Yahoo Finance Euro 2020 fantasy football: 20 players to pick in your squad this summer
As if major international football tournaments were not already exciting enough, Uefa’s official Euro 2020 Fantasy Football game is upon us.
Those familiar with Fantasy Premier League should not feel too out of place, though there are some key differences between the two formats that you should know if you plan on taking this seriously.
You pick a squad of 15 players - two goalkeepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards.
With this being a tournament, there are more transfers available and regular opportunities to overhaul your squad. Even so, it’s important to get off to a good start.
Here at The Independent, we’ve run through 20 players to consider for your first squad...
Goalkeepers
Ugurcan Cakir - Turkey, €4.5m
Turkey came away from qualifying with the best defensive record of any team in Europe, conceding just three times. An opening fixture against Italy could be tricky but Cakir is a decent bet for a shut-out from there on.
Daniel Bachmann - Austria, €4.5m
Promoted with Watford this season, Bachmann is set to play minnows North Macedonia first up under a conservative coach with Austria. Whether he keeps his place is the question but that’s as much of a concern for those looking to play their chips during the group stage.
Lukas Hradecky - Finland, €4.0m
A budget enabler. Hradecky is the cheapest goalkeeper at €4.0m and will start for Finland, who did not exactly excel defensively during qualifying but may be able to keep opponents at arm’s length with their approach.
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Defenders
Oleksandr Zinchenko - Ukraine, €5.5m
A familiar face to Premier League observers, Zinchenko is classified as a defender in Uefa’s official game after his exploits as Manchester City’s left-back but will play his natural attacking midfield role for Ukraine and step up to take penalties.
Merih Demiral - Turkey, €5m
Returning to that Turkey defence, Juventus’ Demiral will partner Caglar Soyuncu but his ownership is significantly lower than the Leicester City centre-back and he is slightly more nailed-on, going by his qualification appearances.
Jason Denayer - Belgium, €4.5m
Expected to start at the heart of Belgium’s defence, Denayer’s €4.5m price tag marks him out as a budget option in a strong side. Like Turkey, Belgium only conceded three times during qualifying and have a favourable group.
Ezgjan Alioski - North Macedonia, €4.5m
There are not many North Macedonia assets worth your attention but Leeds’ Alioski is one as a defender with penalty-taking duties. Do not expect clean sheets but the left-back carries assist potential as well as his threat from the spot.
Joakim Maehle - Denmark, €4.5m
Given some uncertainty over his starting status, Maehle is a risk but one that may be worth taking. With license to get forward from left-back and a reasonable set of group fixtures from a defensive standpoint, the Atalanta defender is one to consider.
Owen Wijndal - Netherlands, €4.5m
Another cheap option with question marks over his starts is Wijndal, who is under threat from Daley Blind. Keep an eye on Holland’s team news but if he can keep his place, he carries potential for points as an attacking wing-back.
Midfielders
Christian Eriksen - Denmark, €9m
Another familiar face, Eriksen’s star dimmed somewhat after a difficult start to life at Inter but he remains critical to how dark horses Denmark play. A repeat of his five goals and five assists in qualifying would be most welcome.
Ferran Torres - Spain, €8m
Only ever a bit-part player in his debut season at City, Torres showed an eye for goal when he did play and is highly-regarded by Luis Enrique. Scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 demolition of Germany earlier this season.
Piotr ZieliÅski - Poland, €7m
Heavily linked with Liverpool once upon a time, Zielinski is forward-thinking midfielder who scored eight goals and registered 10 assists with Napoli in Serie A this season. Yet to produce his very best for Poland but perhaps now is his time.
Federico Chiesa - Italy, €7m
Son of Enrico, Chiesa is likely to line up in Italy’s attack and has emerged as one of Roberto Mancini’s favourites. Eight goals and eight Serie A assists was a respectable return for his first season as a Juventus player.
Mason Mount - England, €7m
Like all of England’s talented young midfield players, there is a question over his starting status but Mount is highly regarded by Gareth Southgate and will assume plenty of set piece duties. Given that, €7m feels cheap.
David Alaba - Austria, €5.5m
A surprise inclusion, maybe, but Alaba is guaranteed to start, his international scoring record is decent and his modest €5.5m price should allow for funds to be spent elsewhere in your squad.
Forwards
Robert Lewandowski - Poland, €11.5m
The stand-out player of 2020, Lewandowski breached the 40-goal mark with Bayern Munich this season and only seems to get better with age. Poland start against Slovakia, who relied upon Nations League performances to earn a play-off spot and qualify.
Harry Kane - England, €11.5m
Security of starts, penalty-taking duties and all-round excellence. Kane has everything you could want in a striker at this tournament. The Premier League’s leading goalscorer and creator this season cannot be ignored.
Romelu Lukaku - Belgium, €11m
Lukaku has an excellent international record with 60 goals in 93 games and should only improve on that at this tournament, given Belgium’s relatively kind group. Second favourite for the Golden Boot behind Kane.
Memphis Depay - Netherlands, €10m
Holland’s most important player. If you haven’t been keeping up to date, forget what you know from his spell at Manchester United. Depay hit 20 goals and 12 assists in Ligue 1 this year and is on spot-kick duties.
Burak Yilmaz - Turkey, €8m
Another Ligue 1 striker who enjoyed an excellent season, Yilmaz will enter this tournament off the back of winning the title at Lille. Again, Italy may be tough opponents first up but there are goals to be had from the rest of the group.
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