Weird division… Very weird. North Macedonia makes their first ever competitive playoff and look to shock the world. They start it off in a mediocre division that very few people will be talking about unless North Macedonia makes a splash.
1st Place – Netherlands (7 points)
No Brainer here. Netherlands should run right through this group especially with Memphis Depay coming off a 20 goal campaign with Lyon and Georginio Wijnaldrum who recently left Liverpool and signed with PSG. This team is young and fast, but the country hasn’t seen success in the tournament since 2004.
2nd place – Ukraine (5 points)
Opening game tie for Ukraine vs the Netherlands will push them through the next round. Skipper Andriy Shevchenko is no stranger to The Euro, having played and brought success to the Ukrainian Football Association. Andriy Yarmolenko from West Ham United proves an offensive threat to the rest of the group. 4-3-3 attack lineup will make for some fantastic football.
3rd Place – Austria (3 points)
This team is good. Well put together but lacking a certain je ne sais quoi? Trimmel and Alaba lead the charge on this well balanced roster. Can the Austrians do some damage in the tournament? Definitely. They’ll have to win one of the two matches vs Ukraine and Netherlands and not drop any vs North Macedonia.
4th place – North Macedonia (0 points)
OK OK OK… Nobody will be on the same page about North Macedonia but hear me out. First ever competitive tournament with no pressure. Representing Macedonia with nothing to lose reminds me of what Iceland did in the 2016 Euro. Look at North Macedonia to surprise us.