Euro Insight : Matchday 2 & 3 Picks

Matchday 1 has not been the most scoring due to several reasons. Only 2 clean sheets including that of Denmark which was literally against the odds and lots of 1-1 draws from team which are expected to win the tournament.However they have seen their toughest game in the group stages go by and theres all to play for in Matchday 2 and 3. 

Had to make this article really quick due to the timing between matchdays, so lets see whats in store for Matchday 2 and 3 :

Euro 2012 Matchday 2 Schedule :

Date	Time	Match	Team
Tue, June 12	18:00(CET)	Match 1	Greece vs Czech Republic
Tue, June 12	20:45(CET)	Match 2	Poland vs Russia
Wed,June 13	18:00(CET)	Match 3	Denmark vs Portugal
Wed,June 13	20:45(CET)	Match 4	Netherlands vs Germany
Thu,June 14	18:00(CET)	Match 5	Italy vs Croatia
Thu,June 14	20:45(CET)	Match 6	Spain vs Republic of Ireland
Fri,June 15	18:00(CET)	Match 7	Ukraine vs France
Fri,June 15	20:45(CET)	Match 8	Sweden vs England

Euro 2012 Matchday 3 Schedule :

Date	Time	Match	Team
Sat, June 16	20:45(CET)	Match 1	Greece vs Russia
Sat, June 16	20:45(CET)	Match 2	Czech Republic vs Poland
Sun,June 17	20:45(CET)	Match 3	Portugal vs Netherlands
Sun,June 17	20:45(CET)	Match 4	Denmark vs Germany
Mon,June 18	20:45(CET)	Match 5	Croatia vs Spain
Mon,June 18	20:45(CET)	Match 6	Italy vs Republic of Ireland
Tue,June 19	20:45(CET)	Match 7	Sweden vs France
Tue,June 19	20:45(CET)	Match 8	England vs Ukraine

Note :

All timings are as per CET.

Wildcard is available and you can use it just once in this game.

Goalkeepers :


Buffon ( 6.5 )
Unbeaten in qualifying stages and Italy look solid in defence.


Lloris ( 6.5 )
Its time to back up with stronger defenses as they have easier matchups and more chances of clean sheets.France is undoubtedly on their way up and have been rock solid in defense during qualifying.

Hart ( 6.0 )
The one difference i see in this England team is that they have a great keeper unlike previous competitions where they had to depend on the likes of Green and Robinson. Hart is world class and it will not be easy to score against him this time around.Good price at 6.0


Bargain Pick : Cech ( 5.0 )
Czech Republic clearly seem to be struggling in defense but why not keep Cech as a second keeper and hope that he produces a clean sheer.Even if he doesn't , you still have your bench keeper to back him up.

FORWARDS 


Cassano
Seems to be a sure starter for Italy and if they stick with the same lineup, Cassano will be a great asset in your team.Not to expensive and the possibility of Italy scoring in the balance 2 group stage games is high.I would prefer Cassano to Balloteli.


Benzema ( 9.5 )
Same reasons as above.Top man from a team on the up.


Lewandowski ( 8.0 ) 
Not the easiest of games against Russia but if you want to get behind the hosts , look no further than this man.


Gomes ( 11.5 )
If you really want to splash your funds, i would prefer Gomes against Netherlands as he has a good team to support him with the likes of Muller / Podolski / Ozil etc he will always get lots of opportunities as compared to Ronaldo who has to earn for himself literally.


Ibrahimovic ( 8.0 )
Even if the matchup is not great , i would still recommend Ibrahimovic due to the quality he possesses.He has been in exceptional form through last season and has been scoring in all the games for sweden lately.If you fancy a goal against England, you could pick him.

