Spain can send out a statement of intent
Spain will be relishing their chances of going all the way this summer. Euro 2016 was a rather unforgettable tournament for La Roja, as they were dumped out at the last-16 stage by Italy. Of course, Spain memorably won back-to-back European Championships back in 2008 and 2012, but they have fallen from their perch.
Luis Enrique left Sergio Ramos out of his squad which was a mystery, as the defender is Spain’s most capped player. Nevertheless, they host Sweden in their opening Group E clash. This will be a test, especially as they will come up against Jordan Larsson, a promise of the Swedish new generation. After that, they host Poland which is also no gimme, before they round things off against Slovakia.
Currently, Spain is 4/9 to top the group, and they shouldn’t have too many problems.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic out, Jordan Larsson in
While Ibrahimovic is out of the competition due to an injury, Jordan Larsson, who’s the son of Henrik Larsson, will be eager to leave his mark on Euro 2020. After a self-imposed four-year exile, it will be fascinating to see what he can produce. What Sweden perhaps lack in natural talent, they more than make up for it with their impressive work rate.
Despite facing Spain in their opening group game, Sweden has a couple of flair players that can cause some problems. Aside from Larsson, Emil Forsberg will be a threat, while Alexander Isak has been lighting up La Liga with Real Sociedad, netting 19 times last season in Spain’s top flight.
Sweden will have a say in proceedings, and they are at a short 19/20 to punch their ticket to the last 16.
Robert Lewandowski can rip things up for Poland
After another exceptional campaign with Bayern Munich where he shattered Gerd Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga single-season scoring record, Lewandowski has been simply unstoppable. Poland reached the quarter-finals of this tournament before they were knocked out on penalties by eventual champions Portugal.
Poland could be a dark horse, and they gave England a scare in a World Cup qualifier in March before Harry Maguire netted the winner for the hosts in a 2-1 victory. As mentioned before, Poland’s final group game against Sweden could be a great game, and potentially a winner-takes-all clash.
Like Sweden, Poland is also priced at 19/20 to reach the last 16.
Slovakia not here just to make up the numbers
If there was an obvious weak side in Group E, then that would inevitably be Slovakia. They have been regular visitors to the Euros. Five years ago, they got out of the group stages, but they ran into Germany in the last-16, and they slumped to a 3-0 defeat.
Their opening group game against Poland could be a chance to get some points on the board. But ultimately keeping Lewandowski quiet will be a tall order. There are a few recognisable faces in the squad, including former Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik, who can provide a creative spark. Fans will also be familiar with Newcastle shot-stopper Martin Dubravka, and Inter Milan centre-back Milan Skriniar, with the latter lifting the Serie A title with his side last term.
Slovakia could well end up being the whipping boys of this group. An early exit from Euro 2020 seems likely.
