Unfortunately, Van Dijk tore his ACL in October and will not be fit to play the Euros. Therefore, much of his load will be placed on 21-year-old Juventus defender Matthijs de Ligt.

North Macedonia

Predicted Group C Finish: 3rd

The Darlings of the 2020 Euros, North Macedonia qualified for its first ever major tournament after beating Kosovo in the playoff semi-final (2-1) and Georgia in the final (1-0) to become one of the last four teams to qualify. They are currently ranked 62nd in the FIFA World Ranking… the lowest ranked team in this tournament, and yet, North Macedonia has a wild-eyed, Christopher Lloyd like energy about them. In their last ten games, they’ve been exhilarating and a little chaotic with 5 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses… which includes a 2-1 victory over Germany! Also, in those ten games, they’ve scored 21 goals and given up 11. The high scoring Lynxes will be a fun team to watch in this vulnerable Group C.

Players to Watch: North Macedonia isn’t deep, but they do have talent. Enis Bardhi the “score from anywhere” midfielder from La Liga’s Levante and Stefan Ristovski the uber-aggressive defender from Sporting Portugal could find a spot in the starting eleven on just about any other European squad. However, the most exciting player at the moment for North Macedonia is 21-year-old Napoli midfielder Elif Elmas who scored the game winner against Germany and has 3 goals in the last 4 games.

Ukraine

Predicted Group C Finish: 2nd

The Yellow and Blue were spectacular in qualifying, finishing first in their group by drawing the fifth ranked team in the world Portugal in Lisbon and then beating them at home. Additionally, they’ve drawn France, beat Spain, and beat Switzerland in the last 9 months. However, they’ve also recently suffered some pretty ugly losses. In the last 9-months, Ukraine has lost to Spain, Germany (twice), Switzerland, Poland, and were the victims of a 7-1 thumping by France. Despite a chaotic and sometimes ugly 2020, Ukraine has been more consistent in 2021. In fact, they haven’t lost yet. It looks like they’ve re-found their rhythm just in time for tournament play.

Players to Watch: Oleksandr Zinchenko is one of the most exciting young players on this team. At 24, the Manchester City midfielder already has 39 appearances with the national team. But it’s the veterans who garner the most interest on this Ukraine squad. Goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov (age 36) has 97 caps for his nation and can be a brick wall or, as mentioned above, as porous as cheese cloth. Andriy Yarmolenko, the 31-year-old West Ham midfielder, should also be squarely in your sights. He’s scored 40 goals for Ukraine in 94 appearances.

Group D

Group D is definitely the second toughest group in the tournament. After Group F “The Group of Death”, Group D has a lot of interesting, tough matchups. First off, you have two 2018 World Cup semi-finalists with Croatia and England, the former being the World Cup runner-up. Next, you have a Czech Republic team that can beat anyone on any given day including handing England its only qualifiers loss. And then there’s Scotland, who may not be great on paper, but keep in mind, two of their three group games will be in Glasgow and their one away game is against rival England. What’s more, the winner of this group will have to play 2nd place in Group F in the round of 16 (which could be Germany, Portugal, or France)… so, it might be strategic to play for 2nd here.

Croatia

Predicted Group D Finish: 2nd

Coming off their best international tournament result with a 2nd place finish at the 2018 World Cup, Croatia should be on everybody’s radar. However, this team year-in and year-out seems to slip between the cracks. And the 2020 Euros are no different. Currently, Croatia (the 14th best team in the World) has just the 10th best odds (out of the 24 tournament teams) to win at +4000 according to DraftKings. Their form lately has been a bit off, but it’s clear they thrive in major tournaments. Do not make the mistake of underestimating this team like so many do… and maybe put a ten-spot down on them.

Players to Watch: Luka Modric just recently claimed the highest honor of most caps in Croatian national team history. Although the 35-year-old is getting a little long in the tooth, he’s still one of the greatest playmakers football has ever seen. It’s safe to continue to expect greatness from the Real Madrid midfielder. Another player to keep an eye on is Croatia’s 26-year-old goalie Dominik Livakovic. In the last 48 games with Dinamo Zagreb in all competitions, he recorded 23 clean sheets. And in that time, he only allowed 38 goals for an average of 0.8 goals conceded a game.

Czech Republic

Predicted Group D Finish: 4th

The Czech Republic is a tough team to get a good grasp of, metaphorically speaking… literally speaking, they have pretty average speed. They’re capable of competing with and even beating the best (see their win over England during qualifiers and their draw against Belgium back in March), but there are serious concerns about their goal making capabilities. The Czechs have been shutout completely in 4 of their last 10 games, and minus a 6-2 outlier win against Estonia, they’re averaging just 1.0 goal/game in that 9 game stretch. This is nothing too new because for years they’ve been most recognizable as a defensive powerhouse with Petr Cech in front of the net, but now that Cech has retired from international play (after 124 caps), Tomas Vaclik will protect the onion bag… and he’s definitively up for the job. But can they find some goal scoring? It seems unlikely.

