John Newsome previews all the Euro 2024 matches with his unique and insightful commentary. How far does he think England will go? Can we expect a dark horse in the final four, or will it be the usual top-tier nations? Read on to find out!
Please note all prices quoted below were correct at the time of publication.
Euro 2024 Group and Team Details
The 22-Nations taking part in the Euros along with England and Scotland are placed in the following 6-groups.
Group A
Germany
Scotland
Hungary
Switzerland
GERMANY
Goalkeepers- Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders- Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders- Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen).
Strikers- Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart).
SCOTLAND
Goalkeepers- Zander Clark (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Norwich), Liam Kelly (Motherwell).
Defenders- Liam Cooper (Leeds), Grant Hanley (Norwich), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Copenhagen), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), Greg Taylor (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad).
Midfielders- Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Brighton), Ryan Jack (Rangers), Kenny McLean (Norwich), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Scott McTominay (Manchester United) Lewis Morgan (New York Red Bulls).
Strikers- Che Adams (Southampton), James Forrest (Celtic), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts), Tommy Conway (Bristol City).
HUNGARY
Goalkeepers- Denes Dibusz (Ferencvaros), Peter Gulacsi (RB Leipzig), Peter Szappanos (Paks).
Defenders- Botond Balogh (Parma), Endre Botka (Ferencvaros), Marton Dardai (Hertha BSC), Attila Fiola (Fehervar), Adam Lang (Omonia Nicosia), Willi Orban (RB Leipzig), Attila Szalai (Freiburg).
Midfielders- Bendeguz Bolla (Servette), Mihaly Kata (MTK), Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth), Laszlo Kleinheisler (Hajduk Split), Adam Nagy (Spezia Calcio), Zsolt Nagy (Puskas Akademia), Loic Nego (Le Havre), Andras Schafer (Union Berlin), Callum Styles (Sunderland).
Strikers- Martin Adam (Ulsan Hyundai), Kevin Csoboth (Ujpest), Daniel Gazdag (Philadelphia Union), Krisztofer Horvath (Kecskemet), Roland Sallai (Freiburg), Dominik Szoboszlai (Liverpool), Barnabas Varga (Ferencvaros).
SWITZERLAND
Goalkeepers- Yann Sommer (Inter Milan), Yvon Mvogo (Lorient), Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund).
Defenders- Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United), Manuel Akanji (Manchester City), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Monchengladbach), Silvan Widmer (Mainz 05), Cedric Zesigner (Wolfsburg), Leonidas Stergiou (Stuttgart).
Midfielders- Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire), Remo Freuler (Bologna), Denis Zakaria (Monaco), Michel Aebischer (Bologna), Fabian Rieder (Rennes), Ardon Jashari (Luzern), Vincent Sierro (Toulouse).
Strikers- Breel Embolo (Monaco), Steven Zuber (AEK Athens), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg), Renato Steffen (Lugano), Noah Okafor (AC Milan), Zeki Amdouni (Burnley), Dan Ndoye (Bologna), Kwadwo Duah (Ludogorets).
Group B
Spain
Croatia
Italy
Albania
SPAIN
Goalkeepers- Alex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao).
Defenders- Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Alex Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Dani Vivian (Athletic Bilbao), Jesus Navas (Sevilla), Nacho (Real Madrid), Marc Cucarella (Chelsea),
Midfielders- Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Fabian Ruiz (PSG), Alex Baena (Villarreal), Martin Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Rodrigo (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Fermin (Barcelona).
Strikers- Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Joselu (Real Madrid on loan from Espanyol), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ayoze Perez (Real Betis), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Williams JR (Athletic Bilbao).
CROATIA
Goalkeepers- Dominik Livakovic (Fenerbahce), Nediljko Labrovic (Rijeka), Ivica Ivusic (Pafos).
Defenders- Josip Stanisic (Bayer Leverkusen), Marin Pongracic (Lecce), Josko Gvardiol (Manchester City), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Borna Sosa (Ajax), Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens), Josip Juranovic (Union Berlin), Josip Sutalo (Ajax).
Midfielders- Lovro Majer (Wolfsburg), Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Marcelo Brozovic (Al-Nassr), Nikola Vlasic (Torino), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Luka Ivanusec (Feyenoord), Luka Sucic (Salzburg), Martin Baturina (Dinamo Zagreb).
Strikers- Ivan Perisic (Hajduk Split), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Marko Pjaca (Rijeka), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pasalic (Rijeka).
ITALY
Goalkeepers- Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris
Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham).
Defenders- Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Gianluca Mancini (Roma), Federico Gatti (Juventus).
Midfielders- Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan
Cristante (Roma), Michael Folorunsho (Verona), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus).
Strikers- Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio), Federico
Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta)
ALBANIA
Goalkeepers- Etrit Berisha (Empoli), Elhan Kastrati (Cittadella), Thomas Strakosha (Brentford).
Defenders- Arlind Ajeti (CFR Cluj), Naser Aliji (Voluntari), Ivan Balliu (Rayo Vallecano), Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta), Elseid Hysaj (Lazio), Ardian Ismajli (Empoli), Enea Mihaj (Famalicao), Mario Mitaj (Lokomotiv Moscow), Marash Kumbulla (Sassuolo).
Midfielders- Amir Abrashi (Grasshoppers), Kristjan Asllani (Inter), Nedim Bajrami (Sassuolo), Medon Berisha (Lecce), Klaus Gjasula (Darmstadt 98), Qazim Laci (Sparta Prague), Ernest Muci (Besiktas), Ylber Ramadani (Lecce).
Strikers- Yasir Asani (Gwangju FC), Armando Broja (Fulham), Mirlind Daku (Rubin Kazan), Arber Hoxha (Dinamo Zagreb), Rey Manaj (Sivasspor), Taulant Seferi (Baniyas).
Group C
England
Slovenia
Denmark
Serbia
ENGLAND
Goalkeepers- Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace).
Defenders- Kyle Walker (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), John Stones (Man City), Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa ( Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United).
Midfielders- Declan Rice (Arsenal), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace).
Strikers- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Phil Foden (Man City), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Anthony Gordon, (Newcastle), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich).
SLOVENIA
Goalkeepers- Vid Belec (APOEL), Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid), Igor Vekic (Vejle).
Defenders- Jure Balkovec (Alanyaspor), Jaka Bijol (Udinese), Miha Blazic (Lech Poznan), David Brekalo (Orlando City), Vanja Drkusic (Sochi), Erik Janza (Gornik Zabrze), Zan Karnicnik (Celje), Petar Stojanovic (Sampdoria).
