The 2020 Euros tournament kicks-off tonight with two fancied teams, Italy and Turkey, taking centre stage in the opening match. Highlighted below are two Fantasy Euros competitions with huge prizes offered by FanTeam.
Their Euro 2020 Full Tournament offers an incredible prize pool of £1,000,000 (Yes, £1million!) with the winner taking home a cool £200,000. Tickets for participation are available at a price of £20 per ticket.
On top of the full tournament game, Fanteam have a competition for each gameweek. The Gameweek 1 Monster has prizes of £90,000 on offer and starts on Saturday 12th June at 14:00 BST.
Welcome to Part 3 of our 3 Part preview of FanTeam’s Euro 2020 Fantasy game following Part 1 and Part 2 published earlier this week. In the first article we discussed Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France whilst in the second article we covered Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North-Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Russia. Now in this final 3rd article, we cover the remaining countries: Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
The 2020-21 season was a strange, unique year of football for all clubs in all competitions. That’s why the fact that in most countries, when the final few games of the season were played in front of (limited) crowds for the first time in more than a year they sparked such enormous enthusiasm. Now that the domestic leagues have finished though, football is immediately taking the next big step by organising the postponed 2020 European Championship. The pandemic prevented the tournament from taking place last summer, but this summer in just over a week, from June 11th to July 11th, it’s on.
Of course, as the biggest daily fantasy site in Europe, FanTeam had to get in on the upcoming footballing festivities and they did so in style. Their Euro 2020 Full Tournament offers 87,109 seats and an incredible prize pool of £1,000,000 (Yes, £1million!) with the winner taking home a cool £200,000. Tickets for participation are available at a price of £20 per ticket.
As a participant, the concept is very much similar to the regular FanTeam tournaments, like the Weekly Monsters for the Premier League, for example. Each manager needs to select a squad of 15 players from the countries participating in Euro2020, maximum 3 players from the same country, and they will get a free transfer after each round. An additional transfer will cost -4 points, but managers can also carry a maximum of 1 unused transfer over to the next round, so that they will have two free transfers then. Do check out the Euro 2020- Full Tournament for all details regarding the rules.
For the FanTeam Weekly Monster regulars, the FanTeam scoring system has undergone the following adjustments:
What changed?
Why?
Players points for a win reduced from +1 to +0.3 and players points for a defeat increased from -1 to -0.3.
To reduce the impact of a team’s performance and put more focus on the selected player, making more players desirable (especially in formats with few fixtures).
Players will be rewarded for a shot on target: +0.4 for a forward or midfielder, +0.6 for a defender, and 1 for a goalkeeper.
To reward attacking play, while reducing the amount of ties in our tournaments. A “shot on target” is simply a shot that’s going in, but is stopped by the last line of defence. This could be a goalkeeper, an opposing player ‘on the line’, or even your own teammate if they’re goal hanging. Points for a shot on target are not awarded when a goal is scored from the shot, either if the player is the scorer or is awarded the assist.
For the managers brave enough for the FanTeam ride during the upcoming European Championship, we have created a complete tournament guide. Consisting of three parts, we will take a look at each of the 24 participating countries and highlight two players of their squad who could, for more or less obvious reasons, be valuable additions to any FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squad. In the first part, we discussed Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France. In the second part of the series, we went over Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North-Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Russia. In this third and final part of our Euro 2020 Tournament preview, we’re recommending fantasy picks from Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
SCOTLAND
Date
Opponent
June 14
Czech Republic
June 18
England
June 22
Croatia
While most national teams preparing for the European Championship seem to have the completely unpredictable virus factor more or less under control, Scotland was hit hard by a recent outbreak. For their friendly encounter with the Netherlands on June 5th, no less than seven players missed out due to positive tests. As a result of this unfortunate preparation, predicting Scotland’s starting line-up for their opener against the Czech Republic (and even for their subsequent fixtures) is surrounded by even more doubt than usual.
On top of that, Scotland drew a fairly difficult group, including an undoubtedly intense battle with England on the second match day. All things considered, Andrew Robertson (5.0M) is probably one of the better Scottish fantasy picks, though his price category is competitive. With the Liverpool man, you’re at least assured of a starting spot and lots of intent going forward, where possible. Che Adams (5.0M) could be another punt for the more steely-nerved fantasy managers among us. The muscular Southampton forward is one of the players who recently tested positive, but since switching allegiance from England to Scotland recently, he’s been a regular for coach Steve Clarke (3 games: 1 goal, 1 assist) and performed well for Southampton this season.