Players to Watch: For all the reasons mentioned above, keep an eye on goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik he’ll need to be outstanding, and he might be. But since goalies rarely get to shine, also look out for Vladimir Darida. Darida has 25 more caps than anyone else on this young Czech team (72), and if the Czech Republic wish to go deep in this tournament, the Hertha BSC midfielder will need to show some veteran leadership. Finally, keep an eager eye on Patrik Schick the 25-year old RB Leipzig forward currently on loan to Bayer Leverkusen. If anyone is going to score for this Czech squad it’s likely going to be Schick.

England

Predicted Group D Finish: 1st

England has all the talent to go deep in the tournament and even win it, which is nothing new, but they have a nagging tendency to crumble like a pringle at the bottom of the tube in big games. However, this time around they’re riding a wave of confidence. After an impressive World Cup showing in 2018 and dominating qualifiers (+31 GD in only 8 games), this England team may actually believe they could win it… and why not. They’re currently ranked the 4th best team in the World by the FIFA/ Coca Cola World Rankings, which is tied for the highest they’ve ever been positioned since ranking began in 1992. And, even Vegas is betting on them. England has the second best odds (even better than Belgium - the #1 ranked team in the world) to win it all at +600 via DraftKings.

Players to Watch: Aside from the obvious Harry Kane (34 goals in 54 appearances), Raheem Sterling (14 goals in 61 appearances), and Marcus Rashford (12 goals in 41 appearances); keep an eye on 21-year old Jadon Sancho. The Borussia Dortmund forward has represented England at the U16, U17, and U19 levels and already has 19 appearances and 3 goals with the senior squad. Fingers crossed he gets some solid playing time.

Scotland

Predicted Group D Finish: 3rd

Although Scotland is one of the two oldest national football teams in the world, they’re a bit of a rarity in international tournaments. They’ve clinched a spot in the World Cup eight times and the Euros now for a third time, and that was by the skin of their teeth. Scotland finished third in their qualifying group but had enough points to claim a spot in the qualifying playoffs in which they won both of their games in shootouts to Israel and Serbia becoming one of the last four nations to make the tournament. However, despite just narrowly clutching a Euro’s berth, they’ve been playing like a team possessed lately. The Scots have 7 wins, 2 losses, and 3 draws in their last twelve games including two wins over fellow group-mates Czech Republic. Along with this ethereal-like confidence and a couple home games, this Scotland squad might surprise a few people.

Players to Watch: Liverpool’s left back Andrew Robertson is undeniably the best player on this team, and although only 27, he’s been captaining Scotland for almost three years now. Expect him to play more of an attacking defender role. His pace up and down the sideline and a knack for finding the back of the net makes him a threat anywhere on the pitch. John McGinn is another player to watch on this Scotland squad. The Aston Villa midfielder scored 7 goals during qualifying and has scored an additional 3 goals in their last 5 games.

Group E

There is a lot of individual talent in this group, but aside from Spain, it’s difficult to see any of these teams making a deep run. Spain is currently ranked the 6th best team in the World and they’re not far removed from winning major tournaments on a regular basis. As for the rest of this group, they don’t lack aptitude by any means, but other than a quarter-final finish by Poland in the 2016 Euros, they’ve failed to put together championship worthy squads. However, what makes this group interesting, is that there isn’t a clear loser. Sweden (18th in the World) and Poland (21st in the World) are practically equals while Slovakia (36th in the World) has never not advanced out of a group stage in a major tournament.

Poland

Predicted Group E Finish: 2nd

The Eagles have been a team soaring steadily higher since missing both the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. They finished 5th in the 2016 Euros and then qualified for the 2018 World Cup. Unfortunately, they’re 2018 World Cup was not what they were hoping for with a group stage knock out, but they still received some valuable tournament experience for their relatively young squad. That experience paid off in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. Poland won their six-team qualifying group with 8 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, it’s would be foolish to ignore their recent results. Poland has only won 3 of their last 10 games and have failed to get wins from Iceland (2-2), Russia (1-1), or Hungary (3-3); all teams ranked more than 15 spots worse than Poland according the the FIFA/Coca Cola World Rankings.

Players to Watch: Although the Ballon d’Or (FIFA World Player of the Year) was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, it is largely agreed that Robert Lewandowski would have won. He is not only the best player to watch on Poland, but probably the best player to watch in this entire tournament. Lewandowski has 66 goals for Poland in 119 appearances and over 500 goals for club (Bayern Munich) and country in his career. Although Lewandowski will certainly shine brightest, don’t overlook Arkadiusz “Arek” Milik the Napoli forward on loan to Marseille. Milik is only 27 but has played with the national team for 9-years already and has 15 goals in 59 caps.

