The tournament is set to commence on the 11th of June.
It’s just a few days until the 2021 European Championship finals kick-off. Despite the absence of the Republic of Ireland from the tournament, there’s an air of excitement around the country at the prospect of summer football – particularly given the presence of fans at the games.
The first match is set to take place on the 11th of June as Italy face Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico. There will then be a handful of fixtures every day until the end of the group stages on the 23rd of June. The knockout stages then begin on the 26th of June.
With the tournament approaching quickly, here’s a reminder of the groups and the teams within them, including some of each country’s top players.
GROUP A
Italy (Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne)Switzerland (Denis Zakaria, Granit Xhaka, Haris Seferović)Turkey (Burak Yılmaz, Hakan Çalhanoğlu, Çağlar Söyüncü)Wales (Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey, Daniel James)
GROUP B
Belgium (Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans)Denmark (Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen, Thomas Delaney)Finland (Glen Kamara, Teemu Pukki, Fredrik Jensen)Russia (Aleksandr Golovin, Artem Dzyuba, Mario Fernandes)
GROUP C
Austria (David Alaba, Marcel Sabitzer, Sasa Kalajdzic)Netherlands (Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum)North Macedonia (Ezdzan Alioski, Goran Pandev, Eljif Elmas)Ukraine (Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ruslan Malinovskyi, Viktor Tsygankov)
GROUP D
Croatia (Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, Andrej Kramarić)Czech Republic (Tomáš Souček, Alex Král, Patrik Schick)England (Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden)Scotland (John McGinn, Andrew Robertson, Kieran Tierney)
GROUP E
Poland (Robert Lewandowski, Wojciech Szczęsny, Piotr Zieliński)Slovakia (Marek Hamšík, Milan Škriniar, Juraj Kucka)Spain (Thiago Alcántara, Gerard Moreno, Dani Olmo)Sweden (Alexander Isak, Dejan Kulusevski, Victor Lindelöf)
GROUP F
France (Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappé, N'Golo Kanté)Germany (Toni Kroos, Joshua Kimmich, Manuel Neuer)Hungary (Péter Gulácsi, Willi Orbán, Ádám Szalai)Portugal (Cristiano Ronaldo, Rúben Dias, Bruno Fernandes)
When it comes to Royal Ascot, few jockey/trainer partnerships have had more success than John Gosden and Frankie Dettori. Year after year, the duo scoop victories in the biggest races at the prestigious five-day meeting, and the upcoming renewal looks set to be no different — as they lead the way in many of the top racecards with sites like this one: https://smarkets.com/sport/horse-racing.
So, with the 2021 edition of Royal Ascot just a matter of weeks away, let’s take a look at the Gosden/Dettori horses that you need to keep an eye out for this year. Read on to find out more!
Palace Pier – Queen Anne Stakes
Where better to start than with Palace Pier, who is heavy favourite in day one’s feature race, the Queen Anne Stakes. The four-year-oldis odds-on to win the one-mile outing at 4/7 and there’s no doubt that he will be a popular bet in punters’ opening day accumulators. Palace Pier won three times last season, including the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes at last year’s meeting, and has started this campaign in fine form — winning the Group 2 Mile at Sandown before landing the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury earlier this month, beating Lady Bowthrope over the line by a length and a half. Alpine Star and Order Of Australia are his nearest competition at 7/1. However, given their inconsistent form, it would be a real surprise to see one of them pip Palace Pier in this race.
Lord North – Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
At 9/4, Lord North offers a little more value for money in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, day two’s showpiece race. The five-year-old won the Group 1 race by almost four lengths clear of Addeybb last year, but was rather disappointing for the remainder of the season, failing to win in three outings including coming home in last in the Champion Stakes back at Ascot in October. However, he kicked off this season with a victory in the prestigious Dubai Turf, which boasts a purse of £1.75m for the winner, at Meydan in March and if he can carry that form into Ascot, you’d expect him to hold off the challenges of Love and the rest of the field.
Stradivarius – Gold Cup
All eyes will be on Stradivarius in the Gold Cup, the flagship race of the week. The seven-year-old is gunning for a record-equalling fourth successive victory in the two-mile, four-furlong race and he’s currently available at around 6/4 to do so. Stradivarius’ Gold Cup triumph last year was perhaps his most impressive yet as he romped over the line 10 lengths clear of Nayef Road in second. He got the better of the Mark Johnston-trained horse again in the Goodwood Cup, this time by just a length. However, like Lord North it was a disappointing end to the season, as he went without a win in three races. He’s kicked off this campaign with a win at Ascot back in April, and there’s no doubt that his fans will be hoping that he’s back on top form for the Royal meeting.
Crystal Palace are on the verge of appointing former Wolves boss, Espirito Santo over Everton
The Portuguese manager formerly coached Wolverhampton Wanderers for four years until stepping down at the end of last season.
Espirito Santo was a very successful manager at Wolves winning the Championship to take them back to the Premier League for the first time in six years.
The manager also reached the European places in a year that saw him nominated for Manager of the Season.
Tottenham and Everton have both also shown interest in hiring the manager after both teams lost their bosses this year.
Both clubs may have seemed like a ‘step up’ in Santo’s career but neither had a remarkable 2020/2021 season.
Nuno Espirito Santo remains the favourite to become manager of #CPFC after three days of talks with the Premier League club.
With football’s second-largest national competition just around the corner, we have weighed up the international squads that we think have the best chance of claiming glory in this year’s European Championships.
The worldwide pandemic halted sports during 2020, causing European football fans to put their clocks forward a year to arrive at the Euro 2020 tournament. Finally, the time has come where Europe’s finest international squads will go head-to-head in a month-long competition to determine the kings of European football. The previously named Euro 2020’s has become Euro 2021, and we are ready for some top-tier footballing action.
Let us sneak a peek at the teams we believe own the most excellent chance of lifting the trophy.
Reigning Euro Champions Portugal
If you fancy yourself as a betting man, the Portuguese outfit could be right up your alley. With a current price of 8/1 to claim it all, they are a squad that is currently being overlooked by critics and fans alike.
The decline of Serie A top dogs Juventus may have something to do with this; why? Because Cristiano Ronaldo has not had the brightest season, but he remains the superstar player on Portugal’s team.
In addition to Ronaldo’s declining season at Juventus, Portugal has landed in the sights of Germany and France by drawing into Group F. However, I honestly believe that facing stiff competition from the onset could provide a cup winning confidence boost like no other, and we cannot simply discredit one of the world’s best players because of his domestic team’s downfalls.
The best possible news for Portugal is that a 3rd place position in Group F could still see them qualify into the knockout stage. Four third-place teams will advance, meaning that a loss to France and Germany could still provide rewards later down the line. But this is a worst-case scenario, the talent inside the Portuguese squad has enough to win their group, let alone scrape by.
Fernando Santos is all too familiar with this setting, leading the Portugal squad to cup-winning glory during the Euros 2016. In addition, three of his players hold over 100 caps; plus, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota and Joao Felix are a set of players who can match Ronaldo’s stardom on the pitch.
Italy Look Unstoppable
Here are a few statistical facts about Italy you may be unaware of:
They haven’t lost a single game during their previous twenty-one encounters.
They have won their previous seven away games whilst holding their opponents to zero goals.
They hold more runners-up trophies than any other team in European Championship Tournaments.
Italy is another squad that is seemingly overlooked in this year’s Euro 2021 competition.
The overly experienced Roberto Mancini is a coach who knows how to win silverware; when you match this with a well-balanced squad and the most manageable opposition during group stages, Italy could be well primed and rested heading into the knockout stages.
Italy came close to recapturing their 1968 Euro winning year in 2000 and 2012, but these runner-up positions were not good enough for Italian fans.
The difference-maker during this campaign will be their home advantage during group stages and an impressive unbeaten streak dating back to 2018. This is the best Italy squad we have seen since 2012; their chances of success are high in our estimation.
Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne and Domenico Berardi enter the tournament following a very successive Serie A domestic season. This forward strong Italy squad could become a devastating outfit with Roberto Mancini at the reigns.
