Almost there. With less than 24 hours before the big kick-off tomorrow, we turns our attentions to Group C as we forge ahead with our group-by-group rundown. Analysing the results, lineups and injury worries, we reflect on each nation’s respective performances and look for potential signs of starting XIs as the tension begins to mount:
Croatia
Slaven Bilic’s side played just a couple of friendlies over the last few weeks. The Croatia boss handed some of his fringe players a chance to shine in the 3-1 win over Estonia on May 25 before a 1-1 draw with Norway at the beginning of this month ended their warm-up preparations.
Vedran Corluka, Ognjen Vukojevic and Nikola Kalinic are grabbed the goals in the Estonia win, though only Corluka is expected to stand a chance of a role in Bilic’s starting XI of that trio. The Norwegian game saw Eduardo climb off the bench to head his side in front from a Darijo Srna cross, but Bilic’s men conceded a late equaliser in stoppage time and have now failed to return a clean sheet in each of their last three matches.
Likely Lineup
Just when we were beginning to get our heads round the backline options, reports in the national press yesterday suggest Bilic is now considering changes ahead of the opener with Republic of Ireland. Fantasy managers are now in two minds whether to gamble on Croatia’s assets, with suggestions that Darijo Srna could be shifted from midfield to right-back and Danijel Pranjic could oust Ivan Strinic at left-back.
Srna is classified as a midfielder in the McDonald’s game and, priced at 7.5, doesn’t come cheap. Regardless of his spot-kick duties and share of set-pieces, rumours of a role in the back-four may well be enough to see us look elsewhere – if he stays in midfield, Domagoj Vida is expected to fill in at right-back, with Corluka at centre-half. The news on Strinic is particularly frustrating – he is priced at just 4.0 and looked a solid cut-price option, having started both friendlies; Pranjic holds far less appeal, coming in at 6.0 in comparison. Much depends on how attack-minded Bilic wants to be, really – clearly, there’s enough doubt to make many of Croatia’s assets a gamble.
The doubts continue all the way through the side. In central midfield, Luka Modric is nailed-on, despite missing both friendlies with fitness issues. Tomislav Dujmovic should partner the Spurs man, though Bilic could also field Ivan Rakitic there; the latter, however, is also vying with Dortmund’s Ivan Perisic for a place on the left. Up front, Eduardo’s goal against Norway brings him into contention – Nikica Jelavic is still a favourite to start, though the former Arsenal man could oust Mario Mandzukic (classified as a midfielder and priced at 6.0) from the starting XI now. In short, headaches all round, then.
Likely Starting XI: Pletikosa; Vida, Corluka, Schildenfeld, Strinic; Srna, Modric, Dujmovic, Rakitic; Jelavic, Mandzukic.
Italy
Cesare Prandelli’s preparations have been disrupted by volcanic eruptions and match-fixing allegations. The friendly against Luxembourg, scheduled for May 29, was cancelled due to the former, while Domenico Criscito has been omitted from the squad in order to clear his name after being caught up in a betting scandal.
It left the Italians with just one friendly to play – a 3-0 defeat to Russia last Friday night. Prandelli started with a 4-3-1-2 formation before changing to a 4-3-3 midway through the second half but the manner of defeat has left him reassessing his options ahead of Saturday’s opener with Spain.
Likely Lineup
Put bluntly, Italy’s starting formation against the Spaniards is anyone’s guess. Reports have suggested Prandelli has tinkered with his backline and trialled a 3-5-2 in training, with Daniel De Rossi as part of the back-three. The Roma man has played there previously but always as part of a back-four – whether the manager feels he can risk a three man defence against the defending champions is perhaps debatable.
An injury to Andrea Barzagli also puts question marks against this – Prandelli would feel more comfortable with him alongside Juventus team mates Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, though a back three would perhaps afford full-backs Christian Maggio and Federico Balzaretti the chance to play on the right and left of a five-man midfield respectively. A move to 3-5-2 could also mean that 7.0 priced Riccardo Montolivo – who has been playing in the hole behind a front two – loses out in the starting XI, though either way it seems likely that Prandelli will lead with Antonio Cassano and Mario Balotelli up top, with the likes of Antonio Di Natale and Sebastiano Giovinco afforded roles as impact subs.
Likely Starting XI: Buffon; Maggio, Bonucci, Chiellini, Balzaretti; De Rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio, Montolivo; Cassano, Balotelli.
Republic of Ireland
Giovanni Trapattoni’s side played a couple of friendlies over the last fortnight. The Irish resilience at the back was highlighted by a clean sheet in both matches, as they saw off Bosnia 1-0 before scraping a goalless draw against Hungary.
