Less than 10 days to go for the kick-off of EURO 2024! On Friday, June 14th at 20h00 (UK time), tournament hosts Germany are set to open the European Championship with a game against Scotland and one month later, on Sunday July 15th, we will know which country may call themselves the best in Europe for at least the next four years.
As expected, the football crazies at FanTeam have created their own EURO Fantasy Season Game and it once again looks more than promising, not in the least thanks to a prize pool worth at least a whopping £175,000 with a £10 entry fee (age 18+ only)! The goal is to create a squad of 15 players with a budget of 100M and to score as many points with that squad as possible. The tournament is played over 7 gameweeks (so the duration of the EURO 2024) and the top 10% of participants receive a share of the prize pool, with the winning prize bring at least £35,000. You get 2 Free Transfers every gameweek to strengthen your squad, while additional transfers will result in a 4-point penalty. Check out the EURO Fantasy Season Game for all details on the rules.
EURO 2024: Gameweek 2 (Group stage)
For the first time in history, the European Championship is played with 24 participating countries divided over 6 groups, instead of the traditional 16 countries spread over 4 groups. So, in the build-up to the opening match, we will be looking at some of the most favourable match-ups per gameweek. In this article, we’re taking a look at gameweek 2 of EURO 2024.
GERMANY (vs. Hungary)
Just like in Round 1 of the EURO 2024 Group stage, the bookmakers are giving Germany the lowest odds for a victory in Round 2 as well. After facing Scotland in the tournament opener, the Germans face Hungary, who are currently in 45th place on the FIFA Men’s World Ranking. For the last Eurocup in 2020 though, the two nations met in the group as well and that encounter ended in a surprising 2-2 draw. Now though, playing at home against what is considered one of the weaker squads of the tournament, we feel this will be a regular victory for the Germans.
(previously recommended Germany picks: Kai Havertz (Round 1), Florian Wirtz (Round 1))
Maximilian Mittelstädt (defender) – 6.0M
We picked Germany as one of the stand-out teams to focus on in Round 1 as well, and seeing as we recommended their forward Kai Havertz and midfielder Florian Wirtz for their first game against Scotland, we are happy to recommend defender Maximilian Mittelstädt this time. The left-back is expected to be part of the starting eleven at EURO 2024 and seeing as right-back Joshua Kimmich is listed as a midfielder in FanTeam’s EURO Fantasy Season Game, we went with the Stuttgart man. It should also be noted that the expected starting central duo of Jonathan Tah and Antonio Rüdiger are priced at 6.0M each as well, so saving some budget by going for a German central defender instead of a German full-back is not an option. As far as the game against Hungary is concerned, a German clean sheet is very much within the realm of possibilities, as the attack is not the Hungarys strongest point. They do have a few good set-piece takers, most notably Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboslai, so we expect a German clean sheet to largely depend on their capacity to defend corners and free-kicks against the Magyars.
Pascal Gross (midfielder) – 5.5M
So far, when it came to fantasy picks from the Germany squad, we went with players that are relatively expensive. It’s kind of what you get for being one of the tournament favourites. We therefore tried to find out if the expected starting lineup for Germany boasts a few more budget-friendly players as well, and we might have found one in Pascal Gross. The 32-year-old Brighton midfielder does not need any introduction for regular Fantasy Premier League players, but for those who are not involved in Premier League fantasy football: Gross is a central midfielder who is especially known for his excellent right foot and his qualities as a set-piece taker. Last season, for example, he scored 5 goals and delivered 13 assists in 47 games for the Seagulls, playing mostly as a defensive midfielder. It looks likely that Gross will form the German double pivot in midfield with Robert Andrich, which, in combination with his set-piece expertise, makes him a more budget-friendly EURO Fantasy Season Game pick to consider for your squad.