Slovakia

Predicted Group E Finish: 4th

Slovakia had a very topsy-turvy qualification. Their performance was just good enough for a third place finish in their group, but they had enough points (along with fourth place Hungary) to advance to the qualifying playoffs. In the qualifying playoffs, they snuck past Ireland on penalties and then squeaked by a talented Northern Ireland team in extra time. Since qualifying, their performance hasn’t been stellar. They’ve only won 2 of their last 7 games failing to beat the likes of Malta (175th in the World), Cyprus (97th in the World), or Bulgaria (71st in the World). Slovakia doesn’t often find themselves in major tournaments, this will be their third since independence, but in their previous two (World Cup 2010 and the 2016 Euros) they’ve advanced out of the group stage. It should not be a surprise to anyone if the Falcons were to swoop in and steal a few points from their group-mates.

Players to Watch: Milan Skriniar is a defensive juggernaut for Inter Milan in Serie A and the Slovakia national team. At only 26-years-old, he is the leader of a stout backfield for Slovakia even though he’s alongside players 5-10 years his senior. Also, watch out for (he’s honestly hard to miss) Marek Hamsik the former Napoli mainstay. Along with great hair, the 33-year-old captain will also turn some heads with his prestigious footwork and a knack for finding the net.

Spain

Predicted Group E Finish: 1st

It seems like only yesterday when La Furia Roja were winning every major international tournament (2008 Euros, 2010 World Cup, and the 2012 Euros). Maybe they still feel so relevant because they’ve remained a threat. In fact, they might be the most individually talented team in Europe. Based on the EA Sports FIFA 21 player ratings, Spain has 12 of the 100 best players in the world, which is tied for the most with Germany, and has the most players (148) in the top 1000 players in the world. All of this talent and depth helped Spain go undefeated in their last 8 games including a 6-0 win over Germany back in November.

Players to Watch: Maybe the biggest surprise of any Euros roster is the absence of Sergio Ramos on Spain. Ramos is the most capped player (180) in the long history of the Spanish national team and one of the most talented defenders football has ever seen. But, as mentioned above, Spain is a brimming sangria bowl of talent and the 35-year-old didn’t quite make the cut. Mistake? Maybe. A couple superstars who will be on the pitch for Spain to keep an eye on include Alvaro Morata (that forward who lines up next to Cristiano on Juventus) and Liverpool’s Thiago.

Sweden

Predicted Group E Finish: 3rd

Sweden fought their way out of arguably the toughest qualifying group which included formidable teams like Romania, a tough rival in Norway, and European powerhouse Spain. And unfortunately for Sweden, they don’t get much of a respite from Spain (the only team to beat them in qualifiers). But it’s not qualifying that seems to be the issue for Sweden. They’re pros at that. They’ve qualified for every European Championship in the last 28 years except for one. Sweden’s issue is advancing out of the group stage once in the major tournament. Of the six European Championships they’ve been in, they’ve only made it out of their group twice and they haven’t done so since 2004. A quarter-finals finish in the 2018 World Cup might be the confidence the Swedes need to get over the Euros group stage hump.

Players to Watch: With no Zlatan on the pitch, you’ll have to find someone else to satiate your Swedish footballing needs. Luckily, there are a couple players definitely worth watching on this squad. Emil Forsberg is a structurally sound/all parts included (undoubtedly very difficult to assemble) playmaker. He’s smart and creative and can hurt you whether he’s playing down the center or along the wings. And if you’re interested in Sweden’s future Zlatan-esque player, look no further than Alexander Isak. The 21-year-old Isak is a 6’4” forward currently playing for La Liga’s Real Sociedad, and this kid is electric in the attacking third.

Group F

It’s simple, this is the group of death. There’s no honest argument against Group F not being the most talented collection of teams and the most grueling path to the knockout stage. It consists of 3 of the top 15 teams in the World (France 2nd, Portugal 5th, and Germany 12th) and the fourth team, Hungary (a respectable 37th in the World), will have home field advantage for two of their three games. The four countries in this group have a combined 21 semi-finals births, 11 finals appearances, and 6 Championships in the 15 total European Championship tournaments. Prepare for a blood bath, hope for… also a blood bath.

France

Predicted Group F Finish: 1st

The defending world champs will be fighting for their third European Championship and their first since 2000. If they do manage to win it all, they’ll be level with Spain and fellow group member Germany for the most European Championship titles… and they could do it. France has won 10 of their last 13 games (beating the likes of Sweden, Portugal, Croatia, and Ukraine) and have suffered only one loss in that time (a surprise loss to Finland last November). So, it’s no surprise to see them as the betting favorite to win this tournament (according to DraftKings). Per usual, the Blues have some of the top individual talent in the world. In fact, France has 6 of the 50 best players in the world according to the EA Sports FIFA 21 player ratings, which is more than any other European country.