Aiden McGeady was the chief creator in qualifying – the former Celtic man provided more assists than any team mate and continued in the same vein, by setting up Shane Long to notch against the Bosnians. While they’ve failed to impress going forward, the Irish are difficult to break down and are currently on a 14 match unbeaten run, which has harvested 11 clean sheets; intriguingly, this stretch of games also includes a 2-0 win over Italy and a 0-0 draw with Croatia last summer. Shay Given, Stephen Ward and Shaun St Ledger all offer strong value at just 4.5 in the McDonald’s game if they can maintain their form at the back.
Likely Lineup
Prior to the Hungary game, Trapattoni revealed his starting XI would be the same as the team to face Croatia in the opener but back-tracked a little post-match. The Ireland boss feels his side may need an extra body in the midfield area but, rather than changes players, he could simply shift Robbie Keane deeper and operate with a 4-5-1, though he could even bring in a more combative player such as Darron Gibson and allow Keane a lone role up top, with Kevin Doyle dropping to the bench. Shay Given has been bothered with a knee problem in recent weeks but the Irish camp have no worries over his starting role next Sunday.
Likely Starting XI: Given; O’Shea, Dunne, St Ledger, Ward; Duff, Whelan, Andrews, McGeady; Keane, Doyle.
Spain
The defending champions won all three of their warm-up games over the past couple of weeks. Vicente Del Bosque’s side saw off Serbia 2-0, before hammering South Korea 4-1 and mustering a 1-0 win over China last weekend.
Del Bosque rested his Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao contingent for the first two games, in light of their late arrival due to Spanish Cup Final duties. Adrian was the most impressive player in the Serbia game, providing a goal and assist, but failed to make the final 23; Santi Cazorla slotted home a spot-kick after the former had been fouled in the box. Cazorla’s set-piece duties saw him net in the win over South Korea, too, with Fernando Torres, Alvaro Negredo and a Xabi Alonso penalty completing the scoring. Del Bosque introduced his Barca players for the final game and it was Andres Iniesta, on as a second half sub, who proved the difference, setting up David Silva for the only goal of the game.
Likely Lineup
With Carlos Puyol out due to a knee injury, Sergio Ramos will move into the heart of defence, which is likely to see Alvaro Arbeloa start at right-back. On the opposite flank, Jordi Alba is the favourite for the left-back role and, priced at 6.5 in the McDonald’s game, affords Fantasy managers the cheapest route into the champions’ backline. The midfield three should be straightforward; perhaps the only issue is that by fielding Sergio Busquets and Xabi Alonso together, Del Bosque tends to play Xavi further forward, where many feel he is less effective – the (albeit unlikely) more attacking alternative would be to drop one of Busquets or Alonso and play Xavi deeper, with Andres Iniesta or even Cesc Fabregas making up the midfield three.
Iniesta, however, is expected to feature on the left of the front three instead, though Cazorla has started all of Spain’s friendlies and is likely to come into contention, even if it’s from the bench; priced at 7.0, he’s an intriguing option, though game time is far from guaranteed. David Silva seems to have cemented a role on the right, which perhaps only leave the lone forward position as the real issue – Fernando Llorente failed to feature in any of the friendlies, while Torres and Negredo have taken turns in leading the line over the trio of matches and returned a goal apiece.
Likely Starting XI: Casillas; Arbeloa, Ramos, Pique, Alba; Xavi, Busquets, Alonso; Silva, Torres, Iniesta.
11 years, 11 months agoWARNING – LONG POST ALERT. I've finalised my post on the ‘bargain bin' / differential players from each team. I’ve tried to stay under 8.0 as anything higher may not turn out to be a bargain.
K. Papadopoulos - 4.5 Greek defender: Good attacking threat for a side that is playing very defensively. Cheap and looks nailed on in his position.
Maniatis - 4.0 Greek defender: An alternative to K-Pap, who was playing OOP as a midfielder in the last game. Worth watching as a fantasy prospect in Group A, will be guaranteed a starting place even if he is not OOP come the group stages.
Ninis - 5.5 Greek midfielder: Shares some set pieces for the Greeks and is affordable. Could turn out to be a flop if Greece don't perform though.
Perquis - 4.5 Polish defender: Cheapest route into the polish defence, and this centre back could profit from his price tag as a differential to Szczensny and others. Clean sheets look good for Poland.
Polanski - 4.0 Polish midfielder: cheap and nailed on in midfield for the Polish. Might not get many points but as a guaranteed starter at this price he is useful. Many have slotted him into their teams mainly to fill the 5th midfield spot and allow for more expensive players.
Akinfeev – 5.5 Russian goalkeeper: Not exactly the cheapest keeper going but offers the cheapest route to Russian clean sheets than the other options available. If his injury keeps him out of the first game, Malafeev (5.0) will be an even better bargain.
Berezutski – 5.5 Russian defender: There is some speculation about him starting the first game, but like Akinfeev he offers a cut-price route into the Russian defence, should he start.
Shirokov - 6.0 Russian midfielder: Budget option and a great source of points throughout the group stages for Russia. Very attacking and will be sure to make a mockery of his price tag, like when he played Italy in the friendlies.
Kadlec - 5.5 Czech defender: A defender who takes penalties? Yes please. Clean sheets could also be a possibility for Kadlec in Group A but for this price he is like a budget Baines who is truly essential for the group stages at least.
Limberski - 4.0 Czech defender: An alternative to Kadlec if money is a problem. Looks nailed on and is also the cheapest route into the Czech back 4.
Willems - 5.0 Netherlands defender: If his place is not taken by the midfielder Schaars, then he could be pretty good asset to have. A cheap route to the Holland back line and a major differential for anyone willing to take the gamble. Alternatively Bouma (5.5) could come in should Mathijsen fail to recover in time.
Afellay - 6.5 Netherlands midfielder: Looks to be taking Van der Vaart's place on the wing and for his price tag he could be both a big differential and source of assist points.
Kuyt - 7.5 Netherlands striker: Although classed as a forward, should he play he will be on the right side. He is on penalties if he plays, and offers an alternative to Robben, Van Persie and Huntelaar.
Gotze - 7.5 German midfielder: The cheapest midfielder for the Germans but still not guaranteed a place. He's had a good season in the Bundesliga with 6 goals and 5 assists (in 17 games) and if he is selected we could see similar results.
Muller - 9.5 German striker: Although not cheap in terms of other teams, but as a German player he is the nearest attacking bargain you will get. Muller has had a good lead-up to the Euros and looks set to play on one of the wings with Podolski on the other, meaning he could be a great source of assists.
Rui Patricio - 5.5 Portuguese keeper: Although Portgual have been reckless in defence recently, Patricio is the cheapest route into the defence. Although no player on the team looks like a good budget fantasy option, should you decide to take a gamble, the keeper would be the best bargain.
Andersen – 4.0 Danish keeper: Currently the cheapest starting goalkeeper available which many will snap up either as a filler, or a to play if things don’t work out with their main keeper.
Agger - 5.5 Danish defender: Another penalty-taking defender you say? Priced the same as Kadlec, Agger looks nailed on in the back four. Despite being in arguably the hardest group, a game against Portugal may see him grab an unlikely clean sheet, with maybe a penalty throughout the group stages. Worth considering as a differential but don't expect much in the long run.
Pedersen - 4.0 Danish striker: The cheapest starting forward in the game, Pederson could be set to knock in a goal or two against Portugal or Germany, who haven't had the best defence in the lead up to the Euros (except against Israel recently). Likewise Rommedahl (5.5) provides a more secure attack threat in the Danish line-up.
Alba - 6.5 Spanish defender: Jordi Alba comes with a steep price tag, but still offers the cheapest route into the Spanish back 4. He has had 2 goals and 5 assists in La Liga for Valencia last season and has proved his attacking merits. Could see him get 3/3 clean sheets if things go right for Spain.
Alonso - 8.0 Spanish midfielder. Xabi is nailed on in the Spanish starting XI and not only is he one of the cheapest players, but he is on most set pieces for the Spaniards. He should also profit from the recovered balls system so looks like a major differential in the coming fixtures.
Cazorla - 7.0 Spanish midfielder: Not by any means guaranteed a starting place, but has been involved heavily in the 3 pre-Euro friendlies. He is OOP playing up front and if he is given a place, he would be ESSENTIAL at that price. Del Bosque has so many other priority players for the starting XI however, and it seems unlikely we will have this golden fantasy asset.
Torres - Priced at 8.5 compared to FPL's 11.0 last season, Torres' fantasy returns could go a bit helter-skelter if his form from last year returns, or if he is not picked ahead of Llorente. Keep an eye out though as he could run riot and return to form given the chance.
Ogbonna - 5.0 Italian defender: As Italy's defensive woes increase, it provides a catch 22 situation for the fantasy manager. Cheaper players like Ogbonna become available but their chances of clean sheets and such diminish. Worth considering after the Spanish game, if the Italian defenders still have injuries. Worth keeping an eye on during the first game to see if he will be given a place in the staring XI.
Pirlo - 8.0 Italian midfielder: At this price he may seem a bit borderline. But the fact that he has all set pieces in the bag, is somewhat uplifting. Chances of goals and assists seem likely for Pirlo, not only is he a differential but also has good fixtures after Spain.