Midfielders- Adam Gnezda Cerin (Panathinaikos), Jon Gorenc Stankovic (Sturm Graz), Tomi Horvat (Sturm Graz), Jasmin Kurtic (Sudtirol), Sandi Lovric (Udinese), Timi Max Elsnik (Olimpija Ljubljana), Benjamin Verbic (Panathinaikos), Adrian Zelikovic (Spartak Trnava), Nino Zugelj (Bodo/Glimt).
Strikers- Zan Celar (Lugano), Josip Ilicic (Maribor), Jan Mlakar (Pisa), Benjamin Sesko (RB Leipzig), Andraz Sporar (Panathinaikos), Zan Vipotnik (Bordeaux.
DENMARK
Goalkeepers- Kasper Schmeichel (Anderlecht), Frederik Ronnow (Union Berlin), Mads Hermansen (Leicester City).
Defenders- Andreas Christensen (Barcelona), Simon Kjaer (AC Milan), Joachim Andersen (Crystal Palace), Jannik Vestergaard (Leicester City), Victor Nelsson (Galatasaray), Alexander Bah (Benfica), Joakim Maehle (Wolfsburg), Rasmus Kristensen (Roma), Victor Kristiansen (Bologna).
Midfielders- Christian Eriksen (Manchester United), Thomas Delaney (Anderlecht), Morten Hjulmand (Sporting Lisbon), Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (Tottenham), Christian Norgaard (Brentford), Mathias Jensen (Brentford), Mikkel Damsgaard (Brentford).
Strikers- Jacob Bruun Larsen (Burnley), Andreas Skov Olsen (Club Brugge), Anders Dreyer (Anderlecht), Kasper Dolberg (Anderlecht), Rasmus Hojlund (Manchester United), Jonas Wind (Wolfsburg), Yussuf Poulsen (RB Leipzig).
SERBIA
Goalkeepers- Predag Rajkovic (Mallorca), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Torino), Dorde Petrovic (Chelsea).
Defenders- Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Strahinja Pavlovic (RB Salzburg), Filip Mladenovic (Panathinaikos), Milos Veljkovic
(Werder Bremen), Uros Spajic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Srdan Babic (Spartak Moscow), Nemanja Stojic (Backa Topola).
Midfielders- Dusan Tadic (Fenerbahce), Filip Kostic (Juventus), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe), Sasha Lukic (Fulham), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK), Mijat Gacinovic (AEK Athens), Ivan Ilic (Torino), Srdan Mijailovic (Crvena Zvezda Belgrade), Lazar Samardzic (Udinese), Veljko Birmancevic (Sparta Prague), Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla).
Strikers- Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal), Luka Jovic (AC Milan), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Petar Ratkov (RB Salzburg)
Group D
Netherlands
France
Poland
Austria
NETHERLANDS
Goalkeepers- Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Mark Flekken (Brentford), Bart Verbruggen (Brighton).
Defenders- Nathan Ake (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Girona), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen), Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich), Micky van de Ven (Tottenham), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan).
Midfielders- Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan), Jerdy Schouten (PSV), Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig), Joey Veerman (PSV), Georginio Wijnaldum (Al Ettifaq).
Strikers- Steven Bergwijn (Ajax), Brian Brobbey (Ajax), Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid), Cody Gakpo (Liverpool), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund), Wout Weghorst (Hoffenheim).
FRANCE
Goalkeepers- Alphonse Areola (West Ham), Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens).
Defenders- Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Jules Kounde (Barcelona), Ferland Mendy (Real Madrid), Benjamin Pavard (Inter Milan), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).
Midfielders- Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), N’Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus ), Aurlien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Warren Zare-Emery (PSG).
Strikers- Bradley Barcola (PSG), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Ousmane Dembele (PSG), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan).
POLAND
Goalkeepers- Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus), Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna), Marcin Bulka (Nice).
Defenders- Jan Bednarek (Southampton), Jakub Kiwior (Arsenal), Bartosz Salamon (Lech Poznan), Bartosz Bereszynski (Empoli), Pawel Dawidowicz (Hellas Verona), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Kaiserslautern), Sebastian Walukiewicz (Empoli).
Midfielders- Przemyslaw Frankowski (Lens), Jakub Moder (Brighton), Taras Romanczuk (Jagiellonia Białystok), Damian Szymanski (AEK Athens), Michal Skoras (Club Brugge), Nicola Zalewski (Roma), Kamil Grosicki (Pogon Szczecin), Jakub Piotrowski (Ludogorets Razgrad), Bartosz Slisz (Atlanta United), Sebastian Szymanski (Fenerbahce), Kacper Urbanski (Bologna), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli).
Strikers- Adam Buksa (Antalyaspor), Karol Swiderski (Hellas Verona), Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona), Krzysztof Piatek (Istanbul Basaksehir)
AUSTRIA
Goalkeepers- Niklas Hedl (Rapid Wien), Heinz Lindner (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Patrick Pentz (Brondby).
Defenders- Flavius Daniliuc (RB Salzburg), Kevin Danso (Lens), Philipp Lienhart (Freiburg), Phillipp Mwene (Mainz), Stefan Posch (Bologna), Leopold Querfeld (Rapid Wien), Gernot Trauner (Feyenoord), Maximilian Wober (Borussia Monchengladbach).
Midfielders- Christoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig), Florian Grillitsch (Hoffenheim), Marco Grull (Rapid Wien), Florian Kainz (Koln), Konrad Laimer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Prass (Sturm Graz), Marcel Sabitzer (Borussia Dortmund), Romano Schmid (Werder Bremen), Matthias Seidl (Rapid Wien), Nicolas Seiwald (RB Leipzig), Patrick Wimmer (Wolfsburg).
Strikers- Marko Arnautovic (Inter Milan), Maximilian Entrup (Hartberg), Michael Gregoritsch (Freiburg), Andreas Weimann (Free agent).
Group E
Ukraine
Slovakia
Belgium
Romania
UKRAINE
Goalkeepers- Heorhiy Buschchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica).
Defenders- Mykola Matviyenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton), Illya Zabarnyi (Bournemouth), Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), Yukhym Konoplya (Shakhtar Donestk), Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr), Valeriy Bondar (Shakhtar Donetsk), Maksym Taloverov (LASK), Oleksandar Zinchenko (Arsenal), Oleksandr Svatok (Dnipro-1).
