The Copa America Centenario’s not the only soccer tournament this summer. The UEFA Euro 2016 is finally set to kick off in France on Friday, June 10. The hosts will be favored to come away victorious in the tournament, along with reigning world champions Germany and two-time defending champs Spain.
Let’s check out how the three top contenders stack up, along with a couple more under-the-radar contenders who, despite their long odds, still have a realistic shot of lifting the Henri Delaunay Trophy. In the meantime, check out our three additional tournament sleeper picks here.
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UEFA Euro 2016 Championship Preview
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France (+300)
Les Bleus are ready for the Euros. France finished up its tournament preparations by claiming wins over Cameroon and Scotland, and has now won nine of its last 10 matches.
Injuries have taken their toll on the French defense, with defenders Raphael Varane and Jeremy Mathieu, as well as defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra all ruled out. But with their attacking talent up front (Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial) and in midfield (Dimitri Payet, Paul Pogba), it’s hard to bet against France, which has won the last two major international tournaments it has hosted.
Germany (+350)
Germany has also had to deal with a few injury blows, particularly with Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan both ruled out, but the defending world champions are simply teeming with options in midfield.
Captain Bastian Schweinsteiger was deemed fit enough to make the squad despite an injury-hit season with Manchester United. Meanwhile, Die Mannschaft’s deep reserve of attacking midfielders should ably compensate for Reus’s loss.
The Germans will continue to field less than ideal options at both full-back positions, which is their most obvious weakness on paper. They managed to paper over that weakness in Brazil, though, and their squad overwhelming in talent in all other positions will be heavily favored to do so again in France.
Spain (+550)
Despite a wildly disappointing 2014 World Cup, two-time defending European champion Spain is still one of the favorites for this year’s tournament.
The core of Spain’s 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012-winning teams – centerbacks Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, with midfielders Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas, and David Silva – is still intact, but all are hovering 30 years of age.
The absence of an experienced and proven international goalscorer will be one of the main weaknesses of the side, as will goalkeeper if captain Iker Casillas retains his place between the sticks. Those could come back to bite them later in the tournament, when the margin for error becomes razor thin.
Sleeper
Italy (+1,600)
The team Italy will be taking to France won’t be as strong as it could’ve been. Injuries have robbed the team of key midfielders Marco Verratti and Claudio Marchisio, while their five recognized strikers have a combined 11 international goals. But it’s hardly ever a good idea to discount Italy, especially with such long odds.
The Italians still have a very impressive defense led by the Juventus contingent of Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini and experience in midfield with Daniele De Rossi and Thiago Motta. They say “defense wins championships” and few teams in the tournament will have the ability to defend like the Azzurri.
Long Shot
Wales (+8,000)
Out of all the long shots that could conceivably do a Greece in 2004 and surprise the continent by winning the whole tournament, Wales might have the best shot to do it.
Much like Greece, Wales implements a system that makes it very organized and tough to break down on defense. They conceded just four goals in qualifying. Their chances of winning Group B aren’t all that far-fetched, either. They’re priced at +350 to top the group ahead of England and Russia.
They’ve got their shortcomings on offense, but with Gareth Bale they can be a lethal counter-attacking team that should help them grind out results and go deep in the tournament.
Writer’s Predictions
France (+300) is victorious once again on home soil as it captures the Euros.
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