SLOVAKIA
Date
Opponent
June 14
Poland
June 18
Sweden
June 23
Spain
In theory, Slovakia are the big underdogs in this group, but their Euro 2020 roster contains more quality and big names than many would think. The biggest of them is obviously living Napoli legend Marek Hamsik (4.5M), who is his country’s all-time top scorer (26 goals), their all-time record holder for caps (126 games) and their current captain. The attacking midfielder went a bit off the European radars after his move to China last season, but don’t doubt for a second that he is not still the big man for his country.
If your squad still needs a very budget-enabling midfielder with a security of starts this summer, then Stanislav Lobotka (4.0M) could be worth a gander. The Napoli man holds a defensive position in midfield for his country, so don’t expect too many rushes forwards for attacking returns. Still, his price tag brings him into the mix as a starting midfielder at a bargain price. If you’re really set on picking two Slovakian internationals for your FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament team, then Lobotka wouldn’t be the worst choice.
SPAIN
Date
Opponent
June 14
Sweden
June 19
Poland
June 23
Slovakia
Spain probably has one of the favourable draws in terms of their group for Euro 2020. Though Sweden, Poland and Slovakia are no walk-overs, la Furia Roja should be able to qualify for the knock-out stages relatively comfortably. That’s why we would consider a heavy investment in Alvaro Morata (10.0M). The Juventus striker is a nailed-on component of Spain’s attack, which explains his price tag as well. While his club went through a mediocre season, the former Real Madrid forward managed to record an excellent 20 goals and 12 assists in 40 games. For his country, Morata has netted 19 times in 39 encounters so far and he’ll get plenty of chances to build on that figure during the group stages.
One of the players with the job of providing Morata with a good service is Dani Olmo (8.0M). The RB Leipzig star can play as an attacking midfielder and on either wing, thanks to his outstanding right foot. He got 7 goals and 12 assists from 46 games this season, and on a crowded Spanish midfield, he might be one of the sure starters. On the one hand, his price tag is somewhat inflated as there is a lot of competition in his price category, but on the other hand, Spain are fancied by some for the European title and Olmo has all the qualities to become one of their best performers.
SWEDEN
Date
Opponent
June 14
Spain
June 18
Slovakia
June 23
Poland
The last-minute absence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to injury naturally dominated Sweden-related football news, but the nation can cling to the fact that qualification for Euro 2020 was achieved without their superstar. One of the players that helped compensate for Ibra’s retirement during the qualifiers was Alexander Isak (5.5M), who is going into the European Championship in good form. This season, he scored 17 goals and gave 2 assists in 44 games for Spanish side Real Sociedad. Not bad for a 21-year old. Looking at Slovakia and Poland particularly, Isak looks to carry some differential potential at an acceptable price on FanTeam.
The Sociedad forward will most likely be joined in the Swedish attack by Dejan Kulusevski (6.0M), who is probably the nation’s most exciting talent at the moment. In a mixed season for Italian giants Juventus, his first in the black and white jersey, the right winger has been a bright spot for the Bianconeri. He scored 7 goals and provided 7 assists in 47 outings for his club this season and it’s at him that the Swedish fans look for sparks of creativity. It would be better from a fantasy point of view if Kulusevski was classified as a midfielder on FanTeam instead of as a forward, but the youngster still has some differential potential.
SWITZERLAND
Date
Opponent
June 12
Wales
June 16
Italy
June 20
Turkey
Switzerland pretty much cruised through a qualification group with Denmark; finishing first, scoring 19 goals and conceding just 6. It should be noted though, that 10 of those goals were scored in Gibraltar and that the other two teams in the group were the Republic of Ireland and Georgia. So, in reality, the Swiss are a rather goal-shy team, which is why our first fantasy pick from their roster is Ricardo Rodriguez (5.0M). The Torino FC left-back is known for his attacking impulses and his excellent left foot, which is why he is on regular set-piece duties, including penalties, for the Nati as well.
For our second Swiss fantasy pick, we are staying at the back with goalkeeper Yann Sommer (5.0M). For a nailed-on starting goalie for a defensively focussed side in a group where goals might end up being scarce, his price tag is not too bad. He played 39 games for Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach this season (9 clean sheets) and reached the knock-out stages of the Champions League, while he defended his country’s goal 61 times already (25 clean sheets). As part of a double “cheaper goalkeeper” approach, or even as a starting goalkeeper, Sommer could be a valuable addition to your FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squad.