Midfielders- Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo), Taras Stepanenko (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa), Volodymyr Brazhko (Dynamo Kyiv), Heorhiy Sudakov (Shakhtar Donestk), Mykola Shaparenko (Dynamo Kyiv).
Strikers- Andriy Yarmolenko (Dynamo Kyiv), Viktor Tsyhankov (Girona), Oleksandr Zubkov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Mykhaylo Mudryk (Chelsea), Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia) Artem Dovbyk (Girona), Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).
SLOVAKIA
Goalkeepers- Martin Dubravka (Newcastle), Marek Rodak (Fulham), Henrich Ravas (New England Revolution).
Defenders- Milan Skriniar (Paris Saint-Germain), Norbert Gyomber (Sampdoria), David Hancko (Feyenoord), Denis Vavro (FC Copenhagen), Vernon De Marco (Hatta), Adam Obert (Cagliari), Sebastian Kosa (Spartak Trnava), Peter Pekarik
(Hertha Berlin).
Midfielders- Juraj Kucka (Slovan Bratislava), Ondrej Duda (Verona), Patrik Hrosovsky (Genk), Stanislav Lobotka (Napoli), Matus Bero (Bochum)
Laszlo Benes (Hamburg), Tomas Rigo (Banik Ostrava).
Strikers- Robert Bozenik (Boavista), David Duris (Ascoli), Lukas Haraslin (Sparta Prague), Tomas Suslov (Verona), Ivan Schranz (Slavia Prague), David Strelec (Slovan Bratislava), Lubomir Tupta (Slovan Liberec), Leo Sauer (Feyenoord).
BELGIUM
****Only Taking 25 Players.
Goalkeepers- Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thomas Kaminski (Luton), Matz Sels (Nottingham Forest).
Defenders- Timothy Castagne (Fulham), Maxim De Cuyper (Club Brugge), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester), Thomas Meunier (Trabzonspor), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Axel Witsel (Atletico Madrid).
Midfielders- Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Orel Mangala (Lyon), Amadou Onana (Everton), Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa), Arthur Vermeeren (Atletico Madrid), Aster Vranckx (Wolfsburg).
Strikers- Johan Bakayoko (PSV), Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta), Jeremy Doku (Manchester City), Romelu Lukaku (Roma), Dodi Lukebakio (Sevilla), Lois Openda (RB Leipzig), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).
ROMANIA
Goalkeepers: Florin Nita (Gaziantep), Horatiu Moldovan (Atletico Madrid), Stefan Tarnovanu (FCSB).
Defenders- Nicusor Bancu (Universitatea
Craiova), Andrei Burca (Al Okhdood), lonut
Nedelcearu (Palermo), Adrian Rus (Pafos), Andrei Ratiu (Rayo Vallecano), Radu Dragusin (Tottenham), Vasile Mogos (CFR Cluj), Bogdan Racovitan (Rakow Czestochowa).
Midfielders- Nicolae Stanciu (Damac), Razvan Marin (Empoli), Alexandru Cicaldau (Konyaspor), lanis Hagi (Alaves), Dennis Man (Parma), Valentin Mihaila (Parma), Marius Marin (Pisa), Darius Olaru (FCSB), Deian Sorescu (Gaziantep), Florinel
Coman (FCSB), Adrian Sut (FCSB).
Strikers- George Puscas (Bari), Denis Alibec (Muaither), Denis Dragus (Gaziantep), Daniel Birligea (CFR Cluj).
Group F
Portugal
Czech Republic
Georgia
Turkey
PORTUGAL
Goalkeepers- Diogo Costa (Porto), Jose Sa (Wolves), Rui Patricio (Roma).
Defenders- Antonio Silva (Benfica), Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), Goncalo Inacio (Sporting), Joao Cancelo (Barcelona), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Manchester City).
Midfielders- Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Neves (Benfica), Joao Palhinha (Fulham), Otavio Monteiro (Al Nassr), Ruben Neves (Al Hilal), Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain).
Strikers- Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr), Diogo Jota (Liverpool), Francisco Conceicao (Porto), Goncalo Ramos (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Felix (Barcelona), Pedro Neto (Wolves), Rafael Leao (AC Milan).
CZECH REPUBLIC
Goalkeepers- Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz), Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen), Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague).
Defenders- Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), David Jurasek (TSG Hoffenheim), Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague).
Midfielders- Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Vaclav Cerny (Wolfsburg), Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadilek (FC Twente), Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Pavel Sulc(Viktoria Plzen).
Strikers- Adam Hlozek (Sparta Prague), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Bayer Leverkusen).
GEORGIA
Goalkeepers- Giorgi Loria (Dinamo Tbilisi), Giorgi Mamardashvili (Valencia), Luka Gugeshashvili (Qarabag).
Defenders- Guram Kashia (Slovan Bratislava), Otar Kakabadze (Cracovia), Solomon Kvirkvelia (Al-Okhdood), Lasha Dvali (APOEL), Jemal Tabidze (Panetolikos), Luka Lochoshvili (Cremonese), Giorgi Gocholeishvili (Shakhtar Donetsk), Giorgi Gvelesiani (Persepolis).
Midfielders- Jaba Kankava (Slovan Bratislava), Nika Kvekverskiri (Lech Poznan), Otar Kiteishvili (Sturm Graz), Saba Lobzhanidze (Atlanta United), Zuriko Davitashvili (Bordeaux), Giorgi Chakvetadze (Watford), Levan Shengelia (Panetlikos), Giorgi Tsitaishvili (Dinamo Batumi), Anzor Mekvabishvili (Universitatea Craiova), Giorgi Kochorashvili (Levante), Sandro Altunashvili (Wolfsberger AC).
Strikers- Giorgi Kvilitaia (APOEL), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli), Budu Zivzivadze (Karlsruher SC), Georges Mikautadze (Metz).
TURKEY
Goalkeepers- Altay Bayindir (Manchester
United), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor), Mert
Gunok (Besiktas).
Defenders- Samet Akaydin (Panathinaikos), Abdulkerim Bardakci (Galatasaray), Zeki Celik (Roma), Merih Demiral (Al Ahli), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahce), Ahmetcan Kaplan (Ajax), Mert Muldur (Fenerbahce).
Midfielders- Kaan Ayhan (Galatasaray), Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter), Orkun Kokcu (Benfica), Salih Ozcan (Borussia Dortmund), Okay Yokuslu (West Bromwich Albion), Ismail Yuksek (Fenerbahce).
