We round up the latest EURO Fantasy team news and injury updates ahead of the round of 16 deadline on Saturday.
WALES V DENMARK
Interim boss Rob Page is under no illusions about the challenge Wales face against Denmark, though also reserved praise for attackers such as Aaron Ramsey (€8.6m) ahead of Saturday’s meeting.
“It’s going to be an extremely tough game against Denmark, who are nothing short of impressive. They went toe-to-toe with Belgium for 90 minutes. But like I said to the players, they’ll have to show us respect. If I saw our team sheet as an opposing manager, I’d be very respectful of what we’ve got on paper as well. We’ve shown our resilience. We’ve shown we can be hard to break down. We’re going to need that in abundance, but we know in transition we’ve got players on that pitch who are the best in Europe.”
Asked if it’s crucial that Gareth Bale (€9.6m) scores regularly for Wales, Page responded:
“No, of course not. He set two up the other day so without his assists we aren’t stood here talking about the knockout stages. There’s more to Gareth’s game than scoring goals, he’s brought a lot to the changing room.”
Ethan Ampadu (€5.0m) will be suspended for the Dragons while Simon Kjaer (€4.5m) has been passed fit by Denmark.
ITALY V AUSTRIA
According to reports, Italy are hopeful that Giorgio Chiellini (€6.0m) could be fit to face Austria, after a hamstring problem ruled the veteran defender out of the Azzurri‘s final group game.
According to Football Italia, Chiellini trained separately from the squad on Wednesday while Alessandro Florenzi (€5.9m) was confined to gym work.
If Florenzi fails to make the match, one of Giovanni Di Lorenzo (€5.1m) or Rafael Toloi (€4.5m) should slot in at right-back.
On a team with eight changes beating Wales in Matchday 3 and rotation, Roberto Mancini said:
“I was very pleased to see that I changed eight players and yet the team played well, could’ve scored more goals against a side that was very defensive. Our players are accustomed to this style because we tried to propose this type of football from the first day. There are also some clubs who play it too, so they have no problem adapting. It’s better to have everyone at our disposal and ‘suffer’ by leaving someone very talented out rather than not having the choice. We’ve been doing that since the start, there are so many players who deserve to be there and we have to make choices. A different tournament kicks off now. If the lads continue like this, then I could not ask for more.
Marko Arnautovic (€7.0m) appears to be a likely starter for Austria, considering Franco Foda’s vote of confidence in the ex-West Ham man ahead of the Austrians’ victory over the Ukraine.
“We have made a commitment that Marko will play from the start.” – Foda speaking before Ukraine 0-1 Austria
The goalscorer in that game, Christoph Baumgartner (€7.0m), is rated as doubtful for the Italy clash due to a head injury picked up in Matchday 3.
“I can’t take it in yet, my skull really hurts. I’m happy for all of Austria.” – Baumgartner after win over Ukraine
Martin Hinteregger (€4.5m) looks set to be passed fit but Valentino Lazaro (€6.4m) has been ruled out.
“It will definitely turn out that [Hinteregger] is fit for the matchday. It definitely doesn’t work out with Tino. He’s not ready yet, he’s not training with the team.” – Austria sports director Peter Schöttel
NETHERLANDS V CZECH REPUBLIC
Luuk de Jong‘s tournament is over after the striker suffered a knee injury during training. That should leave Donyell Malen (€6.0m) in direct competition with Wout Weghorst (€7.2m) for a striker spot alongside Memphis Depay (€10.1m).
“With his depth, he creates a huge threat to defenders. That gives me more space. Donyell is definitely a player who brings those extra qualities.” – Georginio Wijnaldum on Malen
When asked who he might play with in the Netherlands’ Round of 16 tie, Depay responded diplomatically:
“That’s up to the trainer. I don’t interfere with that. I also had good combinations with Wout Weghorst in the (previous) match.”
Apart from Luuk de Jong, Frank de Boer looks set to have a full squad available for Sunday’s clash with the Czech Republic.
“The most important thing is that everyone has stayed fit. But also the fact that a few guys who needed it played the full 90 minutes.” – Frank de Boer
De Boer was also non-committal over his striker selection after the 3-0 win against North Macedonia.
“We have to see that. It also depends on the opponent and what we need in that (last 16) match. I put together the best team and they don’t always have to be the best players. We are in good shape. We have made progress again in all aspects. Tonight we showed beautiful attacks at times. I am very positive about our game, also towards the next game.”
Jan Boril (€4.6m) is suspended for the Czech Republic.
BELGIUM V PORTUGAL
On Eden Hazard (€10.0m), who logged 90 minutes in Belgium’s 2-0 win over Finland, Roberto Martinez said:
“It’s the first time we’ve seen him play 90 minutes since November 2019. He seems to be enjoying his football, he understands the players around him well. If there’s something that doesn’t worry me about Hazard it’s his individual talent, so I’m very happy to see him developing well. Physically he feels very strong and now we have a few days to prepare for the next game and see how he feels for the next part of the tournament.”