TURKEY
Date
Opponent
June 11
Italy
June 16
Wales
June 20
Switzerland
Turkey’s group is not easy, but the Crescent Stars might just get something out of it. They created the best defensive outfit in the whole of Euro 2020 qualification and a majority of the squad are active in Europe’s strongest domestic leagues. One of those stars is playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu (5.5M), Turkey’s most expensive fantasy asset on FanTeam. The AC Milan man is instrumental to Turkey’s attacking play and chance creation, and he plays in a very advanced midfield or wing position while being classified in the game as a midfielder. At 5.5M and with an interesting group stage ahead, Calhanoglu could be a decent shout.
When looking at Turkey though, our recommendation is to mainly focus on their defence. Coach Senol Gunes has turned his side into a formidable defensive unit and neither of their opponents in the group are currently known as particularly free-scoring teams. Our eye is on right-back Zeki Celik (4.5M), who seems to have the spot nailed down. He is half a million cheaper than the likes of Soyuncu and Demiral, and he is coming of a spectacular domestic title victory in the Ligue 1 with Lille. Celik played 35 games for the French side this season, and managed 4 goals and 3 assists.
UKRAINE
Date
Opponent
June 13
Netherlands
June 17
North-Macedonia
June 21
Austria
The Ukraine boast a solid, decent team with chances of making it through their group and the most important player is probably Ruslan Malinovskyi (5.5M). The attacking midfielder from Atalanta, where he played 43 games this season and scored an impressive 10 goals while giving another 12 assists, is the man who needs to connect the Ukrainian midfield with their attack. For his country, he currently sits on 6 goals and 5 assists from 35 games, and considering their current group, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him improve on those tallies in the group stage.
In Illya Zabarnyi (4.0M), the Ukraine also saw a promising youngster break through at a European top club this season. At the age of 18 years, the central defender made his way into Shaktar Donetsk’s starting eleven and subsequently into his country’s starting eleven. Coach Andriy Shevchenko has recently partnered him with Mykola Matvienko at the back and the expectation that he will do the same when Euro 2020 kicks off. Like that, Zabarnyi could represent really good budget-enabling value as the fifth defender in your FanTeam squad.
WALES
Date
Opponent
June 12
Switzerland
June 16
Turkey
June 20
Italy
We all more or less know the Gareth Bale (6.0M) story of the past few years by now. The Welshman seemed back to his best at times this season while on loan at his old club Spurs, scoring 16 goals and giving 3 assists in 34 games spread over all competitions, but what we’ll remember most is his inconsistency this season. This probably also explains why Wales’ absolute main man is priced at just 6.0M on FanTeam. Goals might come at a premium in this group, but at that price, Bale should probably be part of your FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squad.
The Dragons have made a habit of being involved in low-scoring affairs, scoring just 10 goals during the Euro 2020 qualifiers and conceding just 6. This made us look at the Welsh defence for our second fantasy pick. Ben Davies would be the stand-out option, but 5.5M feels overpriced for him, especially if he ends up playing centrally. Instead, we’ve gone with right-back Connor Roberts (4.5M), who comes at a budget-friendly price. Don’t expect an abundance of attacking returns, but out of the sturdy bunch in the Welsh backline, he’s the most forward-orientated one.
Welcome to Part 2 of our 3 Part preview of FanTeam’s Euro 2020 Fantasy game following Part 1 published yesterday. In the first part, we discussed Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France. For this second part of the series, we will be going over Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North-Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Russia and in the third and final part of the series we will cover the remaining countries: Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
The 2020-21 season was a strange, unique year of football for all clubs in all competitions. That’s why the fact that in most countries, when the final few games of the season were played in front of (limited) crowds for the first time in more than a year they sparked such enormous enthusiasm. Now that the domestic leagues have finished though, football is immediately taking the next big step by organising the postponed 2020 European Championship which will be closely watched by online betting platforms such as Esport in 22bet. The pandemic prevented the tournament from taking place last summer, but this summer in just over a week, from June 11th to July 11th, it’s on.
Of course, as the biggest daily fantasy site in Europe, FanTeam had to get in on the upcoming footballing festivities and they did so in style. Their Euro 2020 Full Tournament offers 87,109 seats and an incredible prize pool of £1,000,000 (Yes, £1million!) with the winner taking home a cool £200,000. Tickets for participation are available at a price of £20 per ticket.