Strikers- Yunus Akgun (Leicester), Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray), Baris Alper Yilmaz (Galatasaray), Arda Guler (Real Madrid), Irfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Semih Kilicsoy (Besiktas), Cenk Tosun (Besiktas), Yusuf Yazici (Lille), Kenan Yildiz (Juventus), Bertug Yildirim (Rennes)
The tournament kicks off on Friday the 14th of June 2024, with the 36-Group Fixtures spread over 12 days.
Euro 2024 Match Predictions
Friday 14th June
Group A
GERMANY v SCOTLAND
20:00
Allianz Arena, Munich.
Betfred offer Germany at Odds On 1/4, the draw at 9/2 and 12/1 for Scotland to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Kai Havertz Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Germany Win 2-0 – Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Saturday 15th June
Group A
HUNGARY v SWITZERLAND
14:00
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne.
Betfred offer Hungary at 5/2, the draw at 23/10 and 23/20 for Switzerland to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Dominik Szoboszlai Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Thrd, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 1-1 – Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group B
SPAIN v CROATIA
17:00
OlympiaStadion, Berlin.
Betfred offer Spain at slight Odds On 4/5, the draw at 5/2 and 18/5 for Croatia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 5/1 that Rodri Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Spain Win 2-1 – Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group B
ITALY v ALBANIA
20:00
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Betfred offer Italy at Odds On 4/11, the draw at 18/5 and 9/1 for Albania to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 6/1 that Mateo Retegui Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Italy Win 2-0- Get 9/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Sunday 16th June
Group D
POLAND v NETHERLANDS
14:00
Volksparkstadion, Hamburg.
Betfred offer Poland at 4/1, the draw at 3/1 and Odds On 4/6 for the Netherlands to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 3/1 that Robert Lewandowski Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 1-1- Get 13/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group C
SLOVENIA v DENMARK
17:00
MHP Arena, Stuttgart.
Betfred offer Slovenia at 4/1, the draw at 13/5 and slight Odds On 8/11 for Denmark to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Rasmus Hojlund Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Denmark Win 1-2 – Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group C
SERBIA v ENGLAND
20:00
Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen.
Betfred offer Serbia at 6/1, the draw at 100/30 and Odds On 1/2 for England to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 3/1 that Harry Kane Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
England Win 0-3 – Get 17/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Monday 17th June
Group E
ROMANIA v UKRAINE
14:00
Allianz Arena, Munich.
Betfred offer Romania at 13/5, the draw at 12/5 and 11/10 for Ukraine to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Artem Dovbyk Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Draw 1-1 – Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group E
BELGIUM v SLOVAKIA
17:00
Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt.
Betfred offer Belgium at Odds On 1/2, the draw at 100/30 and 6/1 for Slovakia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 3/1 that Romelu Lukaku Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Belgium Win 2-0- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group D
AUSTRIA v FRANCE
20:00
Mekur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf.
Betfred offer Austria at 11/2, the draw at 7/2 and Odds On 1/2 for France to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 2/1 that Kylian Mbappe Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
France Win 0-3- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Tuesday 18th June
Group F
TURKEY v GEORGIA
17:00
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Betfred offer Turkey at slight Odds On 8/11, the draw at 13/5 and 4/1 for Georgia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 4/1 that Cenk Tosun Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Turkey Win 1-0 – Get 9/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group F
PORTUGAL v CZECH REPUBLIC
20:00
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig.
Betfred offer Portugal at Odds On 8/15, the draw at 16/5 and 11/2 for the Czech Republic to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 2/1 that Cristiano Ronaldo Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
Portugal Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Wednesday 19th June
Group B
CROATIA v ALBANIA
14:00
Volksparkstadion, Hamburg.
Betfred offer Croatia at Odds On 8/15, the draw at 3/1 and 6/1 for Albania to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer Evens 1/1 that there are Over 2.5 Goals.
Croatia Win 3-0 – Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group A
GERMANY v HUNGARY
17:00
MHP Arena, Stuttgart.
Betfred offer Germany at Odds On 3/10, the draw at 9/2 and 10/1 for Hungary to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 11/10 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Germany Win 2-0- Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group A
SCOTLAND v SWITZERLAND
20:00
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne.
Betfred offer Scotland at 5/2, the draw at 23/10 and 23/20 for Switzerland to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/4 that there are Under 1.5 Goals.
Scotland Win 1-0- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Thursday 20th June
Group C
SLOVENIA v SERBIA
14:00
Allianz Arena, Munich.
Betfred offer Slovenia at 3/1, the draw at 5/2 and slight Odds On 19/20 for Serbia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group C
DENMARK v ENGLAND
17:00
Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt.
Betfred offer Denmark at 5/1, the draw at 11/4 and Odds On 8/13 for England to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
England Win 0-2- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group B
SPAIN v ITALY
20:00
Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen.
Betfred offer Spain at 13/10, the draw at 9/4 and 9/4 for Italy to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 1/3 that there are Over 1.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Friday 21st June
Group E
SLOVAKIA v UKRAINE
14:00
Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf.
Betfred offer Slovakia at 16/5, the draw at 12/5 and slight Odds On 19/20 for Ukraine to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 2/1 that there are Under 1.5 Goals.
Ukraine Win 0-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group D
POLAND v AUSTRIA
17:00
Olypiastadion, Berlin.
Betfred offer Poland at 12/5, the draw at 12/5 and 23/20 for Austria to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 5/6 that there are Over 2.5 Goals.
Poland Win 2-1- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group D
NETHERLANDS v FRANCE
20:00
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig.
Betfred offer the Netherlands at 7/2, the draw at 13/5 and slight Odds On 4/5 for France to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 10/11 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Saturday 22nd June
Group F
GEORGIA v CZECH REPUBLIC
14:00
Volksparkstadion, Hamburg.
Betfred offer Georgia at 18/5, the draw at 5/2 and slight Odds On 4/5 for the Czech Republic to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group F
TURKEY v PORTUGAL
17:00
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Betfred offer Turkey at 9/2, the draw at 11/4 and Odds On 4/6 for Portugal to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 10/11 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Portugal Win 0-2- Get 13/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group E
BELGIUM v ROMANIA
20:00
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne.
Betfred offer Belgium at Odds On 1/2, the draw at 16/5 and 6/1 for Romania to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Over 2.5 Goals.
Belgium Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Sunday 23rd June
Group A
SWITZERLAND v GERMANY
20:00
Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt.
Betfred offer Switzerland at 100/30, the draw at 3/1 and Odds On 8/11 for Germany to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer that 15/8 that Germany Win To Nil.
Germany Win 0-2- Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group A
SCOTLAND v HUNGARY
20:00
MHP Arena, Stuttgart.
