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Hosts France were very lucky with the draw for Euro 2016, having been assigned in a group with Switzerland and two of the worst 4 teams competing in the Euros – Romania and Albania. France should win the group, while the fight for the next spots seems open – with Switzerland as a rather clear favorite ahead of Romania and Albania.
FRANCE – odds to win Group A: 1.36 @ Betfair
France is currently viewed as the main favorite to win Euro 2016 and you can`t argue with the bookies, considering the quality in the squad and the home court advantage. I would still fancy teams like Germany or even England ahead of France, but as far as Group A goes, they should cruise. There`s really not much else to be said aside from the facts that Les Bleus are miles ahead of the other teams in terms of quality and that they are in very good form. France won its last 4 friendlies, scoring 3 or more goals in each one of them – including a 3-0 victory over Scotland in the last match played before Euro 2016. The worst case scenario for France in Group A seems like 7 points, in case Switzerland has its best day in their direct match, but even then France would probably win the group via goal difference.
- Key players: Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba
- Strong spots: Overall individual quality, Offense, Midfield, Depth, Form, Home court factor
- Weak spots: Benzema’s absence, Defense tends to lose focus at times
SWITZERLAND – odds to qualify: 1.25 @ Ohmbet
Switzerland is the second best team in the group by a large margin. On their day, they can mix it out with any side in the world, as showed in the recent World Cup, when only an 118th minute Di Maria goal denied them a penalty shootout against Argentina. Switzerland has what it takes to challenge France, but they must also avoid inconsistency and improve on recent form if they don`t want to be surprised by Albania and Romania. Switzerland lost its last 3 friendly games before barely beating Moldova 2-1 in their last preparation match ahead of Euro 2016. They also can`t rely on a top class, proven goalscorer to finish off the chances provided by their world class midfield – but they do have options and at least one of Seferovic, Embolo, Mehmedi or Derdiyok is bound to find his best form during the tournament.
- Key players: Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka
- Strong spots: Individual quality, Midfield, Experience at the top level
- Weak spots: Recent form in friendlies, Inconsistency
ROMANIA – odds to qualify: 1.83 @ William Hill
A case can be made that Romania did not have such a weak generation of players in more than 50 years and they mostly qualified due to being drawn in the weakest (ever?) qualifying group – as the three teams that qualified from that group (Romania, Northern Ireland and Hungary) are now rated as the worst sides in the tournament, along with Albania.
The 23 man squad contains a single footballer that is playing regularly for a decent side abroad and that is keeper Tatarusanu (Fiorentina). The rest of the squad features players from a poor domestic league, eternal bench warmers at average European clubs and a few guys playing regularly for sides like Cordoba or Ludogorets. With little to no offensive power, Romania relies on defense and a well covered keeper position to grind out results. They allowed just 2 goals in the qualifying group and held teams like Italy and Spain to draws in recent friendlies. A strong spot for Romania is it`s chemistry and depth. All players in the squad can do the job just as well as the other guy, so injuries, suspensions or fatigue should not be a problem. Overall, Romania doesn`t seem well prepared for Euro 2016, as the level of play in the pre – tournament friendlies confirmed. They will fight for the 3rd place with Albania.
- Key players: Ciprian Tatarusanu, Nicusor Stanciu
- Strong spots: Squad chemistry, Central Defense, Depth
- Weak spots: Zero creativity, No offensive power, Weak midfield, Poor individual quality, Coaching
ALBANIA – odds to qualify: 3.10 @ Betfair
Albania is not taken seriously by most pundits and football fans, but that is a mistake. Albania is definitely better than advertised and showed the ability to produce upsets, beating Portugal on the road in the Euro 2016 qualies and claiming a shock win over group opponents France in a friendly last year – so neither Switzerland or France can afford to take them lightly. Also, Albania can match Romania in terms of quality, actually having more guys playing regularly at solid European clubs than the Romanians. When you look at the backbone of the team, Berisha (Lazio) – Hysaj (Napoli) – Cana (Nantes) – Xhaka (Basel), a solid argument can be made that Albania is not the weakest team in this group. A top 2 position still seems like a stretch, but Albania can hurt Romania and / or Switzerland, hoping to qualify from the 3rd spot.
- Key players: Taulant Xhaka, Lorik Cana
- Strong spots: Surprise factor, First class team leaders
- Weak spots: Poor overall individual quality, Lack of depth, Lack of experience
You will find all of our articles, group previews and betting talk in the Euro 2016 blog topic, both pre – tournament and during the tournament. When it all starts on June 10th, make sure to check out Betdistrict’s Euro 2016 tips, as we will have predictions for all the matches in France.
