We’ll be taking a look and group D and making some predictions and analysis of how this group is going to go. This is a tough group (it’s no group F, but still), but this group should have one clear winner coming out of it.
England (1st Place)
How many times have England heard “this year is going to be our year”, and these Euro’s are no different. I personally think it would be a disappointing competition if England didn’t make to the finals, and that starts with having good performance in the group stages. With the amount of skill on this team, the worst case scenario should be 7 points. It’s also the familiarity of this team that will be a big boost. Only 3 players on the squad don’t play in the premier league, so a lot of these guys have either played together or against each other at some point in their careers, and I think that’s a huge advantage.
Croatia (2nd Place)
Croatia have a ton of household names playing for them, even world class players like Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, but unlike the England squad, a lot of the players in this squad are spread out playing through various leagues throughout Europe. However, there is a lot of experience on this team, with guys who have won domestic and even champions league titles, but with experience comes aging legs, and a good chunk of the players this team leans on, are 30 or older. So I do expect them to move on, but how far can the veterans of this team carry them?
Scotland (3rd Place)
Don’t be surprised to see Scotland leading the group…after the first game. With the likes of Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, and Jon McGinn all hitting their prime, Scotland can do some damage in this group. I think the Ceiling for them in this group is 5 points, and depending how the first game between England and Croatia goes, that could be enough. If Scotland can win against the Czech’s, that’ll really put them in the driver’s seat to maybe sneak into that 2nd spot. I really like the look of this team, but I have them just missing out this year finishing in 3rd.
Czech Republic (4th Place)
Unfortunately for the Czechs, I don’t predict that this tournament will go well for them. For them to advance it would take a big win against Scotland, and they either Croatia or England to mess up big time. I see Czech Republic getting 3 points at most, and not getting through to the next round.
This is a group that barring a major shock result should be pretty straight forward. Even if Croatia or England slip up in their first game, they’ll have the quality and experience to bounce back and advance. Like I mentioned, Scotland could make a push for that 2nd spot, but in the end, I would be surprised to not see England and Croatia move on.
As Always, make sure to check out all the latest posts at Hot Sauce Sports and stop by our Youtube channel for all the podcast and interviews.