Euro 2020 (2021?) predictions.

TheGame

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People always say that but it’s often not the case at all. Chelsea had a really easy run through to the champions league final this year. They managed to avoid the likes of PSG and Bayern who could have caused the trouble. The best team doesn’t always win the cup so you want to give the team the best chance. For me yeh best chance fo England winning the tournament Is saving those big games for the latter stages rather than the round of 16.
I don't think Chelsea deliberately avoided those teams, it was just the luck of the draw (happens to most draws in Chelsea's case!). Group games which are seen as simple are often not in tournaments, you have to win the matches, qualify and build confidence along the way. Can't see England deliberately aiming for second but they could end losing a group match.
 

Wayne's World

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Hard to look past Portugal or France for me. The two best squads in the tournament with the right balance of youth and experience.

Think England's squad is horribly unbalanced to win it, Belgium going forward look strong but I'd worry for them at the back. Germany under a different manager I would put alongside France and Portugal but I think Low isn't the right man

Italy to be the surprise package for me, extremely hard to beat for anyone in this competition
 

saivet

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I just think if we finish top we get knocked out in the round of 16 against either France or Portugal, home advantage or not. Finishing second in our group is a no brainer for me.
It really doesn't make that big of a deal, either way they will be tough draws. Assuming Portugal/France qualify as top 2 and Germany qualify in third and the other big nations don't suffer any shock defeats.

If we finish 1st, the potential path to the final is:
Ro16: Portugal/France
QF: Spain
SF: Germany/Netherlands

If we finish 2nd, the potential path to the final is:
Ro16: Poland/Sweden
QF: Portugal/France
SF: Italy/Belgium

Spain could very easily finish second in their group and draw England in the Ro16 if we finish 2nd, which makes the draws near identical aside from the SF, where I'd argue Italy or Belgium would be more difficult games.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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It really doesn't make that big of a deal, either way they will be tough draws. Assuming Portugal/France qualify as top 2 and Germany qualify in third and the other big nations don't suffer any shock defeats.

If we finish 1st, the potential path to the final is:
Ro16: Portugal/France
QF: Spain
SF: Germany/Netherlands

If we finish 2nd, the potential path to the final is:
Ro16: Poland/Sweden
QF: Portugal/France
SF: Italy/Belgium

Spain could very easily finish second in their group and draw England in the Ro16 if we finish 2nd, which makes the draws near identical aside from the SF, where I'd argue Italy or Belgium would be more difficult games.
That only works if you consider Spain decent which I don’t really. I think Portugal and France will win it so avoid them as long as possible even if that is only quarter final stage.
 

TrustInJanuzaj

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I don't think Chelsea deliberately avoided those teams, it was just the luck of the draw (happens to most draws in Chelsea's case!). Group games which are seen as simple are often not in tournaments, you have to win the matches, qualify and build confidence along the way. Can't see England deliberately aiming for second but they could end losing a group match.
Sure but the only reason England got to the semi of the World Cup was because of an incredibly easy draw, because England are a good side. The first decent team we met knocked us out.
 

sincher

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Team of the tournament will be:

De Gea/Henderson

McTominay
Lindelof
Maguire
Shaw

Levitt
Pogba
Fernandes

James
Van de Beek
Rashford
 

Rozay

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Can’t see past the Portuguese, although their group is scary! No weakness in their squad.

Think the Belgians will disappoint and go out early.
 

Rasendori

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My prediction is a win for Italy. I believe they have the strongest, and most balanced midfield in the competition.

In the 2018 World Cup, the midfield set up of Brozovic + Rakitic + Modric allowed Croatia to compete against sides with stronger firepower. Two examples being wins against Argentina (which boasted the attacking prowess of Messi, and Aguero in the starting berth), and England with Harry Kane, and Sterling. Both sides lost the battle in midfield battle to Croatia.

I think we could see something similar in the ilk of Verrati + Barella + Locatelli/Jorginho. It has tenacity, press resistance, spatial awareness, and players that know how to slow the game down which could potentially add a semblance of serenity to the side.

Now the OP included a category for dark horses. My prediction in that regard is Denmark. In the Uefa Nations League defeat to Belgium, they matched them for possession, had more corners. In the draw against England, both sides missed 2 big chances, and Denmark had 11 shots in total compared to England's 6. In the return game, where they beat England, they had more possession, and equal amount of corners. In the return game (defeat) against Belgium the possession was 51% in Belgiums favour, and managed a respectable 5 corners. Strong tournaments from Højbjerg, Schmiechel, and Eriksen could make them be one of the surprise packages.

