Euro 2016: Group F Preview

Group F Begins play June 14th:

Teams:

Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Iceland

Favorite: Portugal

Projected 2nd: Austria

Wild Card: Hungary

Best Player in Group: Christiano Ronaldo - FW - Portugal

Best Game: Portugal vs. Austria June 18th

Portugal has a lot of pressure to not only advance to the knockout round, but to win this group. They have the most talent in Group E and arguably the best player in the tournament in Ronaldo. After failing to advance out of the group stage in the 2014 World Cup and then an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Iceland in their opening game, they face an interesting opponent in Austria. Austria has talent and the ability to play with anyone. After getting blanked by Hungary 0-2 in their first game they will treat this match up as a must win. The outcome of this game will decide Portugal's tournament fate.

Sneaky Good Game: Iceland vs. Hungary June 18th

Not going to lie, don't have a ton of intel on Hungary, but I do know that after 1 game they sit alone atop the group standings with 3 points, which means that they now control their destiny. That makes this game, against the lowest rated team in the group, all the more important to get a result. A win and they clinch a spot in the next round, that simple. Iceland, on the other hand, surprised everyone with a 1-1 draw with group favorites Ronaldo....I mean Portugal. In a David vs Goliath match up the sleepy Island, who only used 20 players total in Euro Qualifying, salvaged a point in their first major tournament in their history. If they can find a magic slipper against Hungary they might be Euro 2016's Cinderella story.

Group F Outlook: After being grouped with Germany in their last 2 major tournaments, Portugal can thank Sepp Blatter's frozen balls for their draw in Euro 2016. Hungary, Austria, and Iceland haven't made much noise on the international stage in recent years, and Portugal should be able to handle their business and win this group, but that's why they play the games. Their roster is a mix of old and new with the old guard of Ricardo Quaresma, Ricardo Carvalho, and Bruno Alves leading a promising generation of young phenoms like William Carvalho, Joao Mario, and recent Bayern acquisition and teenage wunderkid Renato Sanches. Following a disappointing draw with lowly Iceland, it will be critical for the Portuguese to rebound with a dominant performance against David Alaba and Austria in their second game to keep their Euro hopes alive.