Euro 2024: Group F Preview
Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the face of Portugal any more-- or at least not the only face. An army of talent, led by Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes, around the talismanic striker promises potential for Portugal to return to the throne
Turkey
FIFA Rank: 40th
Qualified as: Group D winners
The Skinny
Turkey's footballing history is a strange one; they have only ever qualified for 2 World Cups and 5 European Championships ever, and in most of those 7 major tournament appearances have done nothing of note. Yet, the Turkish league is probably one of the 10-15 best leagues in the world, the nation has consistently produced some remarkable talent, and on one occasion in each tournament, Turkey have gone on a stunning run. 3 years after finishing at the worst team in the Euros, Ay-Yıldızlılar ("The Crescent-Stars") will try to instead channel the energy of either their 2002 World Cup or 2008 Euros, both of which saw them shocking the masses with a trip to the semifinals, where in both cases, they lost a thriller to eventual runner-up Germany. Some young talent, a fairly open group, and topping a difficult group in qualifying suggest it might just be possible.
The Best XI
Turkey have two goalies with about the same amount of caps that are stars in the Turkish Süper Lig, but I expect they'll opt for the more veteran Mert Günok of Beşiktaş. He'll be situated behind a solid back line that includes former Juventus starter Merih Demiral, former Liverpool starter Ozan Kabak, and fullbacks that play at Valencia and Roma. A talented midfield trio includes Borussia Dortmund's Salih Özcan, Benfica's Orkun Köçku and of course, captain and star man Hakan Çalhanoğlu (Inter Milan). The front 3 sees two more domestic league stars in tandem with Real Madrid wunderkind Arda Güler, who finally made his first impact for the champions of Europe at the end of the season once recovered from injury.
Georgia
FIFA Rank: 75th
Qualified as: Group A 4th Place; defeated Kazakhstan and Greece in playoff
The Skinny
It's always a unique delight when a major tournament includes a debutante, and in that regard, Georgia is the feel-good story of the Euro Cup. The Jvarosnebi ("Crusaders") were part of the Soviet Union until 1992, but are making their first-ever major tournament appearance as an independent nation. They finished a distant 4th in their qualifying group, but thanks to their strong play in last year's Nations League, had a path to the tournament through the playoffs. There, they dispatched fellow former Soviet Bloc nation Kazakhstan with ease, before stunning Greece at home in a penalty shootout to book their tickets to Germany. They're the lowest-ranked team in this competition by some margin, but have some proven players, and a proud nation that is already proud of what they achieved; anything from here on is just gravy.
The Best XI
There's no question who the focal point for Georgia-- and for their opponents --will be: Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratshkelia. But ignore his attacking teammates at your own risk: left winger Saba Lobjanidze has scored a goal every 3 matches for MLS's Atlanta United, and Giorgi Chakvetadze made an instant impact this year for Championship side Watford. The more defensive trio in the midfield ply their trade in the top leagues of Austria, Spain and Poland, and a veteran last line of defense includes captain Guram Kashia, and Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Portugal
FIFA Rank: 6th
Qualified as: Group J winner
The Skinny
For years and years, Portugal was one of those nations that seemed to just always be good, always be a contender, and yet, unable to win a trophy. Semifinal finishes in 1966 and 2006 are their best results at any World Cup, whereas over the last 30+ years, quarterfinal or semifinal trips in the Euro Cup almost became the norm for the Seleção. When they reached the Final on home soil in 2004, only to lose a stunner to heavy underdogs Greece, it must have felt like it was never going to happen for them. Then came the 2016 tournament, where despite not winning a single match in regulation until the semifinals, they reached the Final once more, and this time played the part of spoiler, stunning hosts and heavy favorites France to claim their first-ever trophy. Triumph in the inaugural Nations League tournament came a few years later, but in the the two World Cups and one Euros since, they've exited in the round of 16 each time. Can this squad get the 2016 champs back atop the podium? It's extremely possible. The Seleção barnstormed through qualifying with 10 wins, 0 losses and only 2 total goals conceded. Manager Roberto Martínez has loads of experience, and one of the most talented teamsheets in the tournament. It's far from improbable that Portugal are last ones standing at tournament's end.
