Euros: Top player picks by nation

I’ve been having a good look through the players in the Euro game to help me pick a starting lineup for the competition. My initial team will be heavily focused on those early fixtures anyway but I think it’s still useful to have a shortlist of players to look at. Below, I’ve created a list of players I’m considering for the teams most likely to win the competition. 

I don’t know much about some of the players so I’ve based this mainly on fixtures and ownership but I’ve also had an in-depth look at the past 9 competitive fixtures for each nation. I’ve then logged appearances, goals scored, etc to help me spot who might start and have a good tournament. I’ve also looked at odds for top goal scorers and players of the tournament. 

England

I probably won’t start with any England players as they have a tough first game but I’ll almost certainly bring some in after that. My top picks would be:

Alexander-Arnold/Shaw (both 3m) – if either of these two is first choice they both represent good value at 3m.
Sterling (5.5m) – listed back as a midfielder but often plays more advanced. Not sure if he starts after a relatively poor season by his standards. 
Mount (3.5m) – has had a good Dream Team season and could do well if he starts most games. Decent value.
Foden (4m) – again if he gets a lot of minutes he could really shine at the tournament. Good value.
Kane (7m) – expensive but could be in the running for the golden boot

France

France kick off in one of the last games of the first round of fixtures, they also face Germany so I’ll avoid them to start with. However, they are one of the favourites for the tournament so can’t be ignored.

Griezmann (5m) – stands out as one of the biggest bargains so far. Started all of their last 9 games and scored more goals than anyone else.
Pavard (3.5m) – if he is first choice he’s the cheapest of the French defenders and they could go all the way. 
Mbappé (7.5m) – hard to overlook but seems very expensive compared to Griezmann.
Pogba (5.5m) – always seems to play well for France, a little expensive but could have a big tournament. 

Belgium

Belgium is another favourite for winning the tournament and have a half decent group, with an awkward fixture against Denmark in the middle. Some of their players that I’m considering include:

Vertonghen (3m) – cheap for a defender in a team with a big chance of lifting the trophy
Meunier (3m) – did well for me in the World Cup game and is also cheap if he’s a regular starter.
De Bruyne (6m) – comes with a big price tag but could end up being the player of the tournament
E. Hazard (4m) – cheap considering his reputation but not sure if he’s fit enough to play to his usual standards. One to keep an eye on.
Lukaku (6m) – again fairly cheap considering he’s one of the favourites to finish top goalscorer. I’ll almost certainly start with him in my team.

Germany

Germany are always one of the favourites for any international competition and I expect them to perform much better than they did at the last World Cup. I doubt I’ll own any of their players for their first fixture against France but I may want to bring some of them in after this. A few players that caught my eye were:

Gosens (3m) – could be a cheap route into the German back line if he starts at left back.
Gnabry (5m) – plays very advanced to be classified as a midfielder. Expensive but may score well during the tournament.  
Gündogan (4.5m) – I missed his goalscoring patch and it cost me during the season game. Could continue this form into the Euros.
Sané (4m) – we know what he’s capable of from his time at Man City. Decent price at 4m.
Goretzka (3.5m) – know very little about him and he may be carrying an injury but his stats suggest he could be a bargain.
Havertz (3.5m) – hasn’t been firing on all cylinders in the Premier League but could be completely different for Germany. Plays very advanced for a midfielder.
Werner (4m) – another player who hasn’t really got going in the Premier League but could prove a lot of people wrong with a small price tag at the Euros.

Spain

Spain probably isn’t the team they were a few years ago but are still in with a chance. They’ve also got one of the easier groups in terms of fixtures. Some players I’m considering at the moment are:

Ramos (5m) – I’d never normally consider a defender who costs 5m but if he’s on penalty duties for Spain, he could be a great pick for the entire group stage with some easier games for the Spanish.
Gayà (2.5m) – looks a good price if he starts at left back. My question would be where is Jordi Alba? Surely he’s first choice but he’s not on Dream Team.
F. Torres (3.5m) – I don’t see many goalscorers in the Spain team but Torres effectively plays as a striker and has had a lot of game time recently. Could be one of the picks of the tournament in my opinion.
Morata (3.5m) – incredibly cheap given Spain’s opening fixtures. He could easily score a goal a game or blank completely though.

Portugal

Can’t rule out the current Champions, however, they are in the group of death with Germany and France. Fortunately for Portugal, they start against the weakest team in the group in a must win fixture. I’ve already decided I’ll bring some of their players in for this game.

Patrício (3m) – a good price if they had better fixtures.
Cancelo (4m) – he’s been a point scoring magnet over the Premier League season, I’d expect him to do well in the opening fixture against Hungary. Not sure I’d want to keep him beyond that though.
Fernandes (6m) – hard to overlook considering the points he’s racked up since joining the Premier League. You’d have to be brave to leave him out against Hungary. 
Ronaldo (7m) – expensive but started the World Cup with a hat trick against Spain when I left him out. Surely he will do something against Hungary so I may put him in just for this fixture.
Jota (4m) – seems to be scoring well for Portugal but could well be injured.

Italy

Italy should progress to the knockout stages, they don’t have any of the huge nations in their group but do start with a potential banana skin against Turkey. The great thing about picking any Italian player is that we can check their line up for that game before we lock in our final starting team. Players that caught my eye were:

Emerson (2.5m) – if he starts at left back he’s a steal at 2.5m
Chiesa (4m) – pretty much plays as a striker but question marks considering he’s only scored once for his country.
Immobile (5m) – given Italy’s first fixture, I’m tempted to start with Immobile and if he does very little I’ll just move him on quite quickly.
Insigne (4m) – cheaper than Immobile but has a less impressive goalscoring record. Still tempting at 4m though.

Netherlands

We are starting to drift slightly into teams who are less likely to win the tournament now but I still think the dutch have an outside chance. They’ve also got one of the best groups in terms of fixtures.

Krul (3m) – for me he could be the go to keeper for the group stage. Big question mark against if he’s first choice though, which slightly puts me off. Very good price given those fixtures though.
Dumfries (3m) – again if he gets the nod at right back, for 3m he could be a bargain. 
Wijnaldum (3.5m) – seems to love a goal for his country and is a very reasonable price again considering those group stage fixtures.
Depay (4.5m) – I’ll almost certainly want to tap into those opening group fixtures by picking a Dutch striker. Depay stands out as the obvious choice.

I also had a brief look at Croatia but the only two players I’d consider for them are Modric and Perisic but this would be after the England game. 

Please do highlight any players that you’ve spotted in the comments below, I’m sure I’ve missed a few bargains so I’d be grateful for any other ideas to be thrown in.