France Are the Favourite to Win for Good Reason
The most talented group of all the Euro 2021 campaign is pointing towards Group F, and the French squad are current favourites to claim the first position finish. The thought of France winning this group (especially without a loss) could create an unbeatable team when moving onto the knockout stages.
The 2018 World Cup winners have a remarkably similar but more experienced squad than they did back in ’18; if Pogba, Kante, Varane and Mbappe don’t give the opposition worries, they must be insane. Now give these elite players more experience, a higher net-worth and the chance to pull off the double; doubting this French squad would be foolish.
The talent residing in French football is amazingly stacked, and Didier Deschamps accomplished the Euros/World Cup double in 1998 & 2000; twenty years later, he is attempting the same accomplishment, but this time as the manager. The squad he has at his disposal can provide two starting line-ups capable of causing damage, giving him a considerable advantage with tired legs or potential injury. If France causes trouble early on, it is hard to envision any team causing them issues during later stages.
It would have been a big surprise a few months ago, but Benetton has topped the northern hemisphere group of the Rainbow Cup and will now play the final.
PRO14 Rugby confirmed that the Round 6 Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup fixture between Ospreys Rugby and Benetton Rugby due to take place this Saturday (June 12) has been cancelled due to positive Covid-19 cases in the Ospreys squad.
As a result of the cancellation, Benetton Rugby have qualified for the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final on June 19.
Ospreys Rugby are working closely with Public Health Wales following the latest round of Covid-19 testing at the club, which returned 3 positive results.
The decision to cancel the game is a result of the mandate from Public Health Wales that all individuals who were part of the travelling party from the previous fixture are now required to self-isolate in-line with public health protocols.
With no available weekends remaining, the game will not be rescheduled. As a result, PRO14 rugby will use the protocol decided prior to the 2020/21 season whereby a game that could not be reschedule would result in that fixture deemed a 0-0 draw, but four match points would be awarded to the team who had not been the cause of the postponement.
In this case, Benetton will receive four match points. This protocol ensures that no artificial scoring points were added to the tries/points for and against columns.
Adding four points to Benetton’s current total of 18 will provide the Italian team with a final standing of 22 points. It is mathematically impossible for any other team in the table to win more than 20 points, therefore Benetton Rugby will be the ‘Northern’ representative in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup Final on Saturday, June 19.
Gareth Southgate’s side will be looking to put any qualms that pundits and fans have about his decision making and team selection to bed when its time for their opening game of Euro 2020 against Croatia, whom they lost to in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. On paper England have the second-best overall squad in the tournament, with only France having superior depth in all positions.
However, if England is to be victorious in their opening group game and beyond, Southgate will have to pick the correct starting XI. Any mistakes when picking the correct personnel could backfire greatly for the Englishman. Here is my English team that should start against Croatia and beyond the group stages.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Goalkeeper
Jordan Pickford: My first choice was Nick Pope, the Burnley man is a better overall keeper, makes fewer errors that lead to goals and has much more of a commanding presence to him than both Pickford and Dean Henderson. However, Pope picked up a knee injury ruling him out of what would have been his first major tournament. Ultimately, I have gone for Jordan Pickford to start between the sticks, the Everton man has experience at the international level and had a blinding World Cup campaign, so he starts.
Right-Back
Reece James: The right-back position for England has been scrutinised for months leading up to the reveal of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad. After Liverpool’s Trent Alexander Arnold had a difficult season, he was selected alongside Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James before being ruled out with a thigh injury sustained in a 1-0 victory over Austria. While Kyle Walker has a clear experience edge over the other two. Reece James has come into his own this season at Chelsea, playing both as a right-back and being utilised further forward as a right-wing back under Thomas Tuchel. After pocketing English team-mate Raheem Sterling in the Champions League final, his pace, power, and a much more balanced game puts him the clear starter.
