Germany legend Philipp Lahm names his favorites to win the Euros this summer
German legend Philipp Lahm has claimed that Didier Deschamps' France are the favorites to win the 2024 EUROs, which will take place in Germany later this year.
The Bayern Munich legend backed the French national team to win the EUROs, explaining that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winners have a squad with great depth. He also stated that Les Bleus have a balanced squad, which will allow them to bring on players who can impact a match. Lahm said (via AFP):
"France (are the favorites). Quite simply because they have, I'd say, 40 players that are very talented. They have a very balanced group and can easily make changes, bring players off the bench that could legitimately start, but what is the most important is to be a team on the pitch."
Interestingly, Lahm didn't take his native country's name, Germany, who will be hosting the upcoming European Champions. The first match of the tournament will be played between the hosts and Scotland on June 14 at Bayern Munich's home ground, the Allianz Arena.
France will face Austria in their opening match of the tournament on June 17. Les Bleus have been drawn alongside the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland in Group D. In the ongoing international break, France faced Germany (2-0 loss) and Chile (3-2 win).
Toni Kroos heaps praise on Germany's performance in international window
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos, who recently made his return to international football, stated that he is proud of the German team's performance after their 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
Germany secured a 2-0 win over France in their first friendly in the international break with the former Bayern Munich midfielder providing the assist for Florian Wirtz's opener. Against the Dutch, Kroos provided the assist for Niclas Füllkrug's winner in the 85th minute as Die Mannschaft completed an impressive comeback.
After the matches, Toni Kroos lauded the German national team for their recent performances. He said (via iSanMiaSan):
"I’m proud of the team. We took the momentum and self-confidence with us from the last game. A few months ago we would have collapsed after falling behind, but that didn't happen today."
Last November, the German team suffered two consecutive defeats against Turkey (3-2) and Austria (2-0). Hence, the recent wins were important for Julian Nagelsmann's side ahead of the upcoming European Championships.