UEFA EuroCup 2020 is fast approaching and the champions of Europe are roaring to go. The last edition sprang some surprises from qualification to the eventual winner, Portugal. A lot has happened in between, including the top 4 teams in the 2018 World Cup (France, Croatia, Belgium and England) coming from Europe. Belgium, in particular, has all won their group stage matches into the championships and has no intentions of letting go.
The Road to Wembley
The top 2 teams in each of the 10 groups will automatically book a place into the tournament. The remaining 4 teams will be picked based on the best position 3 teams across the group stages. This UEFA Eurocup 2020 edition is a unique one as the tournament will be hosted by 12 cities across Europe. For the first time, all UEFA member states have to fight for their spot in the tournament through the group stages. The creation of the UEFA Nations League, whose reigning champions – Portugal – are also the champions of Eurocup, forms the criteria on how the groups will be filled.
Favourite Teams to Qualify
Group A
Group A features England, Kosovo, Montenegro Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. England has already qualified, winning 5 of their 6 games. The tussle is between the Czech Republic and Kosovo who are separated by a point. Kosovo and Bulgaria have already bowed out of the competition.
Group B
Ukraine is the group leader and has already qualified for the tournament with 6 wins and a draw. Their 8 point gap between them and Portugal means that, if Serbia makes good their intentions, they can dethrone the defending champions on the automatic qualification. Luxembourg and Lithuania have already been eliminated.
Group C
Considered the Group of Death by soccer pundits, the group features the Netherlands and Germany who have one leg into the championship. They share points but are separated by goal difference. Northern Ireland has a good chance to progress despite being the 3rd, but have to battle it out in the play-offs to confirm their spot. Belarus and Estonia are out of the contention.
Group D
This is the most unique group in these qualifications. All the top 3 teams – Ireland, Denmark and Switzerland have won 3 games each. The automatic qualification will be down to the last game since these teams are separated by a point. If it goes as it is, Switzerland will have to go through the play-off stage to qualify. Georgia and Gibraltar have will finish second last and last respectively.
Group E
Croatians and Hungary are neck to neck. Whichever the outcome, World number 2 has already qualified to the Eurocup. Slovakia also has a chance to qualify, thanks to their impressive points garnered in their group matches. Unfortunately, the Baku Stadium in Azerbaijan will not witness their national team playing. Wales also have been eliminated.
Group F
The Spaniards have already qualified with a gap of 5 points between them and Sweden. Romania is also closing in on the Swedes, and if they do not catch up, they have a chance of qualifying through playoffs. The Faroe Islands and Malta have tied at the bottom of the group with a win and 7 defeats.
Group G
Poland and Austria have already booked their ticket to the Eurocup championship. North Macedonia, Israel and Slovenia are tied at position 3, 4 and 5 with 11 points. With a few games to go, the goal difference or extra points garnered will prove vital as they rally for a place in the championship. Having lost all their games, Latvia’s fate is already sealed.
Group H
The Turks have given the defending World Champions a run for their money. Although both teams have qualified, it is the resilience of the Crescent Stars that needs to be celebrated. Iceland is within the qualification range but needs to wait for their final group games for a chance to participate in the playoffs. Albania is also not badly off but Andorra and Moldova are already out.
Group I
This is where the fireworks are. The Belgians have won all their games in the group and have opened up a considerable gap between them and Russia. They have the biggest positive goal difference in the group games and have only given in once. Other group members; San Marino, Scotland, Kazakhstan and Cyprus have already bowed out. San Marino has the biggest negative goal difference in the competition, including their biggest defeat (9 – 0) from the Russians in June 8th 2019.
Group J
The 2006 World Champions have come out stronger after their disappointing exit in the 2016 Eurocup edition. They have won every match in the group, opening a 9 points gap between them and Finland. Armenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are tied with 10 points from 3 wins, 1 draw and 4 losses. They are both eligible to play at the playoffs but will have to wait until their last games. Former champions Greece and Liechtenstein have been bundled out of the tournament.
Betting on UEFA Euro Cup
For all the soccerfans out there, who are still looking for a reliable partner to place bets on the Euro Cup, a visit on the page of bookmakers.com could be helpfull. The experts of bookmakers.com are testing various bookies and provide detailed reports, like the review of the bookmaker bwin and many others.
Teams to Watch Out in the UEFA Eurocup 2020
The Belgians are a free-scoring team thanks to the magic from Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard and Inter Milan’s Romelo Lukaku. Kevin de Bruyne is a master playmaker who knows how and when to make the killer moves. This is the most balanced team in the world in recent times.
The Three Lions have invested in a young and dynamic team. The semi-finalists in the UEFA Nations League and the FIFA World Cup in 2018, their strength lies in their midfield and are one of the most organised and consistent teams. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling are the best scoring duo in European Football currently.
The Dutch have come of age. Led by their defence Maestro Van Dijk, they have a young and balanced team. Their quick counter-attack game formation offers exciting football and could win them crucial games. They are trophy contenders.
The Les Bleus are known to stand up to the occasion. They are big game deciders, thanks to their experience. Fresh from winning the FIFA world cup, they hope to replicate that fate. Their key strength is the midfield and offensive departments. The likes of Paul Pogba and Ngolo Kante are their star players.
Surprise teams which should not be underrated are Turkey, Russia, Italy and Poland and Croatia. Save for Italy, the remaining batch is not known to win trophies, but the current improvement cannot be underestimated. They have individual brilliance and ambitious management who would stop at nothing to conquer the world. The Azzurri have performed well in the qualifiers, and are destined to continue with that form into the championships.
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I am puzzled on how Belgium lost to France in Russia. Let’s be honest Belgium, Brazil, Spain and Germany were better teams than France, but their luck was better. Don’t get me wrong France was a very good team but Belgium was a lot better than France. We all know France was a very good team, but the honest truth is Belgium was a much better team. France had a lucky game. Belgium is the top-ranked team in the world, should actually deserve to win the World Cup in Russia 2018 more than France. Sometimes the game isn’t just.