As a participant, the concept is very much similar to the regular FanTeam tournaments, like the Weekly Monsters for the Premier League, for example. Each manager needs to select a squad of 15 players from the countries participating in Euro2020, maximum 3 players from the same country, and they will get a free transfer after each round. An additional transfer will cost -4 points, but managers can also carry a maximum of 1 unused transfer over to the next round, so that they will have two free transfers then. Do check out the Euro 2020- Full Tournament for all details regarding the rules.
For the FanTeam Weekly Monster regulars, the FanTeam scoring system has undergone the following adjustments:
What changed?
Why?
Players points for a win reduced from +1 to +0.3 and players points for a defeat increased from -1 to -0.3.
To reduce the impact of a team’s performance and put more focus on the selected player, making more players desirable (especially in formats with few fixtures).
Players will be rewarded for a shot on target: +0.4 for a forward or midfielder, +0.6 for a defender, and 1 for a goalkeeper.
To reward attacking play, while reducing the amount of ties in our tournaments. A “shot on target” is simply a shot that’s going in, but is stopped by the last line of defence. This could be a goalkeeper, an opposing player ‘on the line’, or even your own teammate if they’re goal hanging. Points for a shot on target are not awarded when a goal is scored from the shot, either if the player is the scorer or is awarded the assist.
For the managers brave enough for the FanTeam ride during the upcoming European Championship, we have created a complete tournament guide. Consisting of three parts, we will take a look at each of the 24 participating countries and highlight two players of their squad who could, for more or less obvious reasons, be valuable additions to any FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squad. As we said in the intro, in the first part, we discussed Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France. For this second part of the series, we will be going over Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North-Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Russia.
GERMANY
Date
Opponent
June 15
France
June 19
Portugal
June 23
Hungary
The 2014 World Champions are once again one of the favourites for the title this year, especially now that coach Joachim Löw decided to recall two very experienced players after not counting on them for over two years. Mats Hummels and Thomas Müller (8.5M) are both expected to form important cogs of Germany’s formation and we believe the latter can have some serious fantasy value on FanTeam as well. Competition is fierce up front for the Germans, but Müller has shown time and time again over the past years that there are few players around with a keener eye for the target than him, whether it be in the form of a goal or an assist.
The major advantages of picking the rather expensive Joshua Kimmich (8.0M) are that he is as nailed-on as they come for a title contender, not afraid to try and force something in attack, and a very regular set-piece taker for the national team. The 26-year old midfielder/right-back once again had a good season for his side Bayern Munich with 14 assists and 6 goals from 39 games in all competitions. If the consistent Kimmich can carry this form into the Euros, he could be an interesting addition to any FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament game.
HUNGARY
Date
Opponent
June 15
Portugal
June 19
France
June 23
Germany
In a qualification group with Azerbaijan, Croatia, Slovakia and Wales, Hungary finished fourth, but they managed to clinch a Euro 2020 spot by clinching a place in the tournament play-offs, in which Iceland were denied in dramatic last-minute fashion. The Hungarians are one of the big underdogs this summer and as a result, their squad boasts some budget/differential value. As a matter of fact, every Hungary player on FanTeam is priced at 4.5M. In a group with France, Germany and Portugal though, the Magyars will be up against some of strongest opposition possible. Having said that, we did pick two players who could be outfield selections for your squad. Hungary are not expected to claim any clean sheets in the group stage, but there could be save points on the table for their goalkeeper, especially knowing that Peter Gulasci (4.5M) is their man between the sticks. The giant RB Leipzig goalie is undisputed as his country’s #1 and could be a decent choice as second keeper for your squad. At the other end of pitch, the same pretty much goes for Adam Szalai (4.5M). The 33-year Mainz man has not had the best of seasons, but he is always important for his country. Just over the last international break, he scored in back-to-back games against Poland and San Marino to bring him to 23 goals in 70 games for Hungary. At his price, he could be good bench material and should play all 3 group games (whereas some star players could be rested for their final group match).
ITALY
Date
Opponent
June 11
Turkey
June 16
Switzerland
June 20
Wales
The Azzuri qualified for Euro 2020 with relative ease, winning all of their ten qualifiers with only Belgium scoring more than their 37 goals. Italy can be considered a bit of a dark horse for this summer and one of the men in the spotlights will undeniably be Lorenzo Insigne (8.0M). In the Italian offensive line, he is probably the most nailed-on option, which can be even more valuable when you remember that the Napoli man is registered as a midfielder on FanTeam. Combine that with a favourable group and it becomes hard to ignore Insigne.
