Euro 2020 Match Previews, Picks for Sunday

It figures to be a glorious Sunday at the 2020 Euros. The day begins with a rematch of a 2018 World Cup semifinal and continues with the major tournament debut of North Macedonia. The day concludes with the Netherlands making its return to the Euros after failing to qualify in 2016. Let’s take a closer look at all three games on the schedule for Sunday.

England vs Croatia, Group D

Croatia came back to beat England in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup, but the Three Lions have the perfect chance to get some redemption. The core of the Croatian team is three years older than they were for the last World Cup, and that core was already starting to age back then. That’s not to say that Luka Modrić, Ivan Perišić, and others still can’t play at a high level. But the Croatians will need some of their younger players to step up on a stage they’ve never played on before, especially against a younger and more athletic England team.

While the Croatians are filled with players in their 30s, outside of Jordan Henderson, all of England’s forwards and midfielders are 27 or younger, including a couple of teenagers. Obviously, Harry Kane will lead the way after amassing the most goals and assists in the Premier League this past season. But the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount, and Phil Foden will also provide England with plenty of firepower, especially with at least one or two of those guys coming off the bench. However, the challenge for England will be remaining sound defensively; otherwise, they’ll be forced to score multiple goals to get a result.

While England hasn’t been overly convincing over the last six months, Croatia has been dreadful against quality competition since the start of 2020. In their last nine competitive matches, the Croatians have conceded 17 goals. That doesn’t bode well for Croatia, especially against a high-powered England attack, and our model agrees that England will have a comfortable win while playing at home.

Prediction: England 3-1

Austria vs North Macedonia, Group C

UEFA made it a point to get some of the smaller countries in Europe a chance to play at the Euros, and the result is North Macedonia playing in the tournament for the first time. Of course, the Lions are heavy underdogs to do any damage. That being said, they had a historic 2-1 win over Germany in a World Cup qualifier at the end of March, so the team’s confidence couldn’t be any higher. Surprisingly, they have over half a dozen players who play for teams in Europe’s big-five leagues and aren’t lacking in international experience, so all hope is not lost for the Macedonians.

In fact, facing Austria might be the best-case scenario for North Macedonia. The Austrians have just one win in their last six matches with that one win coming against the Faroe Islands. The squad is filled with players who apply their trade in the German Bundesliga. However, it’s difficult to find standout international players outside of aging forward Marko Arnautović, Marcel Sabitzer, and new Real Madrid defender David Alaba. Outside of Arnautović, the Austrians are light on goal scorers while the three goalies on their roster have combined for just 15 caps, so there are obvious weaknesses in the squad.

Even against little North Macedonia, the Austrians should be on high alert. As mentioned, the underdogs will have confidence after their shocking win over Germany and play like they belong on the stage. However, the Austrians know they need this game and they’ll find a way to get a result.

Prediction: Austria 2-1

Netherlands vs Ukraine, Group C

It’s been a rough few years for the Netherlands, which failed to qualify for the 2016 Euros and the 2018 World Cup. But there’s a new generation of Dutch stars that look ready to make Holland a force in world soccer again. They have five wins and have suffered just one defeat in their last 10 matches. Holland’s biggest issue is that both Virgil van Dijk and Donny van de Beek are unavailable due to injury. Losing those two players will hurt them defensively and in their creativity. On the bright side, Georginio Wijnaldum can anchor the midfield while Frenkie de Jong is still a creative force on the attack. But it’ll be up to Memphis Depay and others to finish off scoring chances; otherwise, the Dutch won’t reach their potential in the tournament.

As for the Ukrainians, they experienced a dreadful 2020 while playing in League A of the Nations League but have gone six straight matches in 2021 without a defeat. However, they have just two wins during that stretch and some unimpressive draws with Kazakhstan and Bahrain. In other words, this is not the same team that manager Andriy Shevchenko played for all of those years ago when he guided Ukraine to the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup. Ahead of the Euros, Andriy Yarmolenko is the team’s most proven international player. The West Ham United midfielder will need to rally a younger generation of players if the Ukrainians expect to make some noise in a manageable group. 

Unfortunately for Ukraine, they open with the group favorites. Even with the Dutch missing a couple of key players, there should be a clear gap in class between the two sides. Our projections like the Netherlands to come out firing and open the tournament with an impressive win.

Prediction: Netherlands 3-0