As the Euro 2016 quarter-finals reach the halfway stage this evening, DraftKings offers us a pair of fixtures over Friday and Saturday to construct our squads around.
Wales take on Belgium in Lille at 8pm for a place in the last four against Portugal. Chris Coleman’s side may be the underdogs but, in Gareth Bale, they boast one of the tournament’s form players. Joint-top scorer over the first four rounds of fixtures, the Real Madrid attacker has registered more attempts on target than any player to date.
Belgium arrive on the back of three successive wins and turned in their most impressive display of the tournament with a 4-0 thrashing of Hungary last time out. Marc Wilmots’ side are without regular defenders Thomas Vermaelen and Jan Vertonghen through injury and suspension respectively, though, and could struggle to register a fourth straight shut-out tonight.
Germany and Italy go head-to-head in Bordeaux at 8pm tomorrow evening.
Joachim Low’s side have won three and drawn one of their four fixtures and breezed past Slovakia 3-0 in the Round of 16. Germany have impressed at both ends of the pitch – they produced both more attempts on goal and efforts inside the box than any country over the first four rounds of fixtures.
Given that they have allowed their opponents less attempts on goal than any side and have also yet to concede, the World Champions are favoured to get the best of Antonio Conte’s troops.
Nonetheless, Italy will be buoyed by their convincing 2-0 win over defending champions Spain last time out. The Azzurri have produced just 36 attempts on goal to Germany’s 83 but their resilient rearguard has conceded a single goal so far, in a 1-0 loss to Republic of Ireland when Conte made eight changes to his starting XI.
As always, DraftKings allows us to scan the teamsheets before each fixture, adjusting your line-ups in search of some last-minute bargains.
Here’s our selection of DraftKings targets to help guide your picks ahead of the upcoming contest.
Thomas Muller – Germany – $9300
Although he’s yet to find the net in Euro 2016, the Germany attacker’s all-round contribution has continued to bring in the points. Muller is joint-top for attempts on goal for Low’s side ahead of tomorrow’s encounter with Italy, whilst he has also made more successful tackles than any team-mate and supplied seven crosses thanks to his role on the right flank.
Kevin de Bruyne – Belgium – $9700
The Belgian’s creative endeavours continue to make him an ideal candidate for our eight-man DraftKings line-ups. De Bruyne has produced more crosses and key passes than any player in the tournament and is thriving in a central support role for Marc Wilmots’ side. A weakened defence means the Red Devils are likely to go on the offensive and De Bruyne looks vital to their prospects of sealing a spot in the last four.
Aaron Ramsey – Wales – $7600
The Wales midfielder was something of a disappointment in the previous round after opponents Northern Ireland sat deep and proved difficult to break down. Ramsey is up against a Belgium side that’s expected to go on the offensive this time around, thus allowing Chris Coleman’s troops the chance to break at speed on the counter. Second for successful tackles and attempts on goal for his country, Ramsey – who is Wales’ leading candidate for crosses and chances created – looks an ideal candidate for our DraftKings squads this evening.
James Chester – Wales – $3600
A rock at the heart of the Wales defence, Chester’s tally of 14 successful tackles is second only to Croatia’s Darijo Srna for the tournament and is at least double the number of any team-mate. Given that he’s also made more interceptions than any of Chris Coleman’s squad, the West Brom defender can expect to be kept busy against Belgium’s thriving attack tonight.
Jordan Lukaku – Belgium – $3800
The raiding left-back could be set for his first start of the tournament as Marc Wilmots reshuffles his defence for the clash against Wales. Lukaku bagged two assists in three friendly appearances prior to the start of Euro 2016 and produced a cross every 38.5 minutes. It’s worth keeping an eye on tonight’s teamsheets, then, with a price of $3800 looking excellent value for money if he’s handed a place in The Red Devils’ XI.
Spots in DraftKings contests for Friday and Saturday’s matches are still available, including the $3 entry “Striker” with a $5k prize pot.
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