Euro 2016 Group E
GROUP E
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[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Belgium
On paper Belgium should be challenging to lift the trophy. Ranked second in the world behind Argentina going in to the tournament, they have an excellent goalkeeper in Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois, more than adequate defenders despite the loss of Manchester City's Vincent Kompany through injury, a number of stars in midfield and proven goal scorers. What can go wrong? Despite all the undoubted talent at his disposal, coach Marc Wilmots has been criticized for failing to get the most out of his charges with his tactics and training methods. Belgium have been slow in their build-up play and their strikers have not been prolific. Marouane Fellaini was Belgium's top scorer in qualifying with 7 goals.
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Belgium Kit 1 |
Belgium Kit 2 |
Belgium v Italy 13 June; Lyon
Belgium v Republic of Ireland 18 June; Bordeaux
Belgium v Sweden 22 June; Nice
Coach
Marc Wilmots
Record
1972 Third; 1980 Runners-up; 1984 Group Stage; 2000 Group Stage
Men to watch
Kevin de Bruyne had the most assists in 2015 than any other player in the European leagues and has been excellent since joining Manchester City. Roma's Radja Nainggolan has been linked with a move to Chelsea in the Premier League after standout performances for club and country.
Should make the semis and are potential winners if they can find a way to harness the creative talents of Edin Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne.
Euro 2016 Betting
How they qualified
Belgium topped Group B by two points ahead of Wales.
On the sidelines
Belgium will stay at the luxury Golf du Medoc Hotel and Spa set close to a number of golf courses.
Analysis
Belgium usually line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and there is competition for places in midfield and lots of options off the bench. Up front there is a choice for the lone striker role between Romelu Lukaku, Christian Benteke and Divock Origi.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea), Jean-Francois Gillet (Mechelen), Simon Mignolet (Liverpool).
Defenders: Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham), Laurent Ciman (Montreal Impact), Jason Denayer (Galatasaray), Christian Kabasele (Genk), Jordan Lukaku (Ostend), Thomas Meunier (Club Bruges), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona), Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham).
Midfielders: Mousa Dembele (Tottenham), Marouane Fellaini (Manchester Utd), Radja Nainggolan (Roma), Axel Witsel (Zenit St Petersburg).
Strikers: Michy Batshuayi (Marseille), Christian Benteke (Liverpool), Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Romelu Lukaku (Everton), Dries Mertens (Napoli), Divock Origi (Liverpool).
Italy
Italian football seems to be in transition and the national side performed badly at both the 2014 and 2010 World Cups, though the Azzurri did reach the final of Euro 2012 losing 4-0 to Spain. Under coach Antonio Conte, Italy will be well coached and well prepared for each of their opponents. They will be hoping organization and tactics can take them past a technically superior Belgium, after which they will be confident of beating both the Republic of Ireland and Sweden.
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Italy Kit 1 |
Italy Kit 2 |
Italy v Belgium 13 June; Lyon
Italy v Sweden 18 June; Toulouse
Italy v Republic of Ireland 22 June; Lille
Coach
Antonio Conte
Record
1964, 1972, 1976, 1984, 1992 Did not qualify; 1968 Champions; 1980, 1988, Semi-finals; 1996, 2004 Group stage; 2000, 2012 Runners-up; 2008 Quarter-finals
Men to watch
Giorgio Chiellini is the undoubted boss at the back for Italy. His intelligence is not just on the football field as the Juve hard man has a degree in Economics and Business from Turin University.
We predict Italy will qualify from the group but will not make the last four this time out.
How they qualified
Italy won Qualifying Group H four points ahead of Croatia.
On the sidelines
Italy goalkeeper and captain Gianluigi Buffon is his country's most capped player with 157 caps. Manchester United full back Matteo Darmian supposedly doesn't know how to boil eggs and was sent home from training with a couple from the team's canteen. Graziano Pelle's hair gel is on display at the Feyenoord museum.
Analysis
Italy play a 3-5-2 system with three Juve players in the defensive roles: Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini in front of Juve's keeper the 38-year-old veteran Buffon.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Federico Marchetti (Lazio), Salvatore Sirigu (Paris St-Germain).
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Juventus), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Manchester United), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham).
Midfielders: Federico Bernardeschi (Fiorentina), Antonio Candreva (Lazio), Daniele de Rossi (Roma), Mattia de Sciglio (AC Milan), Stephan El Shaarawy (Roma), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Emanuele Giaccherini (Bologna), Thiago Motta (Paris St-Germain), Marco Parolo (Lazio), Stefano Sturaro (Juventus).