Betfred offer Scotland at 8/5, the draw at 3/1 and 7/5 for Hungary to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer Evens 1/1 that Both Teams DO NOT Score.
Scotland Win 1-0- Get 8/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Monday 24th June
Group B
ALBANIA v SPAIN
20:00
Merkur Spiel-Arena, Düsseldorf.
Betfred offer Albania at 11/1, the draw at 11/2 and Odds On 2/9 for Spain to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 6/4 that Spain Win Both Halves.
Spain Win 0-2- Get 9/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group B
CROATIA v ITALY
20:00
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig.
Betfred offer Croatia at 12/5, the draw at 18/5 and slight Odds On 5/6 for Italy to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 5/6 that Both Teams Score.
Draw 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Tuesday 25th June
Group D
FRANCE v POLAND
17:00
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund.
Betfred offer France at Odds On 2/5, the draw at 9/2 and 11/2 for Poland to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer that Kylian Mbappe Scores First.
(If your pre-match First Goalscorer bet scores First and then scores a Second, Betfred DOUBLE the odds.
If they score a Third, Betfred TREBLE the odds.)
France Win 2-1- Get 7/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group D
NETHERLANDS v AUSTRIA
17:00
Olympiastadion, Berlin.
Betfred offer the Netherlands at 21/20, the draw at 18/5 and 15/8 for Austria to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 13/5 that the Netherlands Win To Nil.
Netherlands Win 2-0- Get 10/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group C
DENMARK v SERBIA
20:00
Allianz Arena, Munich.
Betfred offer Denmark at 13/10, the draw at 100/30 and 13/8 for Serbia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 6/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group C
ENGLAND v SLOVENIA
20:00
RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne.
Betfred offer England at Odds On 1/3, the draw at 5/1 and 7/1 for Slovenia to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 15/8 that England Win Both Halves.
England Win 2-0- Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Wednesday 26th June
Group E
SLOVAKIA v ROMANIA
17:00
Deutsche Bank Park, Frankfurt.
Betfred offer Slovakia at 6/4, the draw at 11/4 and 8/5 for Romania to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 10/11 that Both Teams Score.
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group E
UKRAINE v BELGIUM
17:00
MHP Arena, Stuttgart.
Betfred offer Ukraine at 16/5, the draw at 7/2 and Odds On 7/10 for Belgium to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 9/5 that Belgium Win To Nil.
Belgium Win 0-2- Get 15/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group F
CZECH REPUBLIC v TURKEY
20:00
Volksparkstadion, Hamburg.
Betfred offer the Czech Republic at 7/4, the draw at 3/1 and 13/10 for Turkey to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer slight Odds On 4/5 that there are Under 2.5 Goals.
Draw 1-1- Get 11/2 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Group F
GEORGIA v PORTUGAL
20:00
Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen.
Betfred offer Georgia at 8/1, the draw at 5/1 and Odds On 3/10 for Portugal to come away with all 3-points.
Betfred offer 21/20 that Portugal Win To Nil.
Portugal Win 0-2- Get 5/1 on Betfred & Claim your new account welcome offer!
Those predicted results would offer up the following final group standings and the teams for the last-16 knockout stage.
Group A-
1-Germany 9 points
2-Scotland 6 points
3-Hungary 1 point
4-Switzerland 1 point
Group B-
1-Spain- 7 points
2-Italy- 5 points
3-Croatia- 4 points
4-Albania- 0 points
Group C-
1-England- 9 points
2-Denmark- 4 points
3-Serbia- 2 points
4-Slovenia- 1 points
Group D-
1-France- 7 points
2-Netherlands- 5 points
3-Poland- 4 points
4-Austria- 0 points
Group E-
1-Belgium- 9 points
2-Ukraine- 4 points
3-Romania- 2 points
4-Slovakia- 1 points
Group F-
1-Portugal- 9 points
2-Turkey- 4 points
3-Czech Republic- 2 points
4-Georgia- 1 point
Qualified after finishing 1st and 2nd-
Germany
Scotland
Spain
Italy
England
Denmark
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Ukraine
Portugal
Turkey
Best 3rd Place Teams
Croatia
Poland
Romania
Czech Republic
***Serbia would also have 2 points but will be ranked 5th on Goal Difference, so that could obviously change.
The last-16 Knockout Preview will be available once the fixtures are confirmed on the 27th of June.
The above teams are just predictions but following the predicted results by John Newsome, the last-16 Knockout Stage will be something like the following-
Saturday 29th June
Last-16 Match 1
17:00
GROUP A RUNNERS-UP (Scotland) v GROUP B RUNNERS-UP (Italy)
Last-16 Match 2
20:00
GROUP A WINNERS (Germany) v GROUP C RUNNERS-UP (Denmark)
Sunday 30th June
Last-16 Match 3
17:00
GROUP C WINNERS (England) v GROUP A/D/E/F THIRD PLACE (Romania)
Last-16 Match 4
20:00
GROUP B WINNERS (Spain) v GROUP A/D/E/F THIRD PLACE (Czech Republic)
July 2024
Monday 1st July
Last-16 Match 5
17:00
GROUP D RUNNERS-UP (Netherlands) v GROUP E RUNNERS-UP (Ukraine)
Last-16 Match 6
20:00
GROUP F WINNERS (Portugal)v GROUP A/B/C/ THIRD PLACE (Croatia)
Tuesday 2nd July
Last-16 Match 7
17:00
GROUP E WINNERS (Belgium) v GROUP A/B/C/D THIRD PLACE (Poland)
Last-16 Match 8
20:00
GROUP D WINNERS (France) v GROUP F RUNNERS-UP (Turkey)
John Newsome’s Quarter-Final, Semi-Final and Final are predicted as follows-
Friday 5th July
17:00
QUARTER-FINALIST 1 (Spain) v QUARTER-FINALIST 2 (Germany)
20:00
QUARTER-FINALIST 3 (Croatia) v QUARTER-FINALIST 4 (Netherlands)
Saturday 6th July
17:00
QUARTER-FINALIST 7 (Belgium) v QUARTER-FINALIST 8 (France)
20:00
QUARTER-FINALIST 5 (England) v QUARTER-FINALIST 6 (Italy)
Tuesday 9th July
20:00
SEMI-FINAL 1 (Germany) v SEMI-FINAL 2 (Croatia)
Wednesday 10th July
20:00
SEMI-FINAL 3 (France) v SEMI-FINAL 4 (England)
Sunday 14th July
20:00
EURO’24 FINAL
GERMANY V FRANCE
WINNERS- FRANCE
An update will be given on the 27th of June, so please come back and enjoy.
