EURO reporters' matchday three tips
Sunday, June 19, 2016
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The final round of group games is a notoriously tricky time in Fantasy with teams making changes and plenty to play for; our reporters have the inside track.
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The final round of group games is always a fraught time for any Fantasy manager, with coaches often opting to shuffle their packs.
Our team of reporters have been studying the UEFA EURO 2016 form and pondering the coaches' choices. Who's a good bet for France? Will the defences of Germany, Spain and Poland remain unchanged? Are striking changes in the offing for England? And should you bank on Bale again?
Albania (Tony Pandovski, @UEFAcomTonyP)
Right-back Elseid Hysaj (defender, €4.5m) has been one of Albania's most solid players, very active at the back and frequently supporting on the flanks with overlapping runs and crosses into the area. Mërgim Mavraj (defender, €4.5) has also impressed in the absence of Lorik Cana (midfielder, €5.5m), who is back and raring to go.
Austria (Daniel Thacker, @UEFAcomDanielT)
Robert Almer (goalkeeper, €5.0m) was Austria's hero against Portugal on Saturday, making a number of fine saves to deny Cristiano Ronaldo and company. Another clean sheet against Iceland would go a long way towards securing qualification for the last 16, making him a prime candidate between the sticks.
Belgium (Berend Scholten, @UEFAcomBerendS)
You cannot overlook Kevin De Bruyne (midfielder, €10.0m): on fire against Ireland, he is the motor at the heart of the Belgian attack. He takes set pieces, provides assists and can score himself. If you have the budget, sign him! If you need a striker, Romelu Lukaku (forward, €9.0m) is full of confidence after his matchday two double.
Croatia (Elvir Islamović, @UEFAcomElvirI)
Ivan Perišić (midfielder, €7.5m) hit the post in the first match and scored in the second. Croatia's top scorer in qualifying, he could still create chances against Spain. Mario Mandžukić (forward, €8.0m) has struggled, unlike bargain buy Ivan Strinić (defender, €4.0m) who gave his best Croatia display against the Czechs and loves to get forward.
Czech Republic (Ondřej Zlámal, @UEFAcomOndrejZ)
Tomáš Necid (forward, €7.0m) has a reputation as a nerveless penalty taker and proved that against Croatia. He also plays his club football in Turkey, so he should be well versed in how to get the better of Turkish defences.
England (Simon Hart, @UEFAcomSimonH)
With Harry Kane (forward, €8.5m) labouring so far, Jamie Vardy (forward, €7.0m) and Daniel Sturridge (forward, €7.5m) are both likely to start against Slovakia having scored as subs on matchday two. Vardy has four goals in his last five England games. Dele Alli (€6.5m) had a hand in Sturridge's winner and will feature again in an attacking midfield role.
France (David Crossan, @UEFAcomDavidC)
Adil Rami (defender, €5.0m) got a clean sheet and an assist against Albania while you must have Dimitri Payet (midfielder, €8.0m) in your team by now. Antoine Griezmann (forward, €10.0m) registered against Albania so I've picked him ahead of Olivier Giroud (forward, €8.5m) who is set to be rested.
Germany (Philip Röber, @UEFAcomPhilipR)
Germany have yet to concede a goal with both centre-backs – Jérôme Boateng (defender, €6.0m) and Mats Hummels (defender, €6.5m) – receiving plenty of praise. Joachim Löw has hinted at changes in midfield, but Toni Kroos (midfielder, €7.0m) should stay in and may even play a more attacking role against Northern Ireland.
Hungary (Matt Watson-Broughton, @UEFAcomMattWB)
Expect Hungary to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation with which they have let in only five goals in their last seven outings, so centre-back Richárd Guzmics (defender, €4.5m) is a useful option with the additional potential to score, just as he did against Northern Ireland last September.
Iceland (Johann Sigurdsson, @UEFAcomJohannS)
Johann Gudmundsson (forward, €6.0m) has been ever threatening on the flanks for Iceland and was very close to scoring against Hungary. He has started both matches and been one of the Icelanders' key men in attack, his pace and directness making him likely to find the net in every game. A cheap and reliable option.
Italy (Ben Gladwell, @UEFAcomBenG)
Antonio Conte will rotate his side to face Ireland, meaning chances for some of those players who have not figured much. Simone Zaza (forward, €6.5m) supplied the assist for Éder's decisive goal against Sweden – although he is a yellow-card risk – while the defence has shipped just two shots on goal in their first two games; Leonardo Bonucci (defender, €5.5m) is the best value here.
Northern Ireland (Graham Little, @UEFAcomGrahamL)
Michael McGovern (goalkeeper, €4.5m) excelled against Poland and was unbeatable against Ukraine – although Germany will present his sternest challenge yet. Michael O'Neill's selections are unpredictable, but Oliver Norwood (midfielder, €5.5m) will definitely start and as the chief set-piece taker, could be good for an assist or two.
