A Group of Death if there ever was one. EURO 2020 Group F features some of the most successful teams in international football history in Germany, France, Portugal, and the sole outlier Hungary. While it’s fair to write Hungary off as a team that will most definitely finish in last, the battle for the top-two won’t be one you would want to miss.
EURO 2020 Group F Fixtures
Hungary vs Portugal – Tuesday, June 15
France vs Germany – Tuesday, June 15
Hungary vs France – Saturday, June 19
Portugal vs Germany – Saturday, June 19
Poland vs France – Wednesday, June 23
Germany vs Hungary – Wednesday, June 22
France – Phenomenal
After justifying their tag as the favourite to win the 2018 World Cup, the pressure on Didier Deschamp’s side to bring home another silverware is at an all-time high. The media and the fans demand nothing less than gold from Les Blues, and you can’t say that they’re expecting too much from their squad.
French class of 2021 is likely one of the strongest international football teams we saw in a very long time. Led by the former French captain, who carried his nation to the World Cup title in 1998 and repeated that success in 2000, Les Blues have all the tools needed to add another trophy to their cabinet.
This side fields way too many talented individuals for us to cover everyone, but the shining star in this team is the young Kylian Mbappe, who will serve as the French’ main threat from the right. Joining him as a part of the prominent frontline is the 2016 EURO top scorer Antoine Griezmann and Karim Benzema, who will put on his nation’s jersey for the first time in six years.
The only thing that works against France and the only concern you might have for the Les Bleus, is the thought group they were placed in. While there’s no denying France should be walking out of Group F relatively unharmed, you can never undervalue Germany and Portugal as France’s main threat for a top-two finish.
Germany – (Still) Flawed
During his 14-year tenure at the helm of The Mannschaft, Joachim Low achieved undeniable success, including the 2014 World Cup title, 2017 Federations Cup, and two back-to-back EURO semi-finals, to name a few.
Despite the remarkable success Germany has had over the years, their 2018 World Cup run remains the main talking point. For the first time in their history, the German side failed to make it out of the group.
Given the group Germany have been placed in, a top-three finish shouldn’t escape them, however, we have a few concerns for this side. As good as German midfield is, The Mannschaft proven to be very vulnerable elsewhere – particularly in the defence, as evident in their historic 0-6 loss to Spain in November.
Sorting out the errors in the backline will be essential for Low and Germany’s chances to succeed. Especially considering they will have to face Portugal and France, who won’t shy away from taking advantage of German’s mistake-prone backline.
Low has implemented some changes to improve his side since the disaster in Russia, but the issues have largely persisted. One thing going for Germany is that they’ll be enjoying home ground advantage in Group F, but given the quality of their opposition, it doesn’t seem likely that playing in Berlin will make much of a difference.
Portugal – Elite and Consistent
Portugal’s golden generation has brought home honours never before seen for the Iberian nation. As the EURO 2016 champions, Portugal now chase their back-to-back title with what seems like a squad significantly stronger than that which conquered Europe in France.
Boasting world-class players, a strong backline, and a potent frontline, Portugal are set for another deep run at a major tournament. What defines Fernando Santos’ side is consistency and all-round quality – two traits not many other sides have.
Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, and Cristiano Ronaldo are only a couple of names that make Portugal an elite team, but you can’t look past the recent additions to the roster. Diogo Jota, who has missed the majority of 2021, Andre Silva, who shone in the Bundesliga, and Perdo Goncalves are all bound to make a splash at EURO 2020.
Even though Portugal shifted to a more risk-averse style of late, they have plenty of options in the attack for us not to be worried about Santos’ men ability to find goals. Build from the back, Portugal are rarely involved in high-scoring affairs, but they’re still very efficient with the ball and rarely give up opportunities in the final third.
Hungary – No Sign of a Second “Golden Team”
Hungary have one of the richest histories in international football and will always be remembered as the nation that revolutionised how the game is played with their Golden Team of 1950s. Things, however, are no longer the same and haven’t been for a very long time.
Hungary failed to attend a single major tournament since 1986, and it wasn’t until 2016 when they featured at EURO 2016. There they showed glimpses of greatness, edging past Austria, Portugal and Iceland to finish their group with top honours.
Their story five years back ended in the last-16, when Hungary failed to make it past Belgium. Although a painful loss, it has gained the once-great nation the motivation and support from the fans to make another splash on an international stage.
Hungary are used to overcoming near-impossible challenges, but Group F seems like an obstacle that will be too high to overcome. As the largest outsiders to progress to the knockout stage, Hungary will have to produce a miracle to make it out alive, although they can calm themselves knowing that they will be playing their opening two matches at home.
Still, lack of star players and creativity remains two big concerns for Marco Rossi’s side. Expecting Hungary to come out of Group F alive is way too optimistic.
EURO 2020 Group F Predictions
Prediction: France & Portugal (Group Dual Forecast) – 0.75 units – 4.00 at Bet365
Prediction: Germany (Lowest Scoring Team) – 0.5 units E/W – 67.00 at Bet365
Prediction: Belgium & France (Finalists) – 0.25 units – 17.00 at Bet365
Prediction: France & Turkey (Finalists) -0.25 units – 67.00 at Bet365
