EURO 2020 Fantasy: Defenders for every budget

Whether you’re looking to go big at the back or you’re hunting for some cheap enablers in your defence, UEFA.com has you covered with options at various price points discussed.

PREMIUM OPTIONS

If you are happy to spend a large amount of your budget on bolstering your defence then 2012 European champions Jordi Alba (€6.0m) has to come into contention. The Barcelona full-back has always been a strong attacking option as he is usually afforded room to roam forward down the left-hand side and he makes up part of a Spanish defence in excellent form. Having not conceded more than once in any of their last 22 fixtures, Alba's premium price is justified when considering that he offers a high chance of Fantasy points from both a clean sheet and an attacking perspective.

Fantasy managers have been falling over backwards in a bid to get centre-back Rúben Dias (€6.0m) into their sides and with a current ownership of 44%, the Portugal star is currently the highest owned defender. Despite being placed in a difficult Group F which also includes France and Germany, the defending European champions conceded just six goals during their qualification campaign and kept five clean sheets. Combine that with his excellent debut campaign at Manchester City this season and it’s easy to see why he is such a popular choice.

Other enticing high-priced options include Alessandro Florenzi (€6.0m) of Italy and Lucas Hernández (€6.5m) of France, the latter just one of three players costing the maximum for defenders. Hernández justifies his lofty price tag as he's expected to start for the reigning world champions, who head into EURO 2020 as one of the early favourites to go all the way. Whilst Florenzi has some stiff competition in the Italian starting line-up, it would be a surprise if the 30-year-old does not feature as part of Roberto Mancini’s first XI on the right-hand side of defence. With the Azzurri having kept clean sheets in each of their last five competitive matches, along with conceding just four goals over the course of their ten qualifying games, Florenzi could be an astute Fantasy signing.

MID-PRICED OPTIONS

Any Fantasy managers looking for England defensive cover can afford to choose between two centre-backs expected to start for Gareth Southgate’s side. Both Harry Maguire (€5.5m) and John Stones (€5.5m) come with high attacking potential with each a huge aerial threat from set-pieces. Maguire has two goals in his last four appearances for the Three Lions whilst Stones has scored five times this season for Manchester City. However, Maguire’s fitness heading into the tournament will need to be monitored by Fantasy managers with the Manchester United defender having not featured in a competitive fixture since 9 May due to an ankle ligament injury.

Two other mid-priced defenders who are expected to play key roles for their respective countries are Germany's Antonio Rüdiger (€5.5m) and Ukraine's Oleksandr Zinchenko (€5.5m). Rüdiger, who carries goal threat from corners and set-pieces, has established himself as a starter in the centre of defence for Germany, while Zinchenko is expected to play further forward having been most often utilised as a midfielder for Ukraine. With five international goals to his name, Zinchenko could turn out to be one of the shrewdest Fantasy picks for his price.

Other options include Çağlar Söyüncü (€5.0m), whose Turkey team shone from a defensive perspective in qualifying, conceding just three goals and accumulating eight clean sheets from ten matches. Add that to Söyüncü's attacking prowess from set pieces and he could turn out quite the differential with just 7% of fantasy managers owning the 25-year-old at present. Another mid-priced pick who certainly hasn’t gone under the radar is Matthijs de Ligt (€5.5m), who is the currently the second most popular defender on EURO 2020 Fantasy with a 37% ownership. Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk will miss the tournament through injury and therefore the onus will be De Ligt to provide the defensive stability needed to ensure a safe passage through Group C for Frank de Boer's side.

BUDGET OPTIONS

Finding the right budget defenders can elevate your squad, not only for providing another outlet for points, but also to ensure that funds are left over for those all-important premium players. One such option is Jason Denayer (€4.5m), who has seemingly nailed down a spot in Belgium's three-man central defence. Roberto Martinez's side only conceded three goals over the course of their qualification campaign and are expected to reach the latter stages of EURO 2020. Finding a €4.5m route into their defence may well prove excellent value from a Fantasy perspective.

With a current ownership of 16%, Simon Kjær (€4.5m) is the joint most popular defender at his price and it’s no surprise when considering Denmark have shipped just three goals in their last ten matches. Drawn in Group B with Belgium, Finland and Russia, owners of Kjær will be confident of gaining decent Fantasy returns over the course of the group stage.

Whilst his place in the Italy side is by no means certain, Alessandro Bastoni (€4.5m) has made an excellent case for selection for EURO. Having impressed in his three starts for the Azzurri over the course of their last six competitive fixtures and off the back of a title-winning season at Internazionale, the 22-year-old must be in with a strong chance of lining up on Matchday 1.