Eden’s brother Thorgan missed the Matchday 3 outing with a knee issue, though reports suggest the younger Hazard is back in Belgium training.
At the time of writing, none of Portugal’s Fantasy assets are sporting knocks or injuries although Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes (€10.5m) was dropped to the bench in Matchday 3 as Fernando Santos’ side drew 2-2 with France.
“I liked the team as a whole. Our team today was strong, was consistent throughout the game, players helped each other, we were able to have possession, we were able to build from the back, create chances. So, all in all, I think we’re a strong team. There are some things we can improve. For a few moments, we lost the plot and were not as organised as we wanted and ended up conceding.” – Portugal head coach Fernando Santos
CROATIA V SPAIN
Sergio Busquets‘ (€5.5m) return to the Spain XI saw Luis Enrique’s men hammer Slovakia 5-0. The midfielder lasted 71 minutes before it was decided he should depart the action.
“I really enjoyed that. Just before I was subbed off, I could feel a little tightness in my calf. I told (Luis Enrique) and he correctly didn’t want to take a risk.” – Sergio Busquets
Dejan Lovren (€4.9m) is suspended for Croatia.
FRANCE V SWITZERLAND
Dider Deschamps may have a problem at left-back after both Lucas Hernandez (€6.6m) and Lucas Digne (€6.0m) came off injured in the 2-2 draw against Portugal.
“The bigger worry is Lucas (Digne). He has a muscular injury behind the thigh. It’s going to be tough for him to play again this tournament. Hernandez had a little knee problem and I didn’t want to take any risks.”
Thomas Lemar (£6.4m) and Marcus Thuram (£7.5m) will also be assessed after limping out of training.
ENGLAND V GERMANY
According to the Guardian, the Football Association is looking into whether Ben Chilwell (€6.0m) and Mason Mount (€7.1m) could take part in socially-distanced training ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Germany.
The pair are in isolation until Monday night, having come into contact with Chelsea team-mate Billy Gilmour. The Scotland midfielder tested positive for COVID-19 after the sides drew 0-0 in Matchday 2. Chilwell and Mount can currently train on an individual basis.
It was two out, two in for Gareth Southgate in Matchday 3 as Harry Maguire (€5.5m) returned to the starting line-up, while Jordan Henderson (€6.0m) managed a half on his injury return.
“We are not fluent but we have moments where we look a good side. Ninety minutes for Harry Maguire was important tonight. Jordan Henderson getting 45 minutes is a step forward. A lot of positives.” – Gareth Southgate
On attacking set-pieces, the England boss added:
“Our delivery hasn’t been good, really. There was the one where John Stones hit the post (against Scotland) which was bang on the money and (Kieran) Trippier’s delivery in the first game was excellent but we haven’t matched that since. It’s quite rare for us. We have gone four or five matches without a set-piece goal and that’s an area where we can improve upon.”
After scraping through the group stage with a 2-2 draw at home to Hungary, Germany head coach Joachim Löw said of the last 16:
“Against England it’s going to be a totally different match. They play at home, they want to attack, it’s going to be a more open match than it was tonight. We need to improve on things, we are aware of that. We need to be careful, especially at set pieces. We can’t repeat the same mistakes again, we need to do things better. But the match will be a different one and we’re looking forward to it.”
Thomas Muller (€9.0m) was fit enough to play 23 minutes against the Hungarians, so could be back in Löw’s XI at Wembley.
Jonas Hofmann (€5.0m) and Lukas Klostermann (€4.5m) remain sizeable injury doubts.
SWEDEN V UKRAINE
Unless injury hits, Sweden’s star man Emil Forsberg (€7.7m) is a guaranteed starter against Ukraine. On the midfielder, head coach Janne Andersson said after the 3-2 victory against Poland:
“He’s a bit calmer as a person. He’s said himself that he feels more harmonious and he’s been better on the pitch. He’s always been good with the national team and it’s great he can be the decisive factor for us.”
On conceding their first goals of the group stage in Matchday 3, Andersson added:
“I think opponents think we’re difficult to play against, and that’s how it should be. Poland are a great football nation, and they have a world-class player who showed his brilliance on a few occasions. I’m really happy we managed to handle that situation and win the game. Overall, we defended well. Poland’s first goal was a fantastic piece of individual skill. He’s [Lewandowski] a skilful player – probably the best striker in the world right now – and he scored twice. We’re a little disappointed with that but we scored three.”
Denys Popov (€4.5m) and Oleksandr Zubkov (€5.9m) are ongoing concerns for Ukraine.