Centre-Back
Harry Maguire/Ben White: If Harry Maguire is fit, he starts, it’s that simple. After a terrible run of games after the season restarted in the 2019/2020 season and the start of last season, the big centre-back has proven to be an adequate defender. Without him, England could suffer greatly. Stones has not the same leadership qualities as Maguire has nor from set-pieces so without him, a back five might be introduced to solidify things with Kyle Walker introduced in a three-man defence accompanied by wingbacks. If Maguire is out, my first-choice back-up would be Ben White. The Brighton man replaced the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and will be more than enough to ease England’s centre-back worries.
Centre-Back
John Stones: England’s best centre-back based on overall ability and when he is on form, he has proven he is more than capable of producing on an international level. The Man City man had a great season next to Portuguese star Ruben Dias, it will be interesting to see how he does without a commanding and imposing centre-back like Dias beside him and with Harry Maguire potentially missing out, Stones needs to start every single game for England.
Left-Back
Luke Shaw: After having a difficult time at Manchester United since his horrific leg break in 2015, Shaw has proven me, along with many others wrong this season. Producing at a world-class level and being the best left-back in the Premier League and the world this season. Having Ben Chilwell as backup is a great choice to have if Southgate decides to play more attacking, but Shaw is the clear number one.
Central-Defensive Midfielder
Declan Rice: The West Ham captain has been an integral piece for both club and country, with the defensive midfielder proving himself capable of more than sitting in front of the defence. Underrated in carrying the ball forward, his fierce tackling and being a voice in the middle of the pitch, the young midfielder brings balance to an already stacked midfield full of attacking prowess. He has to start.
Central Midfielder
Mason Mount: Chelsea’s player of the season has proven his doubters wrong with his spectacular performances this campaign. With Jordan Henderson struggling for match fitness, it could be a tournament to remember for the midfielder. Mount will arguably play a deeper role, bolstering creativity and with a finisher like Harry Kane up front, his excellent set-pieces and crossing game could be exploited heavily by Southgate to tear teams apart. His partnership with Declan Rice will be crucial in rather or not the game will be won or lost in the midfield for England.
Left Midfielder
Marcus Rashford: While the United star has had one of his best seasons in terms of goals and assists, he struggled at the latter part of the season for his club. However, his quality cannot be diminished, having originally gone for Grealish in this position, I could not leave Rashford out. Sterling has been out of form all season and England do not possess the same creativity or out and outpace out wide to stretch opponents. The United man deserves his spot.
Central Attacking Midfielder
Jack Grealish: Easily England’s most talented midfielder and should be one of the first names down on the team sheet. The Villa captain has had a hard road to get into this team, but his exploits for his club has made him a shoehorn in this current set-up. Playing better in a more advanced role, and with Declan Rice providing stability and balance behind him and Mason Mount possibly playing in a deeper role, Grealish should thrive in a front four.
Right Midfielder
Jadon Sancho: Phil Foden is a shoutout for this position, but Jadon Sancho starts out wide. Although he did struggle for space and looked tired against Romania, his record in the Bundesliga this season has been spectacular after a hard start.
Striker
Harry Kane: Playing Harry Kane does not need much explanation; the Tottenham talisman is on par with Robert Lewandowski as the current best striker in the role. With England’s hopes and expectations on his shoulders, if he delivers as he did at the World Cup, England will be hard to stop.
The world will soon see Europe’s elite teams go head-to-head in a summer to be dominated by sports. With the tournament set to begin this Friday with Turkey vs Italy as the opening act of a month-long circus, I thought it would be fitting to give you my predictions for one of sports biggest events.
Who will win Euro 2021?
The burning question everyone has been arguing about since last year’s cancelled tournament, who will be the eventual winners? For me, this question is rather easy, but one can make a valid enough argument to warrant. Realistically there are only six teams that are seen as potential winners, with France, England, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, and Spain all of whom are in their own bracket.
Let us look at each team and where they stand coming into the tournament.
France
The reigning World champions fell short as the host nation in the previous European Championship back in 2016 with a shock defeat to Ronaldo’s injury ravaged Portugal. Since that lost France have been truly dominating. Brushing aside teams on their way to winning the World Cup in 2018. On paper Les Bleus easily have the strongest squad, with two to three high quality players in each position, and with players like N’golo Kante, Paul Pogba and Kylian Mbappe all having great ends to their respective seasons. France is the team to beat coming into this tournament.