Differential picks 
Apart from the names already mentions , i would look at Ronaldo ( 11.0 ) if you have some spare funds as he plays Denmark who have not been a easy team to beat.Out of the England strikers i would like to mention my hunch for this matchday i.e Defoe ( 7.0 ) If he starts he could score a couple and just feels he is due some goals.Salpingidis came on from the bench and could have easily scored a couple more with the chances he had.If you want an enabler i would recommend him at ( 5.0 ) From the russian camp one man who has been consistent up till now has been Arshavin and he seems to be involved with most of the moves they make upfront .Last but not the least is Jelavic( 5.0 ) , even though he is playing a tough game he is capable of scoring goals.

ROONEY ( 10.5 )
Note that Rooney, who has been unavailable for the first 2 games of Euro 2012 is now available for matchday 3 and he will be a top pick among the strikers.

MIDFIELDERS

Iniesta ( 9.5 )

Man of the match performance against Italy and was unfortunate to not put himself on the scoring sheet.Im still backing him.

Young ( 8.5 ) 

Key player for England this time around and lots depend on how he plays really.He has been instrumental in the build up with a couple of goals and assists.If i had to pick one of the England midfielders, it would undoubtedly be Young.

Fabregas ( 8.5 )
Was a little surprised to see Fabregas start as a striker against Italy and they could have done better with their formation in my opinion.But if they stick with something similar , then Fabregas is surely an asset as he will be playing upfront either alone or along side the other forward.

Mandzukic ( 6.0 ) 

Another value for money pick as he plays upfront for Croatia. He has had a good season with Wolfsburg scoring 12 goals and 8 assists.And the two goals he scored against Republic of Ireland.

Dzagoev ( 7.5 )
The difference between a good and a bad matchday 1.If you had him , im sure would be happy with the 2 goals.Clearly the best pick in this Russia side and surely there is more to come.

Differential Picks 

Having to choose 5 midfielders, you will need a mix of both experienced and fresh talent who have been making a name for themselves in the run in to this competition.

Blaszczykowski ( 7.5 ) He takes all free kicks, corners and penalty kicks which could be an asset.Played well in the first game and got an assist.Shirokov ( 6.0 ) is another differential pick from the Russian camp.Offers plenty going forward with respect to Goals and assists.Nasri ( 8.5) had a great game against England and playing just behind the strikers suits his game.Yarmolenko( 7.0 ) has been in good form and is instrumental in Ukraine's run in.Gerrard ( 8.5 ) could also be looked at as he takes all free kicks, penalty and corners which is a big asset in this game.Another addition to this section is Pirlo ( 8.0 ) who always seems to be improving with age.His deliveries are well converted by the forwards and not to forget the goals he is capable of scoring from long range.Krohn-Dehli (6.0) is a good option as an enabler.

DEFENDERS

Lescott ( 5.5 )
Cheapest defender from a top team and sure short starter.Started this tournament with a goal and is good with set pieces as we have seen in Manchester City.

Jordi Alba ( 6.5 )

Sure starter for Spain at left back and his price is affordable.I would assume Spain to be outright winners in their group and Alba offers good potential.

Debuchy ( 5.5 )
Same reasons as Lescott.Great value and after the man of the match performance against England, he looks threatening going forward.

Kadlec ( 5.5 )

Had a great run in the qualifiers with 4 goals. He is the penalty taker for the Czechs and that could well prove to be the differential in your team.

Zhirkov ( 6.0 )

Another good left back who offers lots going forward. Valued at 6.0 and a good pick to have in your team.Russia have been rock solid in their defense and with just 1 goals in their last 7 qualifiers speaks alot for their defense.

Differential picks :

In the experienced lot you could also look at A.Cole ( 6.5 ) , Boateng ( 6.5 ) Terry ( 6.5 )and Evra ( 6.0) as their value seems to be worth it.K.Papadopoulos ( 4.5 ) has returned back to full fitness with a goals in their last friendly game and also he eases your funds to be invested elsewhere.

Strinic ( 4.0) is another good bargain pick as he tends to go forward and get the odd goal.

Well, alot of options we have there for you. You will find good picks in there to complete your 15 man squad and its important to have a good bench strength so that you can change any player who you feel hasn't  played as per your expectation.

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You may also feel free to discuss your teams in the Comments section below.

Have a great tournament.

Cheers.