It’s a bit of a convoluted process, having 6-groups of 4, totalling 24-teams, with the Winners and Runners-up of each Group going through to the Last-16.
Obviously, those good at Math will have worked out that the Winners and Runners-Up, from 6-Groups total 12, meaning that there are 4-spaces left to make up the 16.
Those remaining 4, come from the best 3rd-placed teams from the 6-Groups, meaning, for example, Croatia could finish 3rd in Group B but still make the Last-16.
It would be a great game to play, to go through the 36-fixtures listed above, predict the outcome of each and then try and come up with the Winners, Runners-up and the best 3rd-Placed team.
John Newsome has done just that for the first 36-Group Games, with the predictions for the Last-16, Quarters, Semi and Final given but will be confirmed at a later date.
England have some great players heading to Germany, including but not limited to, Jude Bellingham, John Stones, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice and Harry Kane, who have all had a particularly good season for their respective clubs.
Poor Harry though, the lad left Tottenham to try and win something and joined Bayern Munich who had won the Bundesliga in the 11 seasons prior to Mr Kane joining.
Although HK scored 36 goals and was the leading scorer, Bayern finished 3rd in the table behind Stuttgart and the Bundesliga Champions Bayer Leverkusen.
With Harry Kane continuing the Winless Streak.
Jude is currently the best England player on show and could just lead the Three Lions to their 1st European Championship Title, adding another Winners Medal to his La Liga and Champions League success with Real Madrid.
Phil and John have just won the Premier League with Man City, a historic 4th in a row for Pep’s High Flying Blues, giving both a remarkable 6th Premier League Gong.
That said, it must have been Phil’s somewhat useless twin that wore the Man City shirt in the FA Cup Final defeat against Manchester United as the player with ‘Foden’ and ‘47’ on the shirt (and neck!) was rubbish at Wembley.
A couple of sentences on that Final are, Pep Guardiola somehow must have had a bump on the head as the usually tactical maestro, was outthought by Erik Ten Hag.
Pep knows way more than a fat kid from Barnsley but the Spaniard got his tactics wrong and it was glaringly obvious to someone who has watched football for over 50-years.
The Numpty Neighbours comfortably beat the Noisy Neighbours in the FA Cup Final by a 2-1 scoreline.
For England’s sake at least, it’s hoped that the real Phil Foden turns up in a Three Lions jersey.
The starting eleven for the opening game against Serbia should look something like the following-
Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones (if fit), Marc Guehi, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Harry Kane.
Lewis Dunk could come in at Centre Back if John Stones is injured.
Luke Shaw won’t be ready to play until at least the fixture against Denmark.
There has been a bit of conjecture regarding the recent Friendlies against Bosnia Herzegovina and Iceland.
England comfortably gained a victory over BH and then suffered a defeat against Iceland.
The glass-half-empty folk (PC Warranty!) came out with negativity about the loss against Iceland, however, Gareth had already made his final 26-Player Squad announcement, so the players on show at Wembley were already on the plane to Germany.
From a glass-half-full perspective on the game, it was simply a runout to see the Three Lions off.
Probably the only negative to put is for the Fans who paid hard-earned money to enter Wembley and should really have their money returned.
As for the players, the Boys will come good next week.
One final note on the 26-Player Squad, one can argue that ‘He or Him should or shouldn’t be in!’
John Newsome wouldn’t argue with who Gareth Southgate has decided to take, other than the omission of Jack Grealish.
Jack came on against Bosnia Herzegovina and changed the course of the game, then was told his Passport wasn’t needed (well at least for Germany, the Boy will no doubt need it for the trip to Ibiza on a Jolly!)
It’s ultimately Gareth’s choice but will that decision come back to haunt Mr Southgate like the time Glenn Hoddle decided to leave Paul Gascoigne out of the France’98 World Cup Squad?
As an England fan, the Euros evoke memories from the not-too-distant past.
Although the Three Lions won the World Cup in 1966 and have history in that particular tournament over the years, there hasn’t been any success in the Euros, with each competition ending in glorious failure.
In 1988, under the guidance of Bobby Robson, England headed to the then West Germany (still divided from the East) to face the Republic of Ireland, the Soviet Union and the Netherlands and finished with the grand old total of Nil Points, following defeats against all 3 teams.
England didn’t qualify for the 1984 tournament that took place in France.
There was a runout in 1980, in the competition that Italy hosted, where Ron Greenwood’s Men drew against Belgium, lost against Italy but beat Spain, however, finished 3rd in the Group and were back home before the postcards.
In the history of the UEFA European Championships, which started in 1960 (a total of 16) England have played in 10 of those with the 11th coming up in the 17th event over in Germany starting this month.
In the inaugural Euro Competition, that took place in France in 1960, England didn’t go as it was deemed a ‘non-event’.
Euro’64, over in the Spanish Sunshine, Alf Ramsey’s Boys didn’t qualify but 2 years after winning the World Cup, England finished 3rd in Euro’68, with the hosts Italy winning the tournament.
When one says ‘finished 3rd’ the competition only had 4 teams, Italy, the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and England.
Italy faced the Soviets and following a dismal draw by a 0-0 score, progressed to the Final via a coin toss (yes!)
The rumour that the coin was a ‘Double Headed Lire’ was strongly denied, however, the Captain of the Azzurri, Giacinto Facchetti, couldn’t wait to shout ‘Testa!’
England suffered a defeat against Yugoslavia but got a victory over the Soviet Union in the 3rd Place Play-off.
There was a ‘no show’ in 1972 and 1976 before Ron Greenwood’s Three Lions were back in the Euros for Italy’80, then didn’t qualify for the 1984 competition.
In 1992, England faced Denmark (the eventual winners) France and Sweden (the hosts) gaining a draw against the Danes and the French by the same 0-0 score and then suffering a defeat against Sweden by a 2-1 scoreline.
The Manchester Stick and Ball Thrower gave the following insight, which features a brilliant bit of commentary from the great Barry Davies in the live broadcast on BBC 1.
‘Brolin, Dahlin, Brolin- brilliant!’
Referring to Tomas Brolin, passing to Martin Dahlin who returned the favour back to Tomas who then smashed the ball past the England Goalkeeper Chris Woods.
What probably is forgotten about that fixture is Gary Lineker, who had 48 England goals at the time and was 1 short of equalling Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49, was taken off by Graham Taylor with half an hour to go, when the score was level at 1-1.
