UEFA EURO 2020 is fastly approaching with Group A beginning on Friday, James Williams takes a look at what to expect from Wales’ opponents.
Wales return to major tournament action for the first time since their famous endeavours in France in 2016 that saw them reach the semi-finals.
Here we look at the teams in Cymru’s tricky group that includes Italy, Turkey and Switzerland as Rob Page hopes to guide them to the knockout rounds.
Embed from Getty ImagesItaly
World Ranking: 7
Last Euros: Quarter Finals (2016)
Players to Watch: Marco Verratti, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne
A side going into the tournament in real form, Roberto Mancini’s Italy will certainly be a team to look out for. The former Manchester City boss has a brilliant record at the helm of the Azzurri, losing just two of his 30 games in charge, the last coming against Portugal back in 2018.
In failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Italy missed out on a first major tournament finals in 26 years. But they’ve since risen from that crushing disappointment and qualified for these finals with a perfect 10 wins from 10 In qualifying; a feat only achieved six times in history.
Usually setting up in a 4-3-3, they have an exciting squad with some real young talent mixed with a wealth of experience. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is regarded as one of the best young shot-stoppers in the world and the defence that guards him is an impressive one.
Veterans Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini provide the experience whilst Inter’s Alessandro Bastoni is one of the brightest talents in Italian football. The likes of Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Florenzi bring an added wisdom.
Italy will be hoping star man Marco Verratti will be fit in time to partner Nicola Barella and Manuel Locatelli, who look set to be the mainstays in the midfield. Chelsea’s Jorginho will be able to take up that position if needed.
In addition, having a dangerous striker is the first thing needed in any great team and Ciro Immobile offers that. He looks set to lead the Italian line after a record-breaking season in front of goal with Lazio.
The world number sevens smashed San Marino 7-0 and cruised 4-0 past Czech Republic in the recent weeks running up to the tournament. One thing for certain, Mancini’s side will be heading into the opening game of the Euros against Turkey in a rich vein of form and with bags of confidence.
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Embed from Getty ImagesTurkey
World Ranking: 29
Last Euros: Group Stage (2016)
Players to Watch: Burak Yilmaz, Caglar Soyuncu, Hakan Calhanoglu
Under Senol Gunes, this Turkey side are being hotly tipped as one of the dark horses of the competition. Although they’re the lowest-ranked side in Group A, the Crescent Stars are a team looking to fly under the radar.
Gunes’ side impressed in qualifying narrowly missing out on top spot to France, despite taking four points from the World champions. Boasting an impressive record of only three losses in their last 27, they head into the tournament in good stead.
Having gone unbeaten against Moldova, Azerbaijan and Guinea in their preparation, the rock-solid defence Gunes has built since his arrival at the job has been clear to see and could take them far in the competition.
Their centre back partnership of Leicester City’s Caglar Soyuncu and Juventus’ Merih Demiral is one of the strongest in the tournament and having Liverpool loan signing Ozan Kabak to back them up is a sight to behold.
Zeki Celik is another essential cog in that defence. The 24-year-old right-back has been very impressive with Lille over the past few seasons and comes into the tournament having dethroned PSG of their Ligue 1 dominance.
Celik’s Lille teammate Yusuf Yazici has also impressed this year and will offer a creative outlet from the midfield alongside Hakan Calhanoglu, who has been a player reborn at AC Milan. West Brom’s Okay Yokuslu will likely be one of the top candidates for the holding role.
The man to watch is certainly Burak Yilmaz. Second, only to Hakan Sukur in the country’s all-time goalscorers list, Yilmaz is the spearhead of this Turkish unit. At the grand old age of 35, he’s still doing what he does best, netting 16 for Lille this term alongside the aforementioned Celik and Yazici.
With what appears to be a full-strength squad they’ll be a tough nut to crack in the coming weeks. They’ll be hoping they can kick on from their tournament-best semi-final exit back in 2008 and upset the Euros apple cart.
Embed from Getty ImagesSwitzerland
World Ranking: 13
Last Euros: Round of 16 (2016)
Players to Watch: Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Breel Embolo
Switzerland head into their third major tournament in a row having progressed through the group stages in both France and Russia. Manager Vladimir Petkovic will be hoping a lack of match fitness and some injuries won’t dampen their Euros ambitions.
A strong spine of Premier League quality commands this Switzerland team with some top players from around Europe accompanying them. Newcastle’s Fabian Schar has spent much of this season side-lined but looks set to partner Bundesliga duo Manuel Akanji and Nico Elvedi in a back three.
Another Bundesliga player to keep an eye on in that defence is Kevin Mbabu. The Wolfsburg star is a promising player that will operate in the right wing-back position and will be looking to make an impact high up the field.
Petkovic has a strong core of central midfielders at his disposal. Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka will likely be leading out the side in the opener against Wales but the man who partners him is not as crystal clear.
Denis Zakaria is the most likely having started eight of the games in the qualifying, but Atalanta’s Remo Freuler could also fill the berth. He played in all but four of their Serie A games this season, as they once again qualified for the Champions League.
Jurgen Klopp hasn’t looked to Xherdan Shaqiri too often this season, but the Liverpool forward will be a vital player probably playing off the shoulder of whoever leads the Swiss line. Haris Seferovic is in there with the likes of Dinamo Zagreb’s Mario Gavranovic to come off the bench.
Breel Embolo will certainly be in the eyes of Switzerland fans and will likely feature upfront. The 24-year-old is a promising player who has yet to show his full potential, after suffering a bad ankle injury back in 2016.
Switzerland head into the tournament off the back of a five-game winning streak, and they’ll be out to continue that in the upcoming weeks. They’ll be hoping they can advance through arguably one of the most competitive groups in the tournament, bar the dreaded Group F.
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