With our second fantasy pick from Italy, we are staying on their left flank with Leonardo Spinazzola (5.5M). The AS Roma left-back played 39 games this season (2 goals, 8 assists) and reached the semi-finals of the Europa League, practically all of it as a starter for his team. Group A looks like a low-scoring one, so a tireless, very forward-thinking full-back from the group’s favourite for the victory sounds like a shrewd choice. His price tag is not the lightest, but we think he could definitely be worth it.
THE NETHERLANDS
Date
Opponent
June 13
Ukraine
June 17
Austria
June 21
North-Macedonia
After an embarrassing absence at two consecutive major tournaments, the Dutch are back for Euro 2020 and ready to announce themselves. Though serious doubt surrounds the appointment of Frank de Boer as national team coach, the Holland squad does boast a lot of world-class talent. Stand-out fantasy pick for us Memphis Depay (8.5M), who is their most expensive player on FanTeam, but also their central man in attack. The striker is classified as a midfielder on FanTeam, which only adds to his appeal, as he is a nailed-on starter either as number nine or on the wing. The Netherlands are expected to win their group and Depay is supposed to be one of the players leading that effort.
The second Dutchman we’re recommending to put on your watchlists is Steven Berghuis (6.5M). The Feyenoord talisman with the velvet left foot is De Boer’s first choice on the right side, where he gets the freedom to cut inside and have a go at goal quite often. The combination of his very acceptable price tag and the seemingly favourable group stage fixtures has us thinking that Berghuis has the potential to become one of the major differential picks for the FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament.
NORTH-MACEDONIA
Date
Opponent
June 13
Austria
June 17
Ukraine
June 21
The Netherlands
In Part 1 of this series, we mentioned that Finland were one of two teams making their debut at a major international tournament. Well, North-Macedonia is the other. In a qualification group with Austria, Israel, Latvia, Poland and Slovenia, the Red Lynxes finished third (behind Austria and Poland), but they managed to clinch their first ever European Championship participation via the play-offs and their Nations League performances, overcoming Kosovo and Georgia in the process.
In terms of interesting players for FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squads, there is no way around Goran Pandev (4.5M). At 37 years old, the striker currently playing for Serie A side Genoa, is still going very strong for his country and he can now prepare himself for a European Championship in the autumn of his career. The former Lazio Roma and Inter Milano man is a living football legend in his country, which makes sense considering he is both the national team’s top scorer and the most-capped North-Macedonian player of all time. At 4.5M and with relatively favourable opposition coming up, the old fox Pandev might be worth a punt. Another North-Macedonia FanTeam asset worth considering is Leeds left-back Ezgjan Alioski (4.5M). We don’t expect him to record a clean sheet in the group, but his constant bombing forward might just result in an attacking return. Over the past three years, he scored 15 goals and provided 13 assists for his club, while he already has 7 goals and 12 assists from 42 games for his country.
POLAND
Date
Opponent
June 14
Slovakia
June 19
Spain
June 23
Sweden
For many years, when you think of the Polish football team, you think of Robert Lewandowski (9.0M). The Bayern Munch striker is probably the best Polish footballer ever, which really is saying something considering the country’s long and rich footballing history, but the numbers speak for themselves. For Bayern, he has scored 294 goals and given 65 assists in 329 games, while he has 66 goals and 23 assists from 118 games for Poland to his name. At 9.0M, and with Slovakia and Sweden in the group, we’re not sure you can omit Lewandowski from your team.
Poland are a team that aims to lean on its attack on its way to success, which is why we have opted for Piotr Zielinski (5.0M) as our second Polish fantasy pick. The Napoli midfielder, who played 47 games (10 goals, 13 assists) for the Italian side this season, is largely responsible for feeding cute balls to the men in front of him. Though Poland are not expected to walk over any of their opponents in this group, qualification for the knock-out stages looks like a more than realistic goal, which means that Zielinski could make a mockery of his price in the first games of the tournament.
PORTUGAL
Date
Opponent
June 15
Hungary
June 19
Germany
June 23
France
We just wrote that it’s impossible getting around Lewandowski when talking about Poland, so what about Portugal then? The defending European champions drew a difficult group, but everything is possible when you have Cristiano Ronaldo (10.0M). The Juventus superstar is now 36 years old, but there is no way he’s going to slow down now. He is Portugal’s all-time top scorer, all-time most-capped player and their current captain, and despite the strength of their group for the upcoming Euros, we dare say that 10.0M could very well turn out a bit of a bargain.
