The second round of group matches continue at pace, with DraftKings managers again assessing the talent on offer as we form our eight-man squads.
Friday’s fixtures provide more teams who will be forced to attack in a bid to earn a foothold in the tournament.
Both Turkey and the Czech Republic suffered defeat in their opener, leaving them little option but to seek three points this time around.
The Turks face the daunting task of overcoming a Spanish side who dominated the Czechs in their opener, eventually translating possession into a cutting edge via Gerard Pique’s glancing header.
The Czech Republic showed enough in that defeat to suggest that they will still have a say in Group D, but must now look to better a Croatian side that bristled with attacking menace in their win over Turkey.
Over in Group E, Italy will look to build on a superb display against Belgium by disposing of Sweden to book passage to the knock-out phase. The Swedes rescued a point against the Republic of Ireland and will likely look to soak up Italian pressure, again relying on the influence of Zlatan Ibrahimović to see them through.
We’ve analysed the six squads on offer to arrive at another set of DraftKings targets who seem destined to make key contributions in Friday’s contests.
Ladislav Krejci – Czech Republic, – $6800
The fleet-footed left-winger provided crosses at a faster rate than any other Czech Republic player during qualifying. He maintained that record during five appearances in friendlies and impressed again in the defeat to Spain, providing 10 crossed balls. His pace and supply line looks set to be vital in the crunch clash with Croatia.
Caner Erkin – Turkey, – $4100
Turkey’s forward-thinking left-back thrived in the qualifying rounds. The 27-year-old provided more crosses and interceptions than any other Turkey player, ranked second for tackles won and even fired in nine goal attempts. Inter snapped him up prior to the tournament and Erkin duly impressed in his Euro 16 bow, providing six crosses and a shot on target in the defeat to Croatia.
Marcelo Brosovic – Croatia, – $4900
The 23-year-old midfielder contributed two goals to the Croatian cause in qualifying and followed this up with another pair of strikes heading into the tournament. It was Brosovic rather than striker Mario Mandzukic who provided the major threat in the win over Turkey, firing in six efforts on goal, five from within the penalty area.
Ivan Perisic – Croatia, – $7100
Another to impress in Croatia’s tournament opener. Perisic contributed an all-round shift against Turkey that saw him win three tackles and make three interceptions, while he was unfortunate not to claim a goal following his raids into the box that brought two attempts. The Inter midfielder top scored in qualifying with six goals, registering more attempts than any of his team-mates. A first Euro 16 goal is beckoning.
Antonio Candreva – Italy, – $7200
Candreva was a key component of Italy’s qualifying campaign, providing more crosses and goalscoring opportunities than any team-mate. The Lazio winger’s display in the impressive 2-0 win over Belgium saw his stock rise further as he tormented Jan Vertonghen throughout, swinging in ten crosses and providing three chances for team-mates, including the assist for Graziano Pelle’s coup de grace.
DraftKings contests for Friday’s matches are now available, including a $3 entry “Striker” with a $10k prize pot.
DraftKings is available only to those aged 18 or over. Be sure to take note of their Terms and Conditions here.
