In the latest of our articles from our team of contributors, Tom Freeman discusses his Euro 2024 Fantasy team.
He’s ranked 24k in the world and reveals his current draft here.
With my Wildcard still intact, I don’t need to look too far ahead when putting together my squad for the round of 16.
I’d always planned to save it for the quarter-finals, but given the draw, I might push it back to the semis, which look much harder to second guess:
So, my approach for the round of 16 is simple: target the teams and players with the best match-ups.
Here, I’ll discuss some of my favoured nations and top picks. I’ll also share my current Matchday 4 draft.
SPAIN
- Fixture: Georgia
- Selections: Marc Cucurella, Pedri, Inaki Williams, Alvaro Morata
Spain progressed to the knockout rounds without conceding a goal, having been afforded the luxury to rest key players in Matchday 3. Based on what we’ve seen so far, they are among the favourites to win Euro ’24, which is why I want to max out on their players.
At the back, I prefer Marc Cucurella (€4.5m) to Dani Carvajal (€5.5m), who seems slightly more opposed to joining Spain’s attack.
Cucurella, however, has formed a nice dynamic down Spain’s left with Nico Williams (€7.0m), getting forward whenever he can to offer support.
He created two big chances in the group stage and with Carvajal potentially having to track Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (€7.0m), he’s my favoured pick for this matchup.
| Mins | Touches – final third | Passes received – final third | Crosses | Chances created | Ball recoveries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cucurella | 180 | 35 | 27 | 2 | 3 | 16 |
| Carvajal | 180 | 26 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Above: Cucurella v Carvajal at Euro ‘24
As for Williams, he loves to hit the byline and cut the ball back. I think Georgia will struggle against this specific threat, which is why the Athletic Bilbao winger will almost certainly end up in my squad.
I also like Pedri (€7.0m), who has been playing a more advanced role in Germany, and Alvaro Morata (€8.5m), who featured in my differentials column.
“Luis de la Fuente believes that the closer I am to the box, the better. I’m closer to the danger zone. Everything I do has more relevance in the game. Also goals and assists, of course.
“On the other hand, when you are a little further behind, you help bring the ball forward. It is true that in today’s football there are few coaches who use a number 10. But there are many players with qualities to play there. It’s a position in which I feel comfortable with. I enjoy it.
“When you receive the ball, you are already in a position to face the centre-backs, to shoot, or to give an assist. It’s spectacular.” – Pedri
GERMANY
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