Those fantasy managers looking for a decent set-and-forget goalkeeper should probably put Portugal shot stopper Anthony Lopes (5.5M) on their scouting lists as well. The Lyon number one is currently preferred over Wolves goalkeeper Rui Patricio by national team coach Fernando Santos and could represent good value despite the difficulty of Portugal’s group. Lopes leads a pretty sturdy defensive set-up of a team where attacking-wise, everything runs through Ronaldo, which is why a defensive Portuguese pick could be a good idea. In that case, Lopes looks like a dependable choice that doesn’t ruin your budget plans.
RUSSIA
Date
Opponent
June 12
Belgium
June 16
Finland
June 21
Denmark
Despite not being the strongest Russian roster in recent years, there is some good value to be found among Russian fantasy assets, especially when looking at the group. On a good day, Russia can put each of these teams to the test, though Belgium did outclass them twice in the qualification group stage. In any case, the stand-out option in terms of Russian fantasy assets is probably striker Artem Dzyuba (5.5M). He is involved in practically any attacking Russian move, which largely explains how he got to 29 goals and 15 assists in 51 games. That’s quite an average and at his price on FanTeam, he could represent extraordinary differential value.
Attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin (6.0M) is another key man for the Russian national eleven. The AS Monaco man played 21 games for the French side this season, and managed to make a mark by scoring 6 times and providing 9 decisive passes. For Russia, the 25-year old currently sits on 37 caps (5 goals, 12 assists), and 2 of those goals and 7 of those assists were recorded during the qualifying phase for Euro 2020. Golovin is one of the team’s major creative outlets and his regular set-piece duties add to his appeal as a differential, budget-friendly pick.
Welcome to Part 1 of our 3 Part preview of FanTeam’s Euro 2020 Fantasy game. In this first part, we discuss Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France. For the second part of the series, we will be going over Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, North-Macedonia, Poland, Portugal and Russia and in the third and final part of the series we will cover the remaining countries: Scotland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and Wales.
The 2020-21 season was a strange, unique year of football for all clubs in all competitions. That’s why the fact that in most countries, when the final few games of the season were played in front of (limited) crowds for the first time in more than a year they sparked such enormous enthusiasm. Now that the domestic leagues have finished though, football is immediately taking the next big step by organising the postponed 2020 European Championship. The pandemic prevented the tournament from taking place last summer, but this summer in just over a week, from June 11th to July 11th, it’s on.
Of course, as the biggest daily fantasy site in Europe, FanTeam had to get in on the upcoming footballing festivities and they did so in style. Their Euro 2020 Full Tournament offers 87,109 seats and an incredible prize pool of £1,000,000 (Yes, £1million!) with the winner taking home a cool £200,000. Tickets for participation are available at a price of £20 per ticket.
As a participant, the concept is very much similar to the regular FanTeam tournaments, like the Weekly Monsters for the Premier League, for example. Each manager needs to select a squad of 15 players from the countries participating in Euro2020, maximum 3 players from the same country, and they will get a free transfer after each round. An additional transfer will cost -4 points, but managers can also carry a maximum of 1 unused transfer over to the next round, so that they will have two free transfers then. Do check out the Euro 2020- Full Tournament for all details regarding the rules.
For the FanTeam Weekly Monster regulars, the FanTeam scoring system has undergone the following adjustments:
What changed?
Why?
Player points for a win reduced from +1 to +0.3 and players points for a defeat changed from -1 to -0.3.
To reduce the impact of a team’s performance and put more focus on the selected player, making more players desirable (especially in formats with few fixtures).
Players will be rewarded for a shot on target: +0.4 for a forward or midfielder, +0.6 for a defender, and +1 for a goalkeeper.
To reward attacking play, while reducing the amount of ties in our tournaments. A “shot on target” is simply a shot that’s going in, but is stopped by the last line of defence. This could be a goalkeeper, an opposing player ‘on the line’, or even your own teammate if they’re goal hanging. Points for a shot on target are not awarded when a goal is scored from the shot, either if the player is the scorer or is awarded the assist.
For the managers brave enough for the FanTeam ride during the upcoming European Championship in June 2021, we have created a complete tournament guide. Consisting of three parts, we will take a look at each of the 24 participating countries and highlight two players from each country who could, for more or less obvious reasons, be valuable additions to any FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament squad. In this first part of our Euro2020 preview series, we are going over these 8 countries: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, Finland and France.
