Euro 2024: Your guide to Groups C and D just three weeks out from the tournament kick-off
PRIDE OF ENGLAND: Hype accompanies England at tournaments but this time there’s expectations about ending their 58-year tournament drought. Pic credit: AP Photo/Dave Thompson.
In the second installment of our three-part weekly series, we look at another pair of Euro finals groups, assessing the depths of squads and potential hurdles for the favourites to navigate on their way into the last-16 stage.
Hype accompanies England at tournaments but this time there’s expectations about ending their 58-year tournament drought.
Semi-finalists at the 2018 World Cup, runners-up in the delayed Euros, and then quarter-finalists in Qatar 18 months ago, the midfield artillery of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden has been joined by Cole Palmer in the world-class stakes.
England open their tilt on Sunday, June 14 in Gelsenkirchen against a Serbian side in who’ve excelled under Dragan Stojkovic, bouncing back from a penalty shootout defeat to Scotland in the last Euros to reach the 2022 World Cup.
This generation, led by 35-year-old captain Dusan Tadic, have been together a while but it’s difficult to comprehend how marksman Aleksandar Mitrović is only 29.
He’s creeping up towards Robbie Keane’s 67-goal haul, 10 shy after just 89 caps. He’s jumped aboard the same gravy-train as Sergej Milinković-Savić, a talented powerhouse capable of mixing it with Europe’s finest midfielders.
Denmark and Slovenia emerged from the same group, posting identical records of 22 points, with the Danes snaffling top spot based on head-to-head results.
The very fact that Christian Eriksen is alive, never mind able to play, is testament to his fortitude, lest we forget the scenes of three years ago at the last tournament in Copenhagen.
Denmark’s hopes will depend on their other Manchester United representative, Rasmus Højlund, despite him being 11 years younger than Eriksen. Qualification was bumpy, an early defeat in Kazakhstan bookended by scraping past San Marino 2-0.
Slovenia, at their first tournament since 2010, are justifiably outsiders but the presence of Atlético de Madrid’s Jan Oblak in goal offers a route to resistance.
They’ll require more than consolidation to prosper, heaping pressure on the shoulders of RB Leipzig’s 20-year-old frontman Benjamin Šeško.
Recently turned 21, the midfielder operates at his own pace and is one of the graduates from Lee Carlsey’s U21 Euro champions for his first senior tournament appearance.
A snip at £42m, his 32 goal involvements, including 22 goals, helped Chelsea secure Europa League football for next season.
 Serbia’s resurgence kicked off in Belgarde against Ireland in March 2021. Alan Browne headed Stephen Kenny’s Ireland into the lead in that World Cup qualification opener before Serbia won 3-2.
England, Serbia, Denmark. Slovenia.
This pool is the prime rival to B’s tag as the Group of Death.
France and Netherlands were part of the World Cup quarter-finals while both Austria and Poland have tournament pedigree, this their third and fifth Euro appearances on the spin respectively.
Kylian Mbappé against Virgil van Djik doesn’t fall until June 21 in Leipzig – a repeat of the qualification campaign which saw two French wins – so the Dutch must amass points from the other two games to avoid the latest of their historical Oranje crushes.
There’s a wafer between England and France with the bookies for tournament victory and the aristocrats led by veteran boss Didier Deschamps possess the effervescence and experience to get over the line, one step further than their World Cup final defeat to Argentina.
Mbappé could even be part of their Real Madrid coterie by the time they open against Austria on June 17.
One title, way back in 1988, is a meagre return for the Dutch, disappointed by semi-final defeats in four other tournaments.
Ronald Koeman’s task, as was for his predecessors, is fusing quality individuals into a cohesive unit and they’ve two friendlies against Canada and Iceland to finetune his best team.
Ralf Rangnick, much derided at Manchester United, recovered from Nations League relegation to steer the Austrians through their group, suffering a solitary defeat, a 3-2 reverse to Belgium.
A run of five successive wins has lifted ambitions despite the arduous route out of the pool and their success in that mission may well hinge on how effective stalwart Marko Arnautović is.
Poland have endured a few mini crises in recent years, losing to Moldova and Albania over a campaign they finished a distant third to the latter and Czech Republic.
In their time of need last Autumn, Michał Probierz was elevated from the U21s to gaffer and they edged out Wales in the playoffs on penalties.
Tournament football is a different animal, however, and in likely his final summer bonanza, Robert Lewandowski will look to add to his 82 goals in neighbouring Germany.
Warren Zaïre-Emery.
Breaking into the French team constitutes the PSG midfielder’s objective in the first instance but the 18-year-old is sufficiently highly-rated to be a realistic option.
PSG records being smashed for reaching 20 starts, starting in the Champions League and scoring illustrate his rapid progress.
Two heavyweights of the Euros shared company with Ireland in the qualifying group. Sadly, we didn’t score a goal, never mind register a point, over the four games; reality kicked in at the end of a gallant effort in the opener at home to Les Bleus.
France, Netherlands, Austria, Poland.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