BELGIUM (vs. Romania)
For Belgium, the EURO 2024 Group stage fixtures read like a trip through Eastern Europe. They start off with a game against Slovakia in Round 1, followed by Romania in Round 2 and then Ukraine in the third and final group game. Despite a mediocre defence and the absence of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, the Red Devils should be able to finish on top in Group E. Their attack and midfield should simply be too much for any of their three opponents, though we don’t expect a walk in the park for the Belgians either, in none of their group games.
Romelu Lukaku (forward) – 10.0M
If your approach to FanTeam’s EURO 2024 Fantasy Season Game is to include at least one premium striker in your team, then Romelu Lukaku should be on your watchlist for sure. The 31-year-old did not have his most prolific season at Roma last season, but the fact that he still finished with 21 goals and 4 assists from 47 games kind of says enough. On top of that, we are also talking about Belgium’s all-time national team top scorer. In 114 appearances for the Red Devils, Lukaku managed an impressive 83 goals and 17 assists, and he will absolutely be looking to cement his place in history during EURO 2024. Considering Belgium’s relatively easy group stage, on paper at least, and knowing that he is surrounded by the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Jeremy Doku up front, we can see Lukaku becoming a major fantasy pick this tournament.
Jeremy Doku (forward) – 7.0M
Are you interested in a reliable starter in Belgium’s attack, but you don’t have the budget for Lukaku? Then perhaps Jeremy Doku could be worth considering. Of course, where Lukaku is recognised as one of the best forwards in Europe, Doku still very much has a way to go in his career. Having said that, Doku made a great impression last season, his first season in the skyblue of Manchester City, by getting 7 goals and 10 assists from 45 games. As such, he played a considerable role in City’s Premier League success, and we expect him to be raring to continue that form at EURO 2024. Currently, the right-wing spot for Belgium looks Doku’s to lose, which means that he represents a 7.0M way into the Belgian forward line. For the second group game against Romania, he will be facing Nicusor Banco at left-back and we have a feeling that the Man City winger will be a bit too much for the Universitatae Craiova defender.
CROATIA (vs. Albania)
In a group consisting of Spain, Croatia, reigning European champions Italy and Albania, every game against the latter is an immediate must-win. That’s bad news for the Albanians, who on paper boast possibly the weakest selection of the entire tournament, but not for fantasy managers. Because in a group like that, there is always one fixture to focus on for your next transfers. That’s what we did in our Group stage Round 1 preview article with Italy and it’s what we are doing for this piece as well, this time with Croatia, who took 3rd place in the 2022 World Cup.
Dominik Livakovic (goalkeeper) – 5.0M
For the game against Albania in particular, we think Croatian shot stopper Dominik Livakovic could represent good value. At 5.0M, he is priced relatively cheap for a starting goalkeeper of a top country and against Albania we wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a clean sheet. Of course, the remaining two opponents in the group (Italy and Spain) boast considerably more quality and fire power up front, but that doesn’t necessarily put us off Livakovic. After all, he is a proven performer at the highest level and each goalkeeper save in FanTeam’s EURO Fantasy Season Game is worth 0.5 points. Saving a penalty is even worth 5 points. In other words, while we expect clean sheet points for Croatia’s encounter with Albania, we can definitely see Livakovic rack up a few save points against Spain and Italy, and who knows what else.
Luka Modric (midfielder) – 6.0M
Sure, the Cruyff of the Balkans is celebrating his 39th birthday a few months after EURO 2024, but we’ll admit, we were still a bit surprised to see Modric priced at just 6.0M in FanTeam’s EURO Fantasy Season Game. After all, we are still talking about one of the best midfielders of his generation, a 6-time Champions League champion and winner of the 2018 Ballon d’Or. He is expected to lead a very experienced Croatia side at an international tournament once more and we are thinking that his slightly more fringe role at Madrid this season will prove valuable now, as he will hopefully be a bit less exhausted than the average EURO 2024 participant. As far as the game against Albania in Round 2 of the Group stage goes, we don’t see the Albanian midfield causing too many problems for the Croatians, hopefully allowing Modric to showcase his exceptional qualities. Against the other two opponents in the group, it will be these qualities plus his experience that can make the difference between a point, three points and no points.