Euro Cup 2020: Group E Preview
Poland will likely be considered at most the 2nd-best in their group. But with arguably the best player in the World's best player at the moment in their squad, anything is possible.
Spain
FIFA Rank: #6
Qualified as: 1st place in Group F
The Skinny
Spain's years of dominance-- in which the national team garnered 2 Euro Cup titles and a World Cup title while Barcelona and Real Madrid seemed to alternate Champions League finals annually --feel like a distant memory by now. That's what an embarrassing group stage exit at the 2014 World Cup, and Round of 16 losses in Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018 will do to you. Still, this is a squad loaded with talent both old and young, and La Roja, like fellow recently disgraced bluebloods Germany, Netherlands and Italy, will be hoping that they are past their generational transition period and will be able to maximize on their copious depth to make a run at this trophy.
The Best XI
With the tournament fast approaching, Spain's squad has had a spanner thrown in the works due to a (thus far) minor COVID-19 outbreak. The start of the positive cases was with captain and integral midfielder Sergio Busquets; it remains to be seen if he will feature for Spain, and if so, how much. But for simplicity's sake, I trotted out an XI without him. The good news is even without Busquets, España is positively loaded with midfield options. A couple Premier League studs in Liverpool's Thiago and Manchester City's Rodri can hold down the fort just fine, especially when joined by Atlético Madrid captain Koke. As for the back line, it feels extremely surreal to see a Spanish defense without Sergio Ramos or Gerard Pique, but recent French convert Aymeric Laporte and his former Man City teammate, young Eric Garcia, are perfectly capable deputies. Plus some familiar faces in Jordi Alba and Cesar Azpilicueta are present at fullback. The attacking options also might make one nostalgic for the old guard of Fernando Torres, David Villa, David Silva and even Diego Costa. But in Juventus' resurgent Morata, Man City youngster Ferran Torres, and Paris Saint-Germain's Pablo Sarabia, they still represent a real threat in front of goal.
Sweden
FIFA Rank: #18
Qualified as: 2nd Place in Group F
The Skinny
After many years of laying dormant on the international stage, Sweden finally had a major breakthrough at the 2018 World Cup. The Blue and Yellow first made waves by beating 4-time champions Italy in the qualification playoff. Then, in the tournament, topped a group that involved 4-time champions Germany and World Cup stalwarts Mexico and South Korea, and ended up in the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 1994. They'll have a harder time sneaking up on opponents this time, but veteran leadership at just about every position on the field gives them a fighting chance at making noise again.
The Best XI
Sweden is known for their tight, organized defense and with the players available in this squad, it's not hard to see why. Everton goalkeeper Robin Olsen could feasibly have a back 5 in front of him, a back 5 that includes old vet (and captain) Andrea Granqvist, and three Premier League players in Lindelöf, Jansson and Krafth. Don't sleep on Sweden's attacking talent, though; RB Leipzig winger Emil Forsberg was their creative force at the last World Cup, and this time he'll have Real Sociedad forward Alexander Isak and young Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski to link up with.
Poland
FIFA Rank: #21
Qualified as: 1st Place in Group G
The Skinny
In some ways, Poland’s trajectory is directly counter to Sweden’s. After a breakout performance in Euro 2016, they came into the 2018 World Cup seeded and riding high expectations. Unfortunately, The Eagles faffed about to a last place finish in their group, and saw an early exit. As a result, expectations are a little lower for Robert Lewandowski and co. this time around. But with the best forward in the world, and a group full of teams that haven’t been consistently reliable over the last decade, who’s to say what might happen?
The Best XI
It's a squad that might be short on household names, but there are two obvious starters for Poland at either end of the pitch. In goal will be long-time Juventus starter Wojciech Szczęsny, and leading the attack will be Robert Lewandowski, who many believe would have been the winner of the 2020 Ballon d'Or had one been awarded, and is still arguably the best player in today's game. The loss of Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik hurts, but Lewandowski still has some decent attacking partners in Piotr Zieliński, also of Napoli, and Norwich City's Placheta. Elsewhere, this is a squad heavy on veteran experience: in the midfield with Krychowiak and Klich, and in defense with the likes of Rybus and Glik.
Slovakia
FIFA Rank: #36
Qualified as: 3rd Place in Group E; winners of Path B playoff
The Skinny
Slovakia will come in considered a distant 4th place in this group, and they certainly lack the pedigree of their groupmates. But the three higher-seeded teams will be wise not to overlook The Falcons. One interesting quirk about their history is that Slovakia has only qualified for two tournaments as an independent nation, but in both instances, reached the knockout stages against all odds. They'll be longshots to repeat that feat at this tournament, but that's never stopped them before.
The Best XI
Slovakia's Best XI likely won't strike fear into the hearts of their favored Group E opponents, but there are plenty of familiar names to go around. Veteran leaders Marek Hamsík and Vladimir Weiss are back for one more ride, and given Slovakia's minimal options at left-back, they may move the latter to that position. Premier League fans will recognize Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka, and Serie A fans will recognize Inter Milan's Milan Škriniar, Parma's Juraj Kucka and Napoli's Stanislav Lobotka. The Slovaks are limited on elite options up top, but my pick to lead the line would be young Robert Boženik of Feyenoord Rotterdam.
Group Prediction
I absolutely think this is one of the groups where every team is capable of taking points off of one another. Sweden and Slovakia are well-managed, but lower on talent, and I still have trust issues with Span and Poland. That said, the most likely outcome is that Spain goes undefeated with three matches at home in Sevilla. I think one of Sweden and Poland will have enough to hold them to a draw, and just based off of the last time we saw both teams at a major tournament, I'm gonna select Sweden as the more likely. Regardless, Poland should have enough to still sneak through to the Round of 16 as a higher-ranked 3rd-place team.
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