Prediction: Winners
England
What can be said about an England side coming into a big international tournament? The high hopes and expectations never seem to dwindle and with a squad full of youth and talent, it is hard not to get excited about what potentially lies ahead for Gareth Southgate’s side. England are the only team who can match France in terms of squad depth, being their best crop of players since the golden generation, and with the likes of Mason Mount, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish all showcasing their ability, Southgate is spoiled for choice that not many teams can fall back on. The only issue with England is how they set-up, how will they play against the bigger teams down the line? will the same mistakes arise like they did in 2018?
Coming into the euros, rather or not Southgate will decide to start players on form rather than merit will be scrutinised if they fail to live up to expectations.
Prediction: Runners-up
Portugal
The reigning European champions are not to be slept on coming into this tournament. Unlike in 2016, Portugal is now seen as one of the favourites. They will have to be on tip-top form to progress out of the ‘’group of death’’ alongside France and Germany. Fernando Santos will be looking to capitalise on the momentum from some of his players, Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix, Ruben Dias all had incredible seasons. If they perform like they should, taking the burden of Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoulders can lead to success.
Perhaps the curse of the reigning champions might hinder their performance and with a lack of squad depth, it is hard to see Portugal repeating their 2016 heroics.
Prediction: Round of 16
Belgium
It’s hard to know what Belgium will show up, if it is the Belgium that breezed through the qualifiers, winning every game, and having a goal difference of 37. This Euro’s and the upcoming World Cup is the last chance for the present golden generation to win something. The number one ranked team in the worlds 3-4-3 system has done wonders for them since Roberto Martinez took over in 2016 with the only issue with Belgium is how some of their high-profile players perform. Romelu Lukaku had the season of his life at Inter, but with Kevin De Bruyne suffering from a fractured eye socket and the decline of Eden Hazard, they will need the latter firing on all cylinders to stand a realistic chance of challenging.
Prediction: Semi-Final
Germany
This is a strange time for an already established Germany side, after an awful World Cup campaign in 2018. Being placed in the ‘’group of death’’ will prove if this team still has the desire to compete, with some experienced players still present and some quality young players only improving, Joachim Low will hope he can prove doubters wrong with a successful swansong. While they have a very much Bayern Munich-centric squad at their disposal, how they bounce back from their 2018 escapades will make or break their tournament.
Prediction: Semi-Final
Spain
The days of exciting football, led by the infamous ‘’tiki-taka’’ style that made Spain from 2008-2012 the greatest international side in history is now over. With Luis Enrique sticking with a more pragmatic approach to a staggered Spain squad. Since their 2012 European Championship win, Spain have flopped hard at major tournaments, with many established players aging. While they had a successful qualifying campaign, staying unbeaten throughout. This Spain squad still has a lot to be desired.
Prediction: Quarter-finals
Player of the Tournament
Many players have a solid chance to have a great tournament. The likelihood of it coming from a team outside the favourites as rather slim. France, England, Belgium, and Portugal have many players who can lay claim to the honour.
Latest Euro 2021 player of the tournament odds
Kylian Mbappe (France) 8/1
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium) 8/1
N’Golo Kante (France) 14/1
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) 16/1
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) 20/1
Eden Hazard (Belgium) 20/1
Bruno Fernandes (Portugal) 20/1
Harry Kane (England) 12/1
Prediction: Kylian Mbappe (France)
Golden Boot
Euro 2021 will showcase some of the best strikers in the world battling it out to win the Golden Boot award, with the likes of Harry Kane and Romelu Lukaku the current betting favourites to take home the award. Tottenham’s marksman will be hoping to play to his limit in order to get that transfer away from Spurs and claiming another major individual award will only strengthen his claim.
Belgium powerhouse Romelu Lukaku had an incredible season for Inter Milan, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, they will all be looking to take home the prize.
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