On a separate note, really looking forward to the battle between Saša Kalajdžić and de Ligt when Austria face the Netherlands.
 

bosnian_red

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Not sure what their teams actually play, but looking at the squads of the big 8 nations and their recent lineups, they're likely to put out something like:

Belgium:
Courtois
Alderweireld Denayer Vertonghen
Meunier Tielemans Witsel Castagne
De Bruyne Hazard
Lukaku​
England:
Pickford
Walker Maguire Stones Shaw
Rice Henderson
Sterling Mount Grealish
Kane​
France:
Lloris
Pavard Varane Kimpembe Hernandez
Pogba Kante Rabiot
Griezmann Benzema Mbappe​

Germany (no idea what they'll do):
Neuer
Kimmich Hummels Rudiger Can
Gundogan Kroos Goretzka
Sane Muller Gnabry​

Italy:
Donnarumma
Florenzi Bonucci Chiellini Emerson
Locatelli Jorginho Verratti
Chiesa Immobile Insigne​

Netherlands:
Krul
Dumfries De Ligt De Vrij Blind
De Jong Wijnaldum De Roon
Berghuis Memphis Malen​

Portugal:
Lopes
Cancelo Dias Fonte Guerreiro
Danilo Moutinho
Bernardo Bruno Jota
Ronaldo​

Spain:
Simon
Llorente Torres Laporte Alba
Thiago Busquets Koke
Olmo Morata Torres​

Best balance for me here is Portugal tbh. Germany and Spain are still in the bucket of loads of quality in midfield but no goalscorers. Defence also questionable. Belgiums defence is mediocre and now they're sweating over De Bruyne, but fhey could be dangerous as a counter attacking team with De Bruyne and Lukaku. Italy have a solid squad on paper but think the midfield lacks steel and something different going forward, can't have all Pirlo wannabes in there. Netherlands not good enough in attack IMO. England, France and Portugal easily the top 3 based on squad buildup, but England are sweating over 2 absolutely key players in Maguire and Henderson who have no adequate cover for them. France I think is too heavy loaded with the front 3 providing nothing defensively. But they have a base for Pogba at least so they will be up there anyway. Portugal have a weakness for whoever Dias' partner is, but other than that they have a great balance. Solidity, control in midfield, creativity with Bruno and Bernardo Silva, then of course the goalscoring with Ronaldo and a hard working wide forward in Jota too. Brilliant attacking fullbacks as well, could lead to them being too attacking but they have alternatives anyway. Between these, I'd rank them as:
  1. Portugal = France
  2. England
  3. Belgium = Italy
  4. Spain = Germany
  5. Netherlands
 

Peyroteo

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One of Portugal, France or Germany will get knocked out in the groupstages.

Hungary isn’t an easy game and they have home advantage. Finishing third doesn’t mean you automatically go through either, even 4 points could easily not be enough.

Agree with people saying Italy will do well. Only France have a midfield with the same quality
 

Cloud7

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I feel like I’m going against the grain, but outside of a 36 year old Ronaldo, and Bruno, I’m really not seeing it for Portugal. Bernardo Silva has been way below his best this season, and well to be fair I can’t very much comment on the guy at Atletico.

My point being, I would be very surprised if they make it out of the group ahead of France and Germany.

Is everyone basing this prediction on Bruno’s form with us and Ronaldo being Ronaldo?
 

diarm

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I feel like I’m going against the grain, but outside of a 36 year old Ronaldo, and Bruno, I’m really not seeing it for Portugal. Bernardo Silva has been way below his best this season, and well to be fair I can’t very much comment on the guy at Atletico.

My point being, I would be very surprised if they make it out of the group ahead of France and Germany.

Is everyone basing this prediction on Bruno’s form with us and Ronaldo being Ronaldo?
Those two along with Dias, Cancelo, Pereira, Gueirreiro and Felix.
 

wattsy7

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Croatia’s year to be the shock group stage exit.

BELGIUM v wales
ITALY v ukraine
FRANCE v austria
SCOTLAND v poland
SPAIN v finland
ENGLAND v germany
netherlands v PORTUGAL
turkey v DENMARK

BELGIUM v italy
FRANCE v scotland
spain v ENGLAND
PORTUGAL v denmark

belgium v FRANCE
ENGLAND v portugal

FRANCE v england

Top scorer:
Lukaku

Best player:
Pogba
 

sewey89

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France win. Benzema top scorer. England will win the group and lose to Portugal in the 2nd round.
 