Poland (Piotr Koźmiński, @UEFAcomPiotrK)
Michał Pazdan (defender, €4.5m) was widely applauded in Poland following his performance against Germany, the centre-back proving his quality against the world champions. Bartosz Kapustka (midfielder, €4.5m) is also in line to get his opportunity against Ukraine – he's another to consider.
Portugal (Joe Walker, @UEFAcomJoeW)
Ricardo Carvalho (defender, €5.5m) has been a rock at the back for Portugal. Aged 38, he might well be the oldest outfield player at UEFA EURO 2016, but his two displays this far have rolled back the years. He has an excellent understanding with Pepe (defender, €5.5m) and together they shut out Austria. Both threats from set pieces at the other end to boot.
Republic of Ireland (Paul Bryan, @UEFAcomPaulB)
Needing to defeat Italy to avoid elimination, Ireland will likely return to the diamond formation employed in their opening draw against Sweden. With the support of an attacker alongside him in a 4-3-1-2 line-up, Shane Long (forward, €6.5m) could turn out to be the hero to fire the Boys in Green into the last 16.
Romania Paul Zaharia, @UEFAcomPaulDZ)
Ciprian Tătăruşanu (goalkeeper, €5.0m) has acquitted himself well in both games without keeping a clean sheet – could the Albania match be his moment? Bogdan Stancu (forward, €6.5m) has also done well and has two penalties to his name, while centre-backs Vlad Chiricheş (defender, €5.0m) and Dragoş Grigore (defender, €5.0m) are also worth a thought.
Russia (Richard van Poortvliet, @UEFAcomRichVP)
Denis Glushakov (midfielder, €4.5m) has been a rare bright spot for Russia in what has been a disappointing tournament. After coming off the bench in both fixtures and netting against Slovakia, he is almost certain to start against Wales. Artem Dzyuba (forward, €8.0m) has threatened on occasion too while Igor Akinfeev (goalkeeper, €5.0m) looks in good form.
Slovakia (Rastislav Hribik, @UEFAcomRastoH)
Vladimír Weiss (midfielder, €6.5m) scored against Russia and should feature strongly again in the counterattacking plans against England. He may have extra motivation to impress having been at Manchester City's academy alongside Daniel Sturridge, while his father, former Slovakia coach Vladimír, will be in Saint-Etienne to watch.
Spain (Graham Hunter, @BumperGraham)
Vicente del Bosque and his side want to finish first in the group so, while there won't be wholesale changes against Croatia, it's reasonable to think Thiago Alcántara (midfielder, €6.0m), Pedro Rodríguez (forward, €7.0m) and Aritz Aduriz (forward, €6.5m) might get a chance. Aduriz has been in the form of his life all season, scores all kinds of goals but shows untypical generosity for a centre-forward – he could bring you assist points as well.
Sweden (Sujay Dutt, @UEFAcomSujayD)
Martin Olsson (defender, €5.5m) has so far provided security in defence and options going forward. A Sweden side struggling in front of goal looks to Olsson as a provider of crosses to its forwards, so if Zlatan and Co do manage to find the net against Belgium, chances are that the marauding left-back will have something to do with it.
Switzerland (Matt Howarth, @UEFAcomMattH)
Admir Mehmedi (forward, €6.0m) looks set to keep his place in the starting line-up after his thunderous volley salvaged a draw against Romania, while Ricardo Rodríguez (defender, €6.0m) might be worth a gamble at left-back. Signing a Swiss defender ahead of a match against France is a risk, but considering both their goals so far have come from corners, Switzerland's main set-piece taker could surprise a few people.
Turkey (Çetin Cem Yılmaz, @UEFAcomCetinCY)
With one last chance to rescue their campaign, Hakan Balta (defender, €5.0m) is a sure starter against the Czech Republic and could contribute to a clean sheet. Meanwhile Volkan Şen (midfielder, €5.5m) is in line for his first start of the tournament and would be Turkey's best bet for a goal or assist.
Ukraine (Bogdan Buga, @UEFAcomBogdanB)
Following two defeat and early elimination, it's hard to predict the team to play Poland. I expect Ruslan Rotan (midfielder, €6.0m) to start, and with his set-piece skill and passing ability, he could be a useful addition – as could Andriy Yarmolenko (forward, €8.5m), who scored in the last two matches against Poland.
Wales (Mark Pitman, @UEFAcomMPitman)
Gareth Bale (forward, €10.5m) has scored two of Wales' three goals at the tournament so far and is the first player since Thomas Hässler (1992) to score two free-kicks at a EURO finals. The talisman of the team, Bale can be just as influential in creating chances and has already accumulated 12 fantasy football points in the opening two games.
