Euro 2016: Predicting the group winners and who will qualify for the knockout stages
Euro 2016 kicks off in France on 10 June 2016.The 15th edition of the UEFA Euro Championships is coming even closer with the curtains falling on the qualifying stage and the Euro 2016 draw being made just a couple of days ago. The draw has been kind to many European powerhouses and has given a glimmer of hope to some of the nations who were simply expected to make up the numbers.However, there have been a couple of teams, including some of the top sides, who have been handed a tough group to deal with. But such groups will have some very exciting matchups at the start of the tournament.Here is a complete analysis of all six groups in Euro 2016, showing which teams are expected to have a long stay at France and which teams have to catch an early flight home along with some interesting matchups to look out for.
#1 Group A
Hosts France have been handed an easy draw with Switzerland, Romania and debutants Albania in Group A. Les Bleus have the possibility of missing star striker Karim Benzema for the Euro finals due to his ban from the national team, but with the presence of other star players like Mathieu Valbuena, Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud alongside home advantage, France have the potential to go a long way.
Both Switzerland and Romania have the capability to pull off an upset. Romania have been really disciplined in defence during the qualifiers but a little shaky up front. Switzerland, on the other hand, have been decent in both departments during the qualifiers. The clash between Switzerland and Romania would be the deciding factor in this group.
However, Albania cannot be overlooked as they have had some really good results lately, beating Portugal in their own backyard during the qualifiers and drawing and later defeating France during two friendlies. So they could also become a surprise package in the finals.
Winner: France
Runners-up: Switzerland
Match to watch out for: Switzerland vs Romania