Sayros

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If Kante ends up player of the tournament with France winning it, what a second half of a season it will have been for him. I can't see him getting a serious shot at the ballon d'or with Lewandowski or Messi and even possibly Mbappe in that situation, but he should be at least in the top 5-10
 

bosnian_red

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Actually so pumped for the Euros. International competitions are always the purest form of football, players playing for pride, and more than ever that'll be a breath of fresh air after the super league shit show earlier. Add on that a full competition with 30% fans, 50% fans or even 100% in certain locations after 1.5 years of no fans and life being dominated by the pandemic, it's going to be great. Watched all the goals from the last 2 European championships to get pumped up :lol:
 

BusbyMalone

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Not much of a fan of international football. I mean, I watch the World Cup and the Euros, of course, but generally speaking, I can take or leave it. But really looking forward to this one. Don't know why, as if there was ever a time not to be up for a football tournament it would be this one considering the amount of football we've just had in such a condensed period of time - but I can't wait.

I just hope the players aren't absolutely knackered which could result in a boring tournament.
 

barros

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
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Ibra is not going... I think France will win. Germany as an outsider. What am I missing with the Portugal, a lot predict them to win, but I don't see it.
Portugal has a good team but a very defensive coach who doesn't trust young players, Mendes, Palhinha and Goncalves are in the team but will not play.
The players that will play most of the time are in bold.

Portugal Euro 2021 squad

Goalkeepers: Anthony Lopes (Lyon), Rui Patrício (Wolves), Rui Silva (Granada)


Defenders: João Cancelo (Manchester City), Nélson Semedo (Wolves), José Fonte (LOSC Lille), Pepe (Porto), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP), Raphael Guerreiro (Dortmund)


Midfielders: Danilo Pereira (Paris), João Palhinha (Sporting CP), Rúben Neves (Wolves), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Moutinho (Wolves), Renato Sanches (LOSC Lille), Sérgio Oliveira (Porto), William Carvalho (Real Betis)


Forwards: Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP), André Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia), João Félix (Atlético Madrid), Rafa Silva (Benfica)

My team
Patricio
Fonte - Pepe-Dias
Cancelo-Bruno-Palhinha-Guerreiro
Silva-Ronaldo-Jota
 

barros

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
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Just hope this European championship is exciting and action packed.
It will never top the glamour and prestige of the WC yet I've always maintained that it's the more enjoyable International tournament out of the two.
The WC has more more prestige but to be serious only because a few countries in South America like Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. I always though a country like Mexico should be better and in the Africa continent Egypt and Nigeria, a WC the winner coming from other continent but Europe and SA would be an amazing feat.
 

SirReginald

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Actually so pumped for the Euros. International competitions are always the purest form of football, players playing for pride, and more than ever that'll be a breath of fresh air after the super league shit show earlier.
I actually feel like the tournament (and olympics) should have been outright cancelled. Couldn’t care less about England as we are like watching paint dry and Euros doesn’t nearly have as much quality or entertainment as a champions league.

For me, only time I’ll watch shite international football is in the WC. Small international teams in Europe are only there to pad the groups out and there is only ever 1 or 2 teams that play well. Remember Netherlands abysmal display in the final one year? Honestly.
 

Wolf1992

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I actually feel like the tournament (and olympics) should have been outright cancelled. Couldn’t care less about England as we are like watching paint dry and Euros doesn’t nearly have as much quality or entertainment as a champions league.

For me, only time I’ll watch shite international football is in the WC. Small international teams in Europe are only there to pad the groups out and there is only ever 1 or 2 teams that play well. Remember Netherlands abysmal display in the final one year? Honestly.
And there is Australia,Japan,South Korea,Nigeria,Saudi Arabia,South Africa,Jordania,Panama,etc in WC to pad the groups...

Euro with 16 teams had more quality than most WCs, especially WCs with 32 teams.
 

12OunceEpilogue

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I might as well go balls-out: I think the tournament won't be great quality-wise coming off a brutal programme of games for many big players, so I'm backing Denmark to sneak to victory.
 

Superunknown

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France seem like the obvious choice, but that Portuguese team/squad looks tasty. Wouldn't shock me if they did it.

Can't see Germany doing well. Not really feeling it for Spain either. For England, that first group game is just huge. Sets the tone for the rest of the tournament.

Starting to get a little excited for this, despite not really been feeling it up until now.
 

anant

Correctly predicted Italy to win Euro 2020
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I think people here are ignoring the kind of physical and mental toll the touring will take on the players. So, teams like Portugal (,Belgium to an extent) who have a fantastic (very good) starting XI but not the greatest bench might just suffer because of that.

Add to that, Portugal have an incredibly hard group as well to navigate through, and I'm assuming they'd like to finish top if they want to avoid England in Ro16. Because of these reasons I dont think they'll win.

I really fancy Italy's chances as I feel they have a pretty easy route till QFs where they face Belgium - who don't look that strong. And I do fancy their chances vs France who would have had some really tired legs in their system by this point
 

fen4e

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Don't remember Holland being this weak going into a tournament.

Really hope they prove me wrong as they have always been a joy to watch.