Reporters' matchday two #EUROfantasy tips
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
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You've got one free transfer for your McDonald's Fantasy '16 team ahead of the second round of group games; read our reporters' tips to make sure you use it wisely.
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Your McDonald's Fantasy '16 side might have started UEFA EURO 2016 strongly – Gerard Piqué, Shkodran Mustafi and Emanuele Giaccherini proving particularly wise investments, bringing in 12 points each – but you probably want to make some adjustments.
You've got one free transfer – should you break the bank for Gareth Bale? Can Dimitri Payet do it again for France? Are there any bargains out there for the careful Fantasy manager? Our team of reporters have the answers.
Albania (Tony Pandovski, @UEFAcomTonyP)
Armir Abrashi (midfielder, €5.5m)
Albania's liveliest player. Covering more distance and space then anyone on the team, he is a great passer and good from set pieces too.
Austria (Daniel Thacker, @UEFAcomDanielT)
Marko Arnautović (midfielder, €7.0m)
After a disappointing display against Hungary, Arnautović will feel he has plenty to prove against Portugal on Saturday night and could be a shrewd signing.
Belgium (Berend Scholten, @UEFAcomBerendS)
Dries Mertens (midfielder, €7.5m)
The midfielder, often playing as winger, is a regular author of both goals and assists. He could well come into the starting line-up after the matchday one reverse.
Croatia (Elvir Islamović, @UEFAcomElvirI)
Ivan Strinić (defender, €4.0m)
Ante Čačić is not a gambler and will probably stick with the side that beat Turkey for the Czech Republic game. The bargain defender is offensively good – a valuable supply line from left-back.
Czech Republic (Ondřej Zlámal, @UEFAcomOndrejZ)
Czech Republic: Petr Čech (goalkeeper, €5.5m)
The Arsenal keeper performed soundly against Spain and will be crucial again versus Croatia; the Czech defence gives him every chance of keeping the clean sheet that so narrowly eluded them on matchday one.
England (Simon Hart, @UEFAcomSimonH)
Eric Dier (defender, €5.0m)
He'll be among the top new picks for Fantasy users and has become impossible to ignore. He's shown he can find the net from free-kicks and is a useful option as he's playing in midfield but listed as a defender.
France (David Crossan, @UEFAcomDavidC)
Dimitri Payet (midfielder, €8.0m)
I expect Payet to carry on where he left off when he faces Albania. Whether he features on the left of the attack or as a playmaker, the No8 will have opportunities to add to his superlative goal and assist against Romania.
Germany (Philip Röber, @UEFAcomPhilipR)
Toni Kroos (midfielder, €7.0m)
Bargain! He's in great shape and his free-kick that led to Mustafi's opener against Ukraine was probably not his last assist in France. With rival defences often compact around their own box, Kroos's long-range shooting is a valuable asset for Germany.
Hungary (Matt Watson-Broughton, @UEFAcomMattWB)
László Kleinheisler (midfielder, €?m)
The youngster prioritises shooting at goal and the Iceland team may now fear him after his man of the match showing against Austria.
Iceland (Johann Sigurdsson, @UEFAcomJohannS)
Hannes Halldórsson (goalkeeper, €5.0m)
Halldórsson oversaw a great defensive effort against Portugal, even if Iceland did concede. And though Hungary scored twice in the earlier game, a similar showing from the Icelanders in Marseille could well yield a clean sheet. Plus he's cheap!
Italy (Ben Gladwell, @UEFAcomBenG)
Leonardo Bonucci (defender, €5.5m)
Not only did he help Italy shut out Belgium, his vision and pass execution were outstanding, including a fine assist for Emanuele Giaccherini. He should earn more valuable points, both in defending and attacking, when Italy play Sweden.
Northern Ireland (Graham Little, @UEFAcomGrahamL)
Conor Washington (forward, €5.0m)
Sprung from the bench against Poland on 66 minutes, he added bite to a limp Northern Ireland front line and created their best chance of the match. Michael O'Neill is expected to change his team for Ukraine and Washington could start.
Poland (Piotr Koźmiński, @UEFAcomPiotrK)
Robert Lewandowski (forward, €11.5m)
The No9 drew a blank against Northern Ireland but is confident of exploiting his knowledge of Germany on Thursday. He told EURO2016.com his failure to score might even be a positive as it ensures he stays hungry for goals.
Portugal (Joe Walker, @UEFAcomJoeW)
Renato Sanches (midfielder, €4.5m)
The 18-year-old didn't start the draw with Iceland, yet was Fernando Santos's first change. His direct running, pace and power means he could well make an impact next time.
Republic of Ireland (Paul Bryan, @UEFAcomPaulB)
Robbie Brady (midfielder, €6.0m)
Figured at left-back against Sweden and is Ireland's main set-piece taker. On the scoresheet in the play-off triumph over Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brady's dead-ball accuracy could net points against Belgium.
Romania Paul Zaharia, @UEFAcomPaulDZ)
Claudiu Keșerü (forward, €6.5m)
Having missed out on matchday one despite playing almost 11 years in France, he's likely to get his opportunity against Switzerland. An ability to harass defenders, a powerful shot and set-piece prowess could make him a valuable recruit.
Russia (Richard van Poortvliet, @UEFAcomRichVP)
Artem Dzyuba (forward, €8.0m)
Though Dzyuba was kept quiet against England with Russia adopting a cautious approach, Leonid Slutskj has hinted they will be more expansive against Slovakia so expect him to have plenty of chances to open his account for the tournament.
Slovakia (Rastislav Hribik, @UEFAcomRastoH)
Miroslav Stoch (midfielder, €5.5m)
It's unusual to pick a player you think will start on the bench, yet his pace could be the undoing of the aged Russian defence. What's more, he has previous against Russia, having notched the only goal in Moscow in September 2010.
Spain (Graham Hunter, @BumperGraham)
Gerard Piqué (defender, €6.5m)/Álvaro Morata (forward, €8.5m)
Piqué struck against Turkey in 2009, his most prolific international year which brought four goals in seven games. However, for the conservative among you, the tip is Morata who could easily have had two goals but for Petr Čech, and will start up front.
Sweden (Sujay Dutt, @UEFAcomSujayD)
Andreas Isaksson (goalkeeper, €5.0m)
Sweden's undisputed No1 for more than a decade stopped his side from losing on matchday one. Count on him being busy again against Italy.
Switzerland (Matt Howarth, @UEFAcomMattH)
Yann Sommer (goalkeeper, €5.0m)
If you are searching for a new keeper, look no further than the Swiss shot-stopper. Romania will have to produce something special to beat the 27-year-old, who kept a clean sheet against Albania in the Nati's Group A curtain-raiser.
Turkey (Çetin Cem Yılmaz, @UEFAcomCetinCY)
Hakan Çalhanoğlu (midfielder, €7.5m)
Yes, it's a gamble to pick a player from Spain's rivals. And yes, the playmaker failed to shine against Croatia. However, Çalhanoğlu has two goals and an assist in five Turkey starts in 2016 and, as prime set-piece taker, he's the best option for points.
Ukraine (Bogdan Buga, @UEFAcomBogdanB)
Andriy Yarmolenko (forward, €8.5m)
Yarmolenko has sat out only three internationals since UEFA EURO 2012 and has scored in five of his last seven outings. However, having not found the net against Germany, he'll be fired up for Northern Ireland.
Wales (Mark Pitman, @UEFAcomMPitman)
Joe Allen (midfielder, €6.0m)
Man of the match against Slovakia, when he came close to a rare goal, Allen put in a terrier-like display and also has the quality on the ball to turn provider for the attacking talent of Gareth Bale.