Gary never wore an England Shirt again and remained on 48 goals.
Added to that, Mr Lineker did have the chance to score a 49th in a pre-tournament friendly against Brazil at Wembley before the Boys headed to Sweden.
When England were awarded a penalty, Gary stepped up but hit a poor shot that Carlos, the Brazilian Goalkeeper saved.
To be fair, Carlos could have run to the corner flag and back before Gary’s strike reached the goal.
That left GL still with 48, however, surely Mr Walker’s Crisp would score a few more at Euro’92 and overhaul Sir Bobby Charlton as England’s leading goal scorer.
Not so, as already mentioned, Graham Taylor’s Men had played out two dismal 0-0 games against Denmark and France and then took Gary off against Sweden leaving the Match Of The Day host with a final tally of 48 goals.
The England Lineup against Sweden was-
Chris Woods, Martin Keown, Stuart Pearce,
Des Walker, David Batty, Carlton Palmer, David Platt, Andy Sinton, Neil Webb, Tony Daley and Gary Lineker.
Substitutes-
Nigel Martyn, Keith Curle, Tony Dorigo, Paul Merson, Trevor Steven, Alan Shearer and Alan Smith.
Swedes 2- Turnips 1!
Again, England were home before the Postcard.
Surprisingly Graham Taylor kept his job as the England Manager and led the Three Lions in the Qualifiers for the World Cup in USA’94.
Unfortunately, England didn’t make the tournament having been knocked out by Norway and the Netherlands.
‘Carlton, Carlton!’
John Newsome has asked a few of his mates to give their thoughts on the Euros over the existence of the tournament and without doubt, the overwhelming response was the Three Lions’ participation in the 1996 competition that took place in England.
Most notably Paul Gascoigne’s goal against the Jocks at Wembley when the enigmatic Gazza, flicked the ball over Colin Hendry and smashed it past Andy Goram, who at the time was Paul’s teammate at Ibrox.
All are offered up by the Manchester Stick and Ball Thrower, Burrows Warranty PC, the Chorley Hope (who has just turned 50) and the Wak.
Happy Birthday Chorley Hope.
Manchester’s finest dog walker also mentioned the penalty that Stuart Pearce took against Spain in the same tournament that saw ‘Psycho’ gain some sort of redemption after missing a spot-kick at Italia’90.
Veins a popping!
One of John’s memories as a child was going on the Club Trip to Blackpool back in 1980.
The Club Trip has sort of become extinct over the years but back in the 1970s and 80s was an English tradition, especially in Barnsley.
It basically consisted of all the Working Mens Clubs in the Town, taking their members and families to Coastal Seaside places such as Blackpool, Bridlington, Scarborough or Skegness.
Usually, the grown-ups were on one set of Coaches and the kids were on another.
The Working Men’s Clubs (and it was called that with it being a different time as a lot of the Clubs wouldn’t allow Women in certain parts) would give the kids a Bottle of Pop and a Packet of Crisps, plus a little envelope with a few Pound Notes in.
The grown-ups usually had several crates of Beer.
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the Working Men’s Clubs were packed out every weekend and one couldn’t get in if not a member and certainly would have to arrive early to get a seat.
It was a real treat for the Kids, firstly getting the Pop and Crisps and then the envelope with a few quid in to ultimately put in the slots at the Seaside.
Different times people!
Back then there wasn’t much live football on the telly, it was mainly commentary on the Wireless.
One particular game springs to mind on the return journey from Blackpool back in June 1980, when the commentary was on from a Euro Group Game between England and Belgium over in Turin.
Obviously, the Radio was on for the Drivers’ entertainment, as most of the kids were high on Candy Floss and Hot Dogs.
Being an avid Football Fan, aged 10 at the time, John Newsome listened to the Wireless and was delighted when Ray Wilkins scored the opener to give England a lead.
Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long with the Belgians equalising soon after.
The game finished in a draw by a 1-1 score and subsequently, England finished 3rd in the Group and were on their way home.
Great memories of the East Dene Club Trip with Grandad Albert and Grandma Lilian.
As mentioned, that tradition has sort of disappeared nowadays, which is a shame really but probably it wouldn’t be possible allowing a group of kids to travel on one Coach and the adults on another.
The loveable OzScot over in Melbourne gave his memories for the last tournament which was 3 years ago (where does the time go?)
Three years ago because Euro’2020 was delayed a year due to the Coronavirus situation.
It’s worth repeating and one doesn’t apologise for doing so.
The Australian branch of this EveryTip column, Braveheart/Kylie is a passionate member of the Tartan Army and has kindly given a Scotsman’s view on the upcoming adventure that sees Steve Clarke’s Blues entertain Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.
Mr Hall takes over.
‘One of Scotland’s most successful forays into England, that didn’t involve Mel Gibson, was at Euro’96, where England and Scotland were drawn against each other, with Switzerland and Holland making up the Group.
Scotland didn’t have a bad team with Ally McCoist, Gary McAllister, John Collins, Stuart McCall and Colin Hendry to name but a few.
After mentioning those great stars, it would be remiss not to include the rest,
Scotland 1996 Squad
Jim Leighton
Stewart McKimmie
Tom Boyd
Colin Calderwood
Colin Hendry
Derek Whyte
John Spencer
Stuart McCall
Ally McCoist
Gary McAllister
John Collins
Andy Goram
Tosh McKinlay
Gordon Durie
Eoin Jess
Craig Burley
Billy McKinlay
Kevin Gallacher
Darren Jackson
Scott Booth
Scot Gemmill
Nicky Walker
Scotland started their campaign with a creditable goalless draw against Holland at Villa Park, backed by a strong following of the Tartan Army in Aston Villa’s famous Holte End, with a few of the faithful smattered in little pockets all around the stadium.
The Scots were upbeat and confident, heading to Wembley to take on England.
The original Mr Hall and Andy had been at Villa Park for the first game but as often happens following Scotland, it’s extremely difficult to obtain tickets, as was the case with the fixture at Wembley. so the Hall family watched in Worcester, England.
The better half, April, hung out the Saltire for everyone in the nearby vicinity to know the Hall allegiance for the day.
A Saltire is the Flag of Scotland.
As the game built up, the banter upped its level with the English friends in Barnsley, predicting scores of 5 or 6-0 in favour of the Three Lions.
The game started and following a tight and goalless 1st-half, with not many chances for either team, both went in level at the break.
