Euro 2016: Group E Preview

Group E began play June 13:

Teams:

Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Belgium

Favorite: Belgium

Projected 2nd: Italy

Wild Card: Sweden

Best Player In Group: Zlatan Ibrahimovic - FW - Sweden

Best Game: Sweden vs. Belgium June 22nd

Italy stands alone at the top of the group, through one match played, with 3 points. Sweden and Belgium are left chasing the Azzurri and will likely settle their opportunity to reach the knockout stage on June 22nd. Belgium enters the tournament with a roster full of young stars, but was unable to score against a defensively focused Italian side. The Swedes are led by demi-god Zlatan Ibrahimovic who is anything but shy when center-stage. After slow starts in game 1, each squad will look to rebound in their second game and then turn their attention to each other for,what should be an exciting, winner-take-all battle to advance.

Sneaky Good Game: Belgium vs. Ireland June 18th

Belgium needs to get at least a point out of this game to keep their chances of advancing to the knockout round alive. Ireland is feeling confident after a good showing against Sweden where an Irish own goal ended up being the difference between one and three points. Robbie Keane and co. will be feeling like they let the Sweden game slip away and will come out hungry to upset the favorites. Belgium will try to exploit their superior talent and assert offensive dominance. This one will be a clash of soccer cultures as Belgium's clean, possessive, attacking style takes on Ireland's blue collar, hard working, counter attacking approach. Expect Ireland to get everyone behind the ball and Belgium to control possession for the vast majority of this one.

Group E Outlook: Belgium enters the tournament as the highest ranking European team in the latest FIFA rankings. FIFA rankings are pretty much bullshit, but the fact does remain that Belgium, on paper, has the most talent in Group E. Their golden generation is beginning to hit their stride at the club level, but remain unproven internationally. Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Kevin DeBruyne lead an uber-loaded roster of big names, but until they can record a point in this tournament that's all they are. The Red Devils' embarrassment of riches has led to an interesting problem, however - where do they play the eight forwards they took to France? Belgian Manager Marc Wilmots has already revealed his indecisiveness in picking his squad and it will be interesting to see what formations and lineups he chooses. My advice to him is to strive for consistency and set a depth chart, too many cooks in the kitchen wont lead to a European title. And a side note: never sleep on Italy.