The Best XI
Wherein many tournaments past, the Portuguese may have best been described as "Cristiano and the rest," this squad is balanced and oozing with talent. So much so, in fact, that I don't know that the best move is to even start their talismanic striker (though I'm sure they will), nor Premier League mainstays Diogo Jota or Pedro Neto. After all, they have a bevy of other attacking options in Paris Saint-Germain striker Gonçalo Ramos-- who scored a hat trick in the World Cup in place of the benched Ronaldo -- the young Milan and Barcelona talents Rafael Leão and João Felix, and Manchester City's reliable Bernardo Silva. Then there's Manchester United star Bruno Fernandes, the attacking midfielder who is quite possibly Portugal's best player at this point. Martínez will have decisions to make between multiple good candidates at both defensive midfield and keeper, but my pick would be for two guys who are quietly among the best in the Premier League at those roles in Fulham's João Palhinha and Wolverhampton''s Jose Sá. If this side has any weakness, it's a relative thinness in defense (somewhat evidenced by yet another call-up for the 41-year old Pepe), but if their likely first-choice back 4 can stay healthy, it would include starters from Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. Not bad, that!
Czech Republic
FIFA Rank: 36th
Qualified as: Group E runner-up
The Skinny
Pretty much since the dawn of competitive football, the Czechs have been one of the foremost footballing powers, first as Czechoslovakia (wherein they reached 2 World Cup Finals, won the Euros in 1976 and finished in 3rd twice), but then still as an independent Czech Republic, with 3 trips to the semifinals in the Euros, and consistently placing players at the best clubs in the world. Then came a decade or so in the wilderness, more or less coinciding with the retirement of the likes of Pavel Nedvěd, Petr Čech, Jan Koller, and Tomáš Rosický. Their last World Cup appearance came in 2006 (when they infamously flamed out of the group stages despite being ranked 3rd in the world at the time), and despite consistently qualifying for the Euros, exited at the group stage in three straight tournaments. Enter 2021: a young Czech team entered the competition tipped to finish last in a group that contained two host nations England and Scotland, and a Croatia team coming off a trip to the World Cup Final. Instead, the Czechs took 4 points from group play, only narrowly losing to eventual runners-up England, and stunned Netherlands in the Round of 16 to progress to the quarterfinals. Their journey ended there, with a competitive loss to an inspired Denmark team, but it served as a warning shot that the Czech Republic's new generation has a good amount of talent and is ready to bring their country back to the top. After a qualifying campaign that saw them lose just once, and in a group that has only one team higher ranked, they may be poised to make some noise yet again.
The Best XI
Bayer Leverkusen were one of the best teams in Europe this past season, and are thoroughly represented at either end of this Czech squad. Their backup keeper Matěj Kovář is likely to start between the sticks for Czechia, and up top, the attack will run through striker duo Adam Hložek and Patrick Schick, the latter of whom won the Golden Boot three years ago with 5 goals in Euro 2020. A trio of attack-minded midfielders could play behind them, in Ondřej Lingr (Feyenoord), Antonín Barak (Fiorentina), and Václav Černý (Wolfsburg). The buffer between this line of attack and the back 5 on the field is captain and West Ham stalwart Tomáš Souček, whose club teammate Vladimír Coufal will flank an otherwsie Czech-based back 5.
Group Prediction
More so than any other group in this competition, Group F has the most obvious winner and loser: Portugal might just be one of the best teams in the tournament, and Georgia securing even a single point would be a surprise and a victory in and of itself. The question in this group is who (if not both) progresses with Portugal? Turkey has been picking up a good amount of steam as a trendy dark horse for this tournament among the pundits and soccerheads on Twitter, and it's not unwarranted; but I think the experience and balance of the Czech Republic will help them win their head-to-head and also earn the coveted 2nd place to go through to the Round of 16, while the Turks will be left in 3rd-place limbo.
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