Group D Euro 2024: France and the rest

The French national team is considered the top contender for the 1st position in Group D Euro 2024, boasting a superior squad with many stars performing consistently across all three lines. It won’t be easy for the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland to cause surprises against Les Bleus.

Group D Euro 2024: France, Netherlands, Austria, Poland

France National Team
At Euro 2020, the French national team faced an early exit in the knockout stage. However, they have since made significant strides, evidenced by their appearance in the 2022 World Cup final, where they posed a considerable challenge to the reigning world champions, Argentina.

The current French team boasts depth and options in various positions to establish overwhelming attacking dominance against any opponent. Kylian Mbappé, the recently signed star for Real Madrid, continues to lead the charge, supported by the ever-ready Antoine Griezmann. In defense, they have Premier League’s finest center-back William Saliba and one of the world’s best left-backs in Theo Hernandez. The midfield trio of Camavinga, Tchouaméni, and Rabiot provides optimal solutions.

With a squad full of stars, the French national team is a championship contender, competing with England. In Group D, France is undeniably the frontrunner for the top spot to advance to the knockout stage.

Netherlands National Team
Under Koeman’s leadership, the Dutch national team tends to play long balls against stronger teams and actively maintains possession against underdog teams. The Netherlands boasts a quality defense, including players like Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, and Dumfries. Coach Koeman excels in tactical adjustments, aiding the Oranje in approaching each match optimally and potentially causing difficulties even for the French national team.

However, the Dutch team still has some weaknesses to address, especially in the attacking department. Memphis Depay’s form and fitness are not at their best. Daley Blind is no longer a top-quality defender, with his speed being restricted, which might expose the Netherlands to vulnerabilities in midfield.

Austria National Team
The Austrian national team marks its third consecutive appearance at the top continental tournament for national teams, as well as the fourth time in history. In terms of performance and class, the Austrian team appears inferior compared to the other two mentioned above. However, they have always been a nuisance to the giants. Moreover, the Euro 2024 finals, with the format of including the top four teams with the best third-place finishes, offer Austria a chance to advance if they play up to their potential.

Austria’s strength lies in the attacking midfield, with the presence of veterans like Sabitzer, Laimer, and Baumgartner. They will be responsible for connecting and scoring goals. To ensure advancement, the Austrian team needs to set the goal of scoring as many goals as possible against ‘weaker’ opponents.

Poland National Team
The Polish national team, despite being a familiar participant in the Euro stage with three previous appearances since Euro 2012, had a rather disappointing qualifying campaign for Euro 2024. Despite being in a group assessed as capable of securing one of the two spots with the Czech Republic as the most formidable opponent, they only managed to secure the third position and had to earn their ticket through the playoffs.

Fortunately, Poland still demonstrated their Euro charm by defeating Estonia and Wales to make their fourth consecutive appearance at the Euro. Undoubtedly, Poland, led by Robert Lewandowski, has not maintained the high level of performance as in previous Euro tournaments. However, this doesn’t mean that their opponents can afford to be complacent.

Group D Schedule – Euro 2024
16/6 20:00 D Poland vs Netherlands
23:00 D Slovenia vs Denmark
21/6 23:00 D Poland vs Austria
22/6 2:00 D Netherlands vs France
25/6 23:00 D Netherlands vs Austria
23:00 D France vs Poland