Players to Watch: As alluded to above, there isn’t an area on the pitch that doesn’t contain a superstar when France’s A-squad is out there. But the brightest star is unarguably 22-year-old PSG phenom Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé made his debut with the senior national team at the ripe-old age of 18, and a year later became the youngest French player to score in a World Cup and only the second teenager (Pelé being the first) to score in a World Cup final. Mbappé will have assistance in the attacking third with fellow phenoms Antoine Greizmann of Atlético Madrid and Barcelona fame and Paul Pogba of currently (maybe not for much longer) Manchester United fame.

Germany

Predicted Group F Finish: 2nd

It doesn’t matter the year, squad, or location (although playing all group stage games in Munich doesn’t hurt); Germany is always a threat when it comes to major tournaments. Before their disappointing group stage exit in the 2018 World Cup, Germany had made it to the finals or semi-finals in six consecutive major tournaments (Euros and World Cups) from 2006-2016 including a World Cup championship in 2014. And like clockwork, the Germans performed predictably well during Euro qualifying, losing only one game to the Netherlands and winning the rest. On top of that, they scored 30 goals in their eight qualifying games (3.75/game). Everything leading up to the Euros was fairly routine for Germany… until they met Spain on November 17th. The Germans suffered their worst defeat since 1931 in a 6-0 beat down. And since then they barely snuck past Romania, lost to North Macedonia, and drew Denmark. Suddenly, the predictable powerhouse has a few flickering lights.

Players to Watch: No one has had a more impressive 2021 than İlkay Gündoğan with Premier League champs Manchester City. Gündoğan won back-to-back Premier League player of the month awards for January and February and ended the season with 13 goals as a midfielder. He has 11 goals in 46 appearances with Germany. Another talent to keep an eye on is Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sané. The former Man City star is one of the fastest players in football; however, after an ACL tear in 2019, he’s only made a handful of appearances for his country and new club.

Hungary

Predicted Group F Finish: 4th

On paper, Hungary is the clear outlier in this group, but they should not be overlooked. In fact, Hungary is one of the hottest teams in Europe at the moment. They’ve only lost 1 game in their last 13 and have beaten talented squads like Turkey (twice) and Iceland and stole points from Russia and Poland. Hungary will also have the benefit of playing at home in Budapest for 2 of their 3 group games, which will help even the playing field against better talent. This team could really mess up the status quo… and yet, we’re still too cowardly to have them advancing out of this group.

Players to Watch: It was a real blow when twenty-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai had to withdraw from the final squad due to injury. This kid has a ton of potential and would have been fun to watch. Fortunately, Hungary still have their veteran goal scorer Ádám Szalai in full health. The 33-year-old Szalai has been a fixture in the Bundesliga for the past 12 years and has 23 goals in 71 caps with the national team. On the other end of the pitch, Hungary should have former Hungarian Footballer of the Year (2019) and RB Leipzig standout Péter Gulácsi in net. However, since his open support of same-sex marriage, the Hungarian community and media have been at odds with him.

Portugal

Predicted Group F Finish: 3rd

If you’re looking for someone to blame for this Group of Death, it’s Portugal. Portugal with a loss to Ukraine and draws with Ukraine and Serbia finished Euro qualifiers as the 13th best team out of the 24 who qualify. The 24 teams were then split into 4 pots of 6 to try to balance out the groups… with the top ranked 1-6 in Pot 1, 7-12 in Pot 2, etc. Unfortunately, with Portugal ranked 13th (Pot 3) they guaranteed any group they were put in would be the Group of Death. Now, anyone who’s ever watched Portugal in the last two decades knows that they are not worse than half the teams in this tournament, but it’s clear they have vulnerabilities that Ukraine and Serbia capitalized on during qualifiers. Since qualifying, Portugal has played more like Portugal. They’ve only lost 1 of their last 13 games and have beaten some of Europe’s best including Croatia (twice), Sweden (twice), and tied arch-rival Spain (twice). If the team that helped them climb the FIFA rankings all the way to 5th shows up, they could win it all… but they’re also capable of being knocked out in the group stage.

Players to Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo now has over 100 goals for his national team becoming only the second player in history to reach that mark. Additionally, he holds the record as the player who has scored against the most national teams, 40. This could be his final major international tournament, gotta lap up everything we can. To set up the scoring opportunities and maybe provide a few goals of his own, look to Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes. Fernandes has been a lightning rod since joining Man U with 40-goals in 80 appearances with the Premier League squad.