AUSTRIA
Date
Opponent
June 13
North-Macedonia
June 17
Netherlands
June 21
Ukraine
Austria’s group could be worse, which makes them one of the teams where potential budget value could be found. The first name popping into your head when thinking of the Austrian national team is David Alaba (5.0M), former Bayern Munich star and brand-new Real Madrid recruit. He is not cheap, but we can see him booking at least one clean sheet in the group and even more importantly, Alaba plays in the middle for his country and regularly takes on set-piece challenges as well.
Our second Austria fantasy pick was between Marko Arnautovic and Marcel Sabitzer (5.5M), and we ended up going with the latter. The RB Leipzig midfielder, who is rumoured to be in Juventus’ good books for this summer’s transfer window, forms an extremely dynamic and technical midfield with the previously mentioned Alaba for Austria. His versatility allows him to shine anywhere in the middle, but he performs best further up front and sometimes even all the way up front. This also explains his 9 goals and 7 assists in 39 games for Leipzig this season.
BELGIUM
Date
Opponent
June 12
Russia
June 17
Denmark
June 21
Finland
On paper, Belgium look to have been drawn in one of the most favourable groups of the tournament. As a result, we can imagine several of their players becoming popular fantasy picks at the start and over the course of the group stages. Every Belgian and every football enthusiast got a bit of a scare when Kevin de Bruyne (12.5M) had to come off after a collision with Antonio Rüdiger in the recent Champions League final, but the City midfielder has fortunately been cleared for inclusion in Belgium’s Euro2020 squad, although it looks like he could miss the opening match against Russia. Still, he should be a top pick for the tournament. KDB is one of the best midfielders in the world, instrumental to his squad and with a kind opening schedule.
One of the players who will be looking to profit from De Bruyne’s genius is Romelu Lukaku (11.5M). With 24 goals this season, the Inter Milan striker ended seventh on the goalscoring rankings of Europe’s five biggest leagues, playing a key role in his club’s domestic title success. For Belgium, Lukaku is not only a nailed-on starter, but also their all-time top scorer with 59 goals from 91 games. We’d be surprised if he doesn’t net at least once during the group stages.
CROATIA
Date
Opponent
June 13
England
June 18
Czech Republic
June 22
Scotland
Croatia drew a pretty tough group with England, Czech Republic and Scotland, but they’re quite a good bunch themselves as well. Somehow, they keep producing top-class talent for the national team and they can combine it with some of the biggest names in world football. One of those well-known, experienced names is Ivan Perisic (8.0M). The Inter Milan midfielder/winger will be playing his 100th game for the national team on June 13th (27 goals, 22 assists), and with Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic having retired from the national team, Perisic will be looked at by the nation as a principal source of goals.
In the more affordable category of players, Croatia also offers a few interesting fantasy picks, like Mislav Orsic (5.5M). The 28-year Dinamo Zagreb winger has had a phenomenal season with 24 goals and 9 assists in 51 games, including a hat trick against Spurs in the Europa League Round of 16, and will be looking to carry that form into the European Championship. He currently sits on just 8 caps for Croatia (2 assists), but he’ll likely build on that tally as it will be difficult for coach Zlatko Dalic to keep him out of the starting eleven in his current form.
CZECH REPUBLIC
Date
Opponent
June 14
Scotland
June 18
Croatia
June 22
England
One of the lesser known squads comes from the Czech Republic this summer, but that doesn’t mean that it boasts no quality. On the contrary, the Czechs have the roster to create a hard-working, hard-to-beat unit, and the Premier League fans and FPL managers among us will definitely recognize a few of this season’s most popular FPL assets. Top of the list is Vladimir Coufal (5.0M), who had a fantastic debut season for West Ham at right-back this season. He’s strong, dynamic and loves to whip in crosses, leading to a more than decent 10 assists in all competitions. Coufal is an essential part of the Czech Republic’s set-up, both defensively and offensively, which might make him worth his price tag.
Tomas Soucek (5.0M) is another key part of the Czech squad who earns his living in the Premier League, at the Hammers, just like Coufal. And just like Coufal, Soucek had a great first full season in England. As a defensive midfielder, he has shown a keen tactical sense and an outstanding physique, as well as an excellent feeling for timing his forward runs. His 10 goals and 1 assist this season did not just appear out of thin air, after all.
DENMARK
Date
Opponent
June 12
Finland
June 17
Belgium
June 21
Russia
At first sight, the Danish team seems to contain some very interesting targets as they combine quality players from top clubs, a decent overall team, relatively affordable player prices and a schedule with potential. No player embodies this combination more than Christian Eriksen (7.0M). The Inter Milan star is central to most of what Denmark do in attack and he is also first-choice for practically every set-piece. The team is built around him and coach Kasper Hjulmand gives him all the freedom he needs to do what he does best.
