Euro Fantasy 2020: Best Fantasy Team for Matchday 1 | Euro Fantasy Tips

Euro 2020 kicks off on Friday, 11th June, with a Group A clash between Italy and Turkey at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Euro Fantasy also begins on that day and will continue for seven 'Matchdays' throughout the tournament.

Each Matchday in the group stage will consist of 12 games spread over four or five days. Unlike in FPL, Euro Fantasy managers will be allowed to change their captains every day on a 'Matchday' and make manual substitutions.

There will be two free transfers per Matchday in the group stage, and unlimited changes will be allowed between the end of the Group Stage and the start of the Round of 16. Subsequently, each manager will get three free transfers ahead of the quarter-finals and five ahead of both the semi-finals and the final.

While the price limit for group-stage matches is €100 million, the price limit will be €105 million for the knockout stages. There are also chips that managers will be able use to make unlimited changes to their teams.

'The Wildcard' would allow one to make unlimited and permanent changes to teams but with budgetary restrictions. 'Limitless' would enable one to perform infinite transfers with no budget restrictions but only for a particular Matchday.

⚽️ Who makes your EURO Fantasy Football squad?Create your 15-man squad! 👇👇👇#EUROfantasy | @JustEatTakeaway

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) May 21, 2021

The new rules and the short duration of the Euro 2020 tournament mean that there's not much room for error. Euro Fantasy managers will need to get their strategies spot on, right from the outset. So without further ado, let's take a look at the best Fantasy team for Euro 2020 Matchday 1.

Deadline for Transfers: 07:00 PM on Friday, 11th June (GMT) and 00:30 AM on Saturday, 12th June (IST).

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Euro 2020 Key Matchday-1 Fixtures

In the Euro 2020 opener, Italy will take on Turkey on Friday night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

Russia will take on Belgium in a marquee game on Saturday at the Krestovsky Stadium in St. Petersburg. England will open their Euro 2020 campaign against Croatia at the Wembley Stadium early on Sunday, with the Netherlands locking horns with Ukraine at the Johan Cruyff Arena later in the day.

Spain will lock horns with Sweden on Monday at the Estadio de La Cartuga in Seville. The Matchday will conclude with a Tuesday night meeting between France and Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Click here to view the full fixtures for Euro 2020 Matchday 1.

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Chip Strategy

Chip strategy will be a key factor in Euro 2020 fantasy teams.

Deciding on a chip strategy is essential before drafting teams for Matchday 1. Euro 2020 Fantasy managers have contrasting views on the usage of chips for the seven Matchdays.

The most common one would be to employ both the Wildcard and Limitless in the Group Stage, as there is a better chance for differential picks to shine. While that could work, opting for this method could leave one vulnerable to not having enough players for the quarter-finals. That's because there will only be three free transfers available for that stage of the tournament.

After examining the Euro 2020 fixtures, I've opted to use my Limitless chip on Matchday 3 and my Wildcard in the quarter-finals. In my view, there aren't too many desirable fixtures in Matchday 2 apart from France taking on Hungary, so I will get assets from France using my free transfers for Matchday 2.

Matchday 3, meanwhile, has plenty of room for points and will be a good time to opt for unlimited transfers and an unlimited budget. The Netherlands take on North Macedonia, Belgium will lock horns with Finland, and Germany will play Hungary among marquee games on this Matchday.

Using my wildcard in the quarter-finals would allow me to take some risks for the Round of 16, as I'll reset my team by then. While the chance of getting a differential haul is less, it should be an acceptable trade-off for more stability during the competition.

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Captaincy Options

An in-form Memphis Depay looks like a solid forward pick in Euro 2020 Fantasy teams.

There will be multiple shots at choosing the captain in Euro Fantasy teams. So Euro Fantasy managers should exploit that to the fullest by including multiple captaincy options, who play on different days of a Matchday.

😎 Who will be your #EUROfantasy team's difference maker?👕 You have €100m to spend on 15 stars of your choice... Reply with your team! 👇👇👇@JustEatTakeaway | #EURO2020

— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) June 8, 2021

Here are my preferred captaincy options for Euro 2020 Matchday 1:

Day 1 - Friday, June 11th: Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) (MID) (£8.5 million) (vs) TUR.

Day 2 - Saturday, June 12th: Romelu Lukaku (BEL) (FWD) (£11 million) (vs) RUS.

Day 3 - Sunday, June 13th: Memphis Depay (NED) (FWD) (£10 million) (vs) UKR (or) Harry Kane (ENG)(FWD)(£11.5 million) (vs) CRO.

Day 4 - Monday, June 14th: Ferran Torres (MID) (ESP) (£8 million) (vs) SWE.

Day 5 - Tuesday, June 15th: Bernardo Silva (MID) (POR) (£8.5 million) (vs) HUN.

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It's never easy deciding on a first draft for any tournament, let alone a short one like Euro Fantasy that consists of only seven rounds. While it's not without its weaknesses, this is the best draft that I'm likely to stick with ahead of the deadline for Matchday 1.

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Suggested team for Euro 2020 Matchday 1.

First up, I'm addressing the positions I'm still unsure about in my team. On top of that list is Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) (MID) (£8.5 million), whom I've included as an alternative for Domenico Berardi (ITA) (MID) (£6 million) or Federico Chiesa (ITA) (MID) (£7 million).

While Insigne offers some security of sorts, downgrading him to Berardi or Chiesa would let me upgrade David Alaba (AUT) (MID) (£5.5 million) and Loic Nego (HUN) (MID) (£4 million). Fortunately, with Italy featuring in the first game of the Matchday, I'll be able to look at the various lineups and make changes accordingly.

Apart from these three positions, I'm pretty satisfied with my team. I've gone with four £4.5 million defenders and one £5.5 million defender. While Pau Torres (ESP) and Jason Denayer (BEL) are nailed-on starters at the heart of their respective defences, Owen Wijndal (NED) and Joakim Maehle (DEN) are less secure starters but offer more from an attacking perspective.

Leonardo Spinazzola looks to have secured the left-back position for Italy.

I could replace Maehle with Simon Kjaer (DEN) (DEF) (£4.5 million), who's likely to start for Denmark. Italy's Leonardo Spinazzola (ITA) (DEF) (£5.5 million) is the only premium defender in my team. He has gained the trust of Roberto Mancini and could contribute both in attack and defence.

I'm also pretty satisfied with my goalkeeper pairing of Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA) (£5.5 million) and Lukas Hradecky (FIN) (£4 million). I would, however, prefer upgrading Hