Some of the jeopardy could also be eliminated by the truth that the 4 greatest third-placed groups will qualify for the quarter-finals, however Euro 2020’s Group F stays filled with intrigue as reigning champions Portugal, World Cup holders France and Germany all face off, whereas Hungary may have their say too. AFP Sport casts its eye over the 4 groups attempting to achieve the knockout stage.
Portugal
Portugal are reigning European champions and have reached no less than the semi-finals in 4 of the final 5 Euros. They got here second behind Ukraine in qualifying and, at 36, Cristiano Ronaldo just isn’t getting any youthful. However, Portugal additionally gained the Nations League in 2019 and Ronaldo has arguably by no means been surrounded by a lot expertise: from Ruben Dias on the again to Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and Joao Felix. If they click on, they may take some stopping.
Player to look at: Cristiano Ronaldo
Given the expertise in Portugal’s ranks, maybe it’s unimaginative to single out Ronaldo, however will probably be fascinating to observe his progress. At 36 that is most likely his penultimate main match. Portugal’s captain and most-capped participant has 103 worldwide targets, with 11 coming within the qualifying marketing campaign. He is now simply six shy of the all-time worldwide scoring document of 109 held by Iran’s Ali Daei.
France
“All the opposite nations envy us,” shouted the front of French sports daily L’Equipe this week underneath pictures of Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann. In France they are understandably confident about their prospects of following their 2018 World Cup triumph with Euro glory.
Coach Didier Deschamps has a squad full of world-class talent. Competition for places was already fierce up front even before the decision to recall Benzema. Most countries would be delighted to have just one of Mbappe, Benzema or Griezmann, and maybe over-confidence is the biggest danger for France.
Player to watch: Karim Benzema
At 33, the Real Madrid striker was recalled after an international exile of five and a half years. He had not been called up since a blackmail scandal over a sextape involving his former teammate Mathieu Valbuena broke in 2015. But Deschamps could no longer ignore Benzema’s form after a season in which he scored 30 goals for his club.
Germany
Germany are three-time European champions and have reached at least the semi-finals at each of the last three Euros. However, since their disastrous showing at the 2018 World Cup, when they went out in the group stage, Germany’s fortunes have not improved much. They topped their qualifying group ahead of the Netherlands, but in recent matches they were trounced 6-0 in Spain in the Nations League and suffered a 2-1 home defeat by North Macedonia in World Cup qualifying.
After 15 years in charge, coach Joachim Loew will step down after the tournament. He has recalled Thomas Mueller and Mats Hummels, who had previously been discarded after the last World Cup. Playing group games at home in Munich gives them an advantage, on paper at least.
Player to watch: Thomas Mueller
Germany will rely heavily on the quality of players like Joshua Kimmich and Toni Kroos but a successful Euro may also depend on Mueller. The 31-year-old has been too good for Bayern Munich to be ignored any longer by his country and is back after two and a half years in the international wilderness.
Hungary
The Magyars reached a second straight European Championship via the Nations League play-offs — they finished fourth in their qualifying group but won play-off ties against Bulgaria and Iceland to qualify.
Coached by the Italian Marco Rossi, Hungary will get to play their first two matches at home in Budapest but their best player, RB Leipzig midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, is out injured. It would be an enormous surprise if they finished anywhere other than bottom of their group.
Player to watch: Peter Gulacsi
Given the calibre of Hungary’s opponents, Gulacsi could be a busy man. The 31-year-old, once on Liverpool’s books, has gone on to be a fixture in goal for RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga. His recent experience of the latter stages of the Champions League could come in handy.
Group F Fixtures (all times IST)
June 15, Tuesday – Hungary v Portugal (9.30pm, Budapest)
June 16, Wednesday – France v Germany (12.30am, Munich)
June 19, Saturday – Hungary v France (6.30pm, Budapest)
June 19, Saturday – Portugal v Germany (9.30pm, Munich)
June 24, Thursday – Germany v Hungary (12.30am, Munich)
June 24, Thursday – Portugal v France (12.30am, Budapest)
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