In the second half, England took an undeserved 1-0 lead but Scotland fought back with a superb header by Gordon Durie inviting David Seamen to pull off a save, keeping England ahead.
Andy Goram, the Scotland goalkeeper, had earlier produced a great save himself from an Alan Shearer header.
An experienced Scotland side refused to buckle.
Mr Durie was then brought down by Tony Adams in the area, giving Scotland a well-deserved penalty and Gary McAllister the chance to put the scores level.
Back in Worcester, at this stage in proceedings, Mr Hall Junior took the opportunity to phone the friends in Barnsley, to kindly inform them how excited one was about the penalty and how Scotland were going to resoundingly beat their Boys (or words to that effect!) when the penalty was converted.
As the saying goes, the rest is history, as Mr McAllister began his run-up, the ball appeared to move on the penalty spot, which although didn’t affect Gary’s kick, who still hit a firm shot, David Seaman saved with, of all things, his elbow.
The Hall family hate Mr Seaman with a passion!
With the kind of luck they have grown used to in major finals, Scotland then fell further behind.
Paul Gascoigne, aka Gazza, does something ridiculous, with Colin Hendry, looking like a drunk Sunday league player, as Gazza goes past the Big Defender, to score one of the greatest goals at Wembley followed by one of the most iconic celebrations ever.
Another glorious defeat again for Scotland, by a 2-0 scoreline.
Going into the final group game, the Tartan Army were back at Villa Park, facing Switzerland, with England meeting Holland at Wembley.
The scenario was simple, Scotland had to beat the Swiss and hope England not only defeated the Dutch but score a good few goals.
With both games having a 19.45 start time, the evening’s entertainment kicked off.
Scotland once again were roared on by the brilliant Tartan faithful, who were rewarded in the 36th-Minute when Super Ally McCoist scored an absolute worldie (Check out Ally’s goal on YouTube) and the place erupted.
Big Ernie and Andrew were bouncing!
It’s one of those occasions where Dad was as happy as a man could be, the joy on his face was immense.
In the other game, England had taken the lead against the Netherlands, so at half-time, both Scotland and England were winning by the same 1-0 scoreline.
Unfortunately, that still wasn’t enough for Scotland, who needed England to score at least another 3 or ‘Our Boys’ to score more goals themselves.
The 2nd-half started.
At Villa Park, the stadium have the Private Boxes running down the side of the ground.
From the edge of the Holte End, it was noticeable that quite a lot of commotion was coming from the said Boxes and suddenly, the word spread through the ground that something special was happening at Wembley.
England had scored those 3-goals needed, through the SAS (Sheringham and Shearer) before 63-minutes were up in the clock.
At that moment Scotland were in 2nd-place in the Group behind England, on the verge of progressing to the Quarter-Finals of a major tournament for the first time.
The atmosphere in the famous Holte End was electric, Dad had tears rolling down his face in the excitement of the fact that his beloved Scotland could actually qualify from a Group for the 1st-time ever, after the despair of Germany’74, Argentina’78, Spain’82 and Mexico’86.
The Scottish tradition of glorious failure could soon be coming to an end.
Minutes ticked by, like the sands of time, as Scotland eventually ground out their win, with all eyes turning to Wembley.
Then it happened and another reason why the Scots hate the English and the Hall’s hate David Seamen.
In the 78th-minute at Wembley, Patrick Kluivert hits a shot that a blindfolded 3-year-old child could save and Mr Seaman somehow manages to let it through his legs, into the goal.
Maybe Big Dave’s ponytail got in his eyes, maybe he just hates the whole Scottish Nation but whatever the reason, the lad lets a dribbler through his legs to knock the gallant Scots out of Euro’96.
A few rude words then left the mouths of the whole of the Tartan Army, directed towards the Moustached Wearing England Stopper.
Back at Villa Park, the news spread like wildfire that Scotland needed another goal or England needed to score again.
England did the Auld Enemy no favours, just passing the ball around for the last 12 minutes to take the win by a 4-1 scoreline, with Scotland unable to muster a 2nd.
Tears of happiness were replaced with tears of glorious failure (AGAIN).
Craig Brown’s men got a resounding Thank You and send-off from the Tartan Army and from the Kilted Scottish Warriors, who set off on the long road home to once again romanticise their ‘if only stories’.
The Scotland Idols all knew that the faithful would support them evermore!
Rest in Peace Big Ernie and Wee Jean x’
England qualified for the 2000 and 2004 tournaments but the Wally with the Brolly, Steve McClaren failed to get the Three Lions to Austria and Switzerland in 2008.
Where’s that Umbrella?
Roy Hodgson took England to the Euros in 2012 and 2016 before the current Manager Gareth Southgate led the Three Lions all the way to the Final at Wembley in 2021, where a penalty shootout against Italy saw the Lions once again gloriously fail.
A quick side note regarding Roy’s leadership at Euro’2012 is the fact it was Fabio Capello in charge of the Qualifying Campaign but Mr Capello resigned from the position, 4 months before the tournament started in Ukraine and Poland due to the Football Association’s decision to strip John Terry of the Captaincy without consulting Fabio.
This is likely to be Gareth Southgate’s final few games as England Manager with John Newsome of the opinion that Gareth is being lined up for the Manchester United job, replacing Erik Ten Hag at Old Trafford.
As for who will take over from GS as England’s Next Boss is anyone’s guess with answers on a Postcard welcome, that no doubt the Scotland team will beat home.
Which is probably the only thing that Scotland will beat.
Only a bit of fun Bravehearts!
Luck fell in the right place for me, the day you happened to come by.
You caught me feeling all was useless, then left me feeling ten feet high.
Now nothing again will be quite the same.
So gather the fears and throw them away.
Luck dropped in just at the right time, the time that I felt most alone.
All my dreams had seemed to vanish,
now my nightmares have upped and gone.
Not scared of farewells, nothing’s the same twice.
I stride through the day and float through the night.
How much choice do we have in this?
Like some almighty hand, smashing my life into pieces.
One day, I was washed and drowned and the next minute put back on land.
Now nothing again can be quite the same.
Gather my fears and throw them away.
Luck, when it holds you closely, it feels like summertime.
Luck, when it holds my hand, wanting it all the time.
Luck, in our country kisses, loving the outlook.
Luck, in the hills and valleys, go on talking ones babbling brook.
John Newsome will be back for the start of the Last-16, once the 8-fixtures are confirmed.
Related Reading
Best betting site for accumulators
Bet365 review
Best cash-out betting sites
Best low or no minimum deposit betting sites