Euro Fantasy 2020: Best Fantasy Team for Matchday 1 | Euro Fantasy Tips
Euro 2020 kicks off on Friday, 11th June, with a Group A clash between Italy and Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Euro Fantasy also begins on that day and will continue for seven 'Matchdays' throughout the tournament.
Each Matchday in the group stage will consist of 12 games spread over four or five days. Unlike in FPL, Euro Fantasy managers will be allowed to change their captains every day on a 'Matchday' and make manual substitutions.
There will be two free transfers per Matchday in the group stage, and unlimited changes will be allowed between the end of the Group Stage and the start of the Round of 16. Subsequently, each manager will get three free transfers ahead of the quarter-finals and five ahead of both the semi-finals and the final.
While the price limit for group-stage matches is €100 million, the price limit will be €105 million for the knockout stages. There are also chips that managers will be able use to make unlimited changes to their teams.
'The Wildcard' would allow one to make unlimited and permanent changes to teams but with budgetary restrictions. 'Limitless' would enable one to perform infinite transfers with no budget restrictions but only for a particular Matchday.
The new rules and the short duration of the Euro 2020 tournament mean that there's not much room for error. Euro Fantasy managers will need to get their strategies spot on, right from the outset. So without further ado, let's take a look at the best Fantasy team for Euro 2020 Matchday 1.
Deadline for Transfers: 07:00 PM on Friday, 11th June (GMT) and 00:30 AM on Saturday, 12th June (IST).
Also Read: Euro 2020 Fantasy: Top 5 budget defenders.
Euro 2020 Key Matchday-1 Fixtures
In the Euro 2020 opener, Italy will take on Turkey on Friday night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Russia will take on Belgium in a marquee game on Saturday at the Krestovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg. England will open their Euro 2020 campaign against Croatia at the Wembley Stadium early on Sunday, with the Netherlands locking horns with Ukraine at the Johan Cruyff Arena later in the day.
Spain will lock horns with Sweden on Monday at the Estadio de La Cartuga in Seville. The Matchday will conclude with a Tuesday night meeting between France and Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich.
Click here to view the full fixtures for Euro 2020 Matchday 1.
Chip Strategy
Deciding on a chip strategy is essential before drafting teams for Matchday 1. Euro 2020 Fantasy managers have contrasting views on the usage of chips for the seven Matchdays.
The most common one would be to employ both the Wildcard and Limitless in the Group Stage, as there is a better chance for differential picks to shine. While that could work, opting for this method could leave one vulnerable to not having enough players for the quarter-finals. That's because there will only be three free transfers available for that stage of the tournament.
After examining the Euro 2020 fixtures, I've opted to use my Limitless chip on Matchday 3 and my Wildcard in the quarter-finals. In my view, there aren't too many desirable fixtures in Matchday 2 apart from France taking on Hungary, so I will get assets from France using my free transfers for Matchday 2.
Matchday 3, meanwhile, has plenty of room for points and will be a good time to opt for unlimited transfers and an unlimited budget. The Netherlands take on North Macedonia, Belgium will lock horns with Finland, and Germany will play Hungary among marquee games on this Matchday.
Using my wildcard in the quarter-finals would allow me to take some risks for the Round of 16, as I'll reset my team by then. While the chance of getting a differential haul is less, it should be an acceptable trade-off for more stability during the competition.
Captaincy Options
There will be multiple shots at choosing the captain in Euro Fantasy teams. So Euro Fantasy managers should exploit that to the fullest by including multiple captaincy options, who play on different days of a Matchday.
Here are my preferred captaincy options for Euro 2020 Matchday 1:
Day 1 - Friday, June 11th: Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) (MID) (£8.5 million) (vs) TUR.
Day 2 - Saturday, June 12th: Romelu Lukaku (BEL) (FWD) (£11 million) (vs) RUS.
Day 3 - Sunday, June 13th: Memphis Depay (NED) (FWD) (£10 million) (vs) UKR (or) Harry Kane (ENG)(FWD)(£11.5 million) (vs) CRO.
Day 4 - Monday, June 14th: Ferran Torres (MID) (ESP) (£8 million) (vs) SWE.
Day 5 - Tuesday, June 15th: Bernardo Silva (MID) (POR) (£8.5 million) (vs) HUN.
Also Read: Strongest possible starting XI for England | UEFA Euro 2020.