Defenders are now the focus as we continue our position-by-position look at the best players for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Fantasy.

• READ MORE: Best goalkeepers for UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Fantasy
• READ MORE: How to play the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 Fantasy game

Rebecca Knaak/Giulia Gwinn (Germany)

Knaak was snapped up by Manchester City this January after an outstanding three seasons at Rosengard. In those years in Sweden, she won the double, retained the title the following season and was voted defender of the season.

The main thing about Knaak is she has a kn(a)ack for scoring goals. She bagged 12 of them in 19 Swedish top-flight matches in 2024 before moving to City, where she banged in four more in eight matches.

The 29-year-old is the only left-footed defender in the side, has started four of Germany’s six Nations League matches and has potential to return at both ends for a side with a benign group that includes Denmark, Poland and Sweden.

In the Fantasy world, we love goalscoring defenders. In Knaak, we have found one.

Rebecca Knaak 2025 stats

A big shout out to teammate Giulia Gwinn, too, the full-back who has plundered 14 goals in 63 national team appearances.

The big reason for that? Penalties. She scored two of them in qualifying alone.

But we only need to look back to the friendly against England at the back-end of 2024 to see her threat from open play.

Giulia Gwinn 2024/25 stats

Lucy Bronze (England)

There is no debating Bronze’s quality, nor her place in the team. The 33-year-old is one of the most decorated players in women’s football who has won multiple titles in England, France and Spain including nine league titles and five Champions Leagues.

Fresh from winning the domestic treble with Chelsea this season, Bronze will be hell-bent on retaining this European title.

The right-back likes to maraud forward and instigate attacks, which has brought her three international goals this season alone, including two in her last three matches.

Offering potential for clean sheets, assists and goals, Bronze is a Fantasy manager’s dream.

Much like with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, the first fixture against France is far from straightforward – so Matchday 2 might be a better entry point for Bronze.

Lucy Bronze 2024/25 stats

Lucia Di Guglielmo (Italy)

One of the most complete full-backs at the Euros, Di Guglielmo brings experience, balance and speed to an Italy side who pride themselves on their defensive obduracy.

Italy tend not to score many goals but they are good at keeping them out, as evidenced by three clean sheets in their six Nations League matches.

The Roma right-back, who can play on either flank, played in all of those shut-outs and scored in the 3-0 win over Denmark, serving notice of her all-round threat. 

There’s even a chance of a wing-back stationing, which would boost her attacking potential.

The 28-year-old Spain will be a challenging assignment – that comes in Matchday 3, so she could be sold at that point – but their other Group B opponents Belgium and Portugal represent good opportunities for clean sheets for the 28-year-old.

Lucia Di Guglielmo 2024/25 stats

Sara Holmgaard (Denmark)

Sara Holmgaard has had an exceptional season in the WSL, where she has been Everton’s star performer, helping bring solidity at the back while weighing in with impressive attacking returns.

The 26-year-old scored three goals and produced four assists in the WSL last season, earning a summer move to Real Madrid.

Her form has also translated to the international stage, where she scored a spectacular goal in the Nations League victory over Italy in February. The Danes’ results have fluctuated wildly this year, swinging from the 3-1 victory over the Azzurre to a 6-1 hammering by Sweden, and they will do well to qualify from a group containing the Swedes, Germany and Poland.

Denmark do know how to get the ball in the box, which could well mean attacking returns for Holmgaard.

She’s certainly a name to consider in Matchday 3, when her nation faces outsiders Poland.

Sara Holmgaard 2024/25 stats

Selma Bacha (France)

Though still only 24, Selma Bacha is already a serial winner.

The Lyon native won the first of four Champions Leagues while still only 17 and has seven league titles to her name with Olympique Lyonnais.

Bacha has such all-round ability that she was deployed for a time in midfield for Les Bleus, but she is thriving back in her preferred left-back role under current coach Laurent Bonadei.

Bacha is a consistent provider of attacking returns. She produced nine assists in successive seasons for Lyon in 2021/22 and 2022/23, and this season she has managed three in 13 matches since returning from a long-term ankle injury that has plagued her since the 2023 World Cup.

In that aforementioned World Cup, she delivered two assists from four starts.

Sakina Karchaoui is a very viable alternative from the France squad, as she looks set to be ‘out of position’ in midfield. That hasn’t yet translated into a glut of attacking returns, so Bacha remains our top target from the defence.

France have a tough group including England, the Netherlands and Wales, but six clean sheets in their last seven matches bodes very well for this forward-minded defender.

Salma Bacha 2024/25 stats

Ona Batlle (Spain)

Playing for the favourites to win the competition makes Batlle an attractive proposition. One glance at her stats makes her even more of a strong consideration for our Fantasy teams.

La Roja are rated as a 60% likelihood to keep a clean sheet in their opening match against Portugal, and they will be strongly fancied to do likewise against Belgium on Matchday 2.

Aside from her clean-sheet potential, it is Batlle’s attacking threat that really jumps off the page.

The full-back loves to get forward and deliver chances for team-mates, as her eight assists and four goals this season attest.

Batlle was a major factor in Barcelona’s Liga F title win. Her assist count was more than any other defender in the division, while her shot-creating actions of 4.39 per 90 mins put her in the 96^th percentile among full-backs.

She also served notice of this threat when setting up one of Claudia Pina’s goals for Spain against England last month. An assist then followed in the recent friendly against Japan.

Ona Batlle 2024/25 stats

Kirsten Casparij (Netherlands)

Casparij has come into her own in her third season at Manchester City, helping them reach the League Cup final and the last eight of the Champions League.

Casparij has weighed in with three assists and two goals in the WSL and was on target in the Champions League too.

The 24-year-old, who clocked up 50 appearances in all competitions for City last season, is a coach’s dream because she can play at full-back on either flank, using her pace and crossing ability to wreak havoc for defences.

Throw in the fact that the Netherlands’ Matchday 1 meeting with Wales rates them at 60% to keep a clean sheet, potential for returns at both ends sings out for the flying Dutchwoman.

Kirsten Casparij 2024/25 stats

Stats from FOTMOB