Strikers: Eder (Sampdoria), Ciro Immobile (Torino), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Graziano Pelle (Southampton), Simone Zaza (Juventus).
Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland lost all their matches in a disastrous showing at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. On paper, the Republic are some way behind their opponents in the group on raw talent with most of the squad playing in mid-table English Premiership or Championship teams. Ireland will hope heart and fight will level the playing field and they can get a positive result in their opening fixture with Sweden. Few of Ireland's players now play for top clubs and goals were also a problem in qualifying where they came through a play off with Bosnia & Herzegovina. Southampton's Shane Long will lead the line with veteran Robbie Keane coming off the bench in his last tournament for Ireland.
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Republic of Ireland Kit 1
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Republic of Ireland Kit 2
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Republic of Ireland v Sweden 13 June; Paris
Republic of Ireland v Belgium 18 June; Bordeaux
Republic of Ireland v Italy; 22 June; Lille
Coach
Martin O'Neill
Record
Quarter-Final 1964, Group Stage 1988, 2012
Men to watch
Shane Long never lets his markers rest and will be Ireland's best hope for goals. He averages a goal every four games for his country.
We predict Republic of Ireland will finish bottom of the group.
How they qualified
Republic of Ireland came third in Group D and beat Bosnia & Herzegovina in a play-off.
On the sidelines
Robbie Keane is Ireland's all-time leading goals corer and also holds the record for caps.
Analysis
Republic of Ireland line up in a 4-3-2-1 formation but can switch to an-up-and-at-them 4-4-2 with John Walters joining Shane Long in attack.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham), Shay Given (Stoke), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday).
Defenders: Cyrus Christie (Derby), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Richard Keogh (Derby), Shane Duffy (Blackburn), John O'Shea (Sunderland), Stephen Ward (Burnley).
Midfielders: James McClean (West Brom), Glenn Whelan (Stoke), James McCarthy (Everton), Jeff Hendrick (Derby), Stephen Quinn (Reading), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich), David Meyler (Hull), Robbie Brady (Norwich), Aiden McGeady (Everton).
Strikers: Jon Walters (Stoke), Shane Long (Southampton), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Daryl Murphy (Ipswich).
Sweden
Sweden will be looking to talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic to inspire them it what is likely to be his last major tournament. The opening game against Ireland will be vital for both teams. Sweden lack world class players to complement Ibrahimovic, who scored 11 of the team's 19 goals in qualifying, and rely on discipline and defensive organization to get them through.
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Sweden Kit 1
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Sweden Kit 2
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Sweden v Republic of Ireland 13 June; Saint-Denis
Sweden v Italy 18 June; Toulouse
Sweden v Belgium 22 June; Bordeaux
Coach
Erik Hamren
Record
Record 1964-1988 Did not qualify, 1992 Semi-final, 1996 Did not qualify, 2000 Group stage, 2004 Quarter-final, 2008, 2012 Group Stage
Men to watch
Ajax, Barcelona, Inter, Juventus, Milan, PSG, Zlatan has scored goals wherever he has played. Rumoured to be on his way to Manchester United after the tournament.
Sweden could be one of the best third placed teams.
How they qualified
Third in Group G behind Austria and Russia, Sweden overcame Denmark in the play-offs thanks to Zlatan's goals.
On the sidelines
Celta Vigo's John Guidetti is the dressing room joker and is known for keeping a promise and going for a kick about with a young fan after watching the 2015 Champions League final.
Analysis
Sweden play 4-4-2 with Zlatan and normally Marcus Berg as the front two.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Andreas Isaksson (Kasimpasa), Robin Olsen (Copenhagen), Patrik Carlgren (AIK Solna).
Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Copenhagen), Erik Johansson (Copenhagen), Pontus Jansson (Torino), Victor Lindelof (Benfica) Andreas Granqvist (Krasnodar), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Martin Olsson (Norwich).
Midfielders: Jimmy Durmaz (Olympiakos), Albin Ekdal (Hamburg), Oscar Hiljemark (Palermo), Sebastian Larsson (Sunderland), Pontus Wernbloom (CSKA Moscow), Erkan Zengin (Trabzonspor), Oscar Lewicki (Malmo), Emil Forsberg (Leipzig), Kim Kallstrom (Grasshoppers Zurich).
Strikers: Marcus Berg (Panathinaikos), John Guidetti (Celta Vigo), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris St-Germain), Emir Kujovic (Norrkoping).
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