On paper, first-time qualifiers Iceland and the former central European powerhouses of Austria and Hungary - who will compete at their first major tournament since 1986 - look easy meat for the imperious Cristiano Ronaldo.
But football isn’t played on paper, and those backing Portugal to stroll through Group F at odds of 9/10 should be reminded of Euro 2004, when eventual winners Greece stunned the hosts in the opening game of the tournament.
Real Madrid star Ronaldo played – and scored – in that game, and 12 years later he comes into Euro 2016 as the continent’s best player, a status reflected by his Fantasy iTeam app price of £8.4m. No player in the game is more expensive
Portugal’s hopes may rely on Ronaldo finding the net, but there’s 22 other players in the squad, and midfielders Joao Moutinho (£6.5m) and William Carvalho (£5.9m) will also be key if A Selecção are to win their first international trophy.
Portugal start their campaign with a game against Iceland – the smallest nation ever to qualify for the European Championships.
Iceland are 5/1 to win that game in Saint-Etienne and, if they are to do so, star player Gylfi Sigurdsson will need to have a good game, after a stellar season at Swansea City, where he scored 146 points in the 15/16 EPL game.
Next up for Ronaldo and co are Austria, a team some are labelling as dark horses to go all the way at odds of 40/1.
Bayern Munich full-back David Alaba, who plays in midfield for his country, is Austria’s undisputed star, but fantasy football managers hunting for bargains should look out for striker Marc Janko (£7.1m) and goalkeeper Robert Almer (£5.6m) after a thoroughly impressive qualifying campaign.
Arguably the weakest team in the group, Hungary still rely on ex-Premier League veterans Gabor Kiraly and Zoltan Gera for leadership, although the discovery of Werder Bremen midfielder Laszlo Kleinheisler during qualifying provides a boost in wide areas.
Portugal should see the Magyars off in Lyon on 22 June without too many problems, topping the group in the process.
Who follows them through is anyone’s guess: only Austria (in 2008, when they hosted the tournament) have featured in the European Championships since it was expanded in 1980.
Need a banker to build your Fantasy iTeam around? Download the Mirror’s Fantasy iTeam app today and make Cristiano Ronaldo your first pick
No comments:
Post a Comment