Group D of Euro 2020 will consist of England, the Czech Republic, Croatia and Scotland, and it could be a close one despite the obvious difference in quality between the teams.
England and the Czech Republic qualified for Euro 2020 after coming first and second in Group A of Euro 2020 qualifying.
England lost only once in the qualifying stage, which came against the Czech Republic in Prague, while the latter lost thrice, including a 5-0 hammering at the hands of England.
2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia, meanwhile, won Group E of Euro 2020 qualifying, losing just once in qualifying to Hungary. The fourth team in the group, Scotland, are the underdogs of the group having qualified to the competition after defeating Serbia in the playoffs.
All matches in the group will be played in London’s Wembley Stadium and Hampden Park in Scotland.
Euro 2020 Group D – Highlight fixture
The big fixture of the group will be the game between England and Croatia, which will take place at Wembley on June 13, which will also be the first match of the group.
🔙 #Croatia national team comes back to Rovinj! #EURO2020 #Vatreni🔥 pic.twitter.com/FWKS0XWc6j
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) June 7, 2021
The last time these two sides met was in 2018 in the UEFA Nations League, a game England won 2-1 at Wembley. But, England were knocked out by Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, which could evoke bad memories for the Three Lions.
Euro 2020 Group D – Players to watch
Croatia captain Luka Modric will be the star player to watch out for in Group D of Euro 2020. The veteran midfielder could be playing his last major tournament for his country and will want to stamp his influence on the game with his passing and control from midfield.
Another captain, England’s Harry Kane, will be key for his side. Kane was the Golden Boot winner at the 2018 World Cup and also scored the most goals (12) in Euro 2020 qualifying.
A Euros summer. Can’t wait. 🦁🦁🦁 pic.twitter.com/NbJ3r6ClVw
— Harry Kane (@HKane) June 1, 2021
Czech Republic will have to depend on good performances from their two midfielders – Captain Vladimir Darida and West Ham’s Tomas Soucek. The two will have to do a lot of running and pressing and hope to hit on the counter.
John McGinn, who scored seven goals in the qualifying stages of Euro 2020, will be vital for Scotland in the competition. The Aston Villa midfielder will have to burst from midfield to support the forwards, while also dropping back to win back the ball.
Also read: Euro 2020 – 5 Chelsea Stars Who Will Be Crucial For Their Countries
Euro 2020 Group D – Prediction
England and Croatia are the favourites to qualify out of Group D. England will be playing all three group matches at home, which gives them an advantage over the other teams.
The Czech Republic could be dark horses in the group, while not many people will give Scotland any chance of progressing out of the group stages.
The Scots did impress against Netherlands in a recently friendly, and they will push the other teams in the group.