Given - 4.5 Irish keeper: Should make plenty of saves in the Croatian game and if Ireland can keep their back four in fortress-mode they should see a clean sheet. Worth having as a back-up keeper and very easy on the budget.
St. Ledger/ Ward – 4.5 Irish defender: Priced the same as Given, both St. Ledger and Ward offer the cheapest route to the Irish back four. The latter offers a much more attacking route with 3 goals for Wolves last season compared to St.Ledger’s 0 goals for Leicester.
Andrews - 4.0 Irish midfielder: Nailed on and cheap. An Irish Polanski, with a much better attacking threat, Andrews is a great 5th midfield spot especially against Croatia (possibly Italy too).
Doyle – 5.5 Irish striker: Kevin Doyle offers a cheap alternative to Keane and seems to playing in a supporting role for Keane in the friendlies running up to the Euros. He could be a source of assists in the Italy and Croatia games.
Strinic - 4.0 Croatian defender: The cheapest route into the Croatian back four, Strinic could be set to get some recovered ball points and maybe a clean sheet against Ireland and Italy. Not profitable for the Spain game, but as one of the cheapest defender in the game with a nice chance of points return, who could say no?
Mandzucik - 6.0 Croatian midfielder: Playing OOP as a forward, he could be set to do some damage against Ireland and Italy should he be picked ahead of Eduardo (which seems quite likely). A cheap alternative to the like of Srna however he has no set pieces, meaning he'll more than likely be an 'all or nothing' player.
Jelavic - 5.0 Croatian striker: Who could forget the form this man had in the latter half of last season for Everton? For many he was a bargain and for other he was a burden. Likewise can be said in this fantasy game. At a steal of 5.0 he offers a huge alternative to other strikers, and with average fixtures ahead, he could have considerable returns.
Debuchy - 5.5 French defender: The cheapest route to the French defence, Debuchy should be nailed on due to injury picked up by Sagna. With 5 goals and 1 assist for Lille last year, the right-back looks like a great asset for the fixtures in his group.
M'Villa - 5.5 French midfielder: comparable to Arsenal's Alex Song, the 21-year old is not afraid to tackle and has a high work rate. Meaning he will profit from the recovered ball system greatly. He picked up a small knock in the friendlies so hopefully he will be fit for the fixtures to come.
Lescott - 5.5 English defender: With Cahill ruled out of the competition, up steps Man City's Joleon Lescott. The centre back has had a fantastic season with City and helped score a few crucial goals, as well as many clean sheets. Like Debuchy, he provides good attack threat and clean sheet chance in Group D.
Carroll - 7.5 if he is given the nod ahead of Welbeck (7.5), Carroll could be a nice gamble for the Group D fixtures. While many will laugh at this suggestion, it is clear to see that the Liverpool striker has seen an increase in form, both at the end of the PL season, and in the lead-up to the Euros. With Rooney banned for the group stages, his contribution to the English side could be crucial. With Defoe ruled out of GW1 he may certainly get a lot of game time.
Yarmolenko - 7.0 Ukraine midfielder: Playing OOP, Yarmolenko offers a huge attack threat in front of goal and has seen him contribute to the score line in all of his last 7 games (be it assists or goals). A huge differential and if the expected 'goal-fest' of the Sweden-Ukraine game goes ahead, expect him to be among the points. Priced the same as Shevchenko, he offers an alternative attacking option and source of points. (Reported injury doubt 7/6/2012)
Konoplyanka – 5.5 Ukraine midfielder: Looks nailed on for Ukraine and seems to be on a majority of free kicks for the team. Low ownership and could be a big differential against a Swedish side that do not look like keeping a clean sheet.
M.Olsson - 4.0 Swedish defender: Nailed on, cheap, great attack threat and average fixtures. Not expected to keep many clean sheets in the group, however if a defender is going to score in Group D expect it to be him.
Elm – 5.0 Swedish midfielder: A bargain at this price and seems to be hogging some of the corners as his assist in the friendly victory over Serbia showed. Low ownership, so could be a big differential in the Ukraine game.
Larsson - 6.5 Swedish midfielder: On free kicks and corners for the Swedes and looks set to provide plenty of crosses and assists in Group D. A great alternative to Kallstrom (6.5), who is considered more attacking than Larsson.
Ibrahimovic - 8.0 Swedish striker: At this price, who could say no to the Serie A golden boot winner? Having one of the easier groups, the Swedish penalty-taker looks a right bargain and could even be one of the highest scorers in the group stages. Well worth a punt as a quality striker to fill your 3rd striker spot. Toivonen at 5.5 is an alternative and could be favoured a place after his goal and assist in the 2-1 victory over Serbia.