In a group with Switzerland, Ireland, Georgia and Gibraltar, Denmark conceded 6 goals in eight Euro2020 qualifier games, which is a decent average. The Danes can defend well and are not afraid to lean on their defence to book a result when necessary, which is why our eye fell on Simon Kjaer (4.5M). The central defender is a nailed-on half of the Danish central duo and represents certain budget-enabling value. We don’t expect too much from him against Belgium, but the Finland and Russia games could be interesting in terms of clean sheet potential.
ENGLAND
Date
Opponent
June 13
Croatia
June 18
Scotland
June 22
Czech Republic
Harry Kane (13.5M) is the most expensive player in the entire FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament game, so we contemplated whether picking him as part of our recommendations would be too easy or not, but there’s simply no getting around the Spurs man. England have a tough three games waiting for them and we would surprised if any of them end up being a very high-scoring one, but Kane is Kane. He has been spectacular at Spurs this season and he’s surrounded by a better team at the Three Lions, so he’s probably worth that considerable chunk of budget.
At the other end of the pitch, Harry Maguire (6.5M) is key to England’s hopes and dreams of European success. We were first set on Champions League winner Ben Chilwell for this pick, but with Luke Shaw coming off a great season, Maguire looks to be the only nailed-on defensive asset on the English team roster. Do keep an eye on his fitness in the build-up to the tournament, but he could be a good set-and-forget option during the group stages (and beyond, hopefully). Also do be aware that Trent Alexander-Arnold (aka TAA) has been ruled out of Euro 2020 through injury and is likely to be replaced in the England squad by James Ward-Prowse (another dead-ball specialist) or perhaps Jesse Lingard (England already have 3 quality 20/21 trophy-winning right-backs in their squad: Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier & Reece James).
FINLAND
Date
Opponent
June 12
Denmark
June 16
Russia
June 21
Belgium
Finland are one of the two countries making their European Championship debut, having never previously qualified for a major tournament. The Fins are definitely the underdog in Group B and though we don’t recommend focusing too much on their fantasy assets, the Finnish squad does contain some interesting differential / budget value, starting with Teemu Pukki (5.0M). The Norwich City striker, where he recorded 26 goals and 4 assists this season to help the club back to the Premier League, is probably the biggest name in the national team and the man all Finnish eyes will be on this summer. In the bargain striker category for the FanTeam Euro 2020 Full Tournament, there are few better options available.
Staying in the budget category, we’ve also highlighted goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky (4.0M). Finland will probably not keep many clean sheets this summer, but they might be a goldmine for save points (0.5 points per save). With Hradecky, Finland have a very experienced quality man between the sticks. He’s a starter for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, where he kept 10 clean sheets in 37 games this season. For Finland, his totals sit at 25 clean sheets from 64 games at the moment, which is not bad at all and which is why we think that your squad could do a lot worse than having Hradecky as your second goalie.
FRANCE
Date
Opponent
June 15
Germany
June 19
Hungary
June 23
Portugal
France are one of the absolute favourites for the Final this summer, but they will have to sweat for it. They were drawn into Group F with Germany, Portugal and Hungary, making this the “Group of Death” of the upcoming European Championship. Our first fantasy pick from Les Bleus is part sentiment and part stone cold fact: Karim Benzema (10.0M). The French forward has been a mainstay at Real Madrid for an incredible 11 years already, in which he played 559 games and scored 279 goals (plus 144 assists), but wasn’t called up for international duty for the past six years due to some private issues. Coach Didier Deschamps has now decided to recall the Madrid superstar and we’re expecting him to make an immediate impact as France’s starting number nine (Extra: he’s also less expensive on FanTeam than teammates Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann).
Much of France’s international footballing success in recent years is down to a rather defensive approach to games, building a very solid unit of world-class talent based on defensive discipline and speedy killers up front. Keeping that in mind, we figured that a defensive fantasy pick from France could be a smart investment. Seeing as all of France’s supposed starting defenders are priced at 6.5M, we have chosen right-back Benjamin Pavard (6.5M) as our Bleu. He had some injury issues this season, but nevertheless still featured in 36 games (1 goal, 2 assists), for German giants Bayern Munich. Pavard is pricey, but he’s also a starting and attack-minded right-back for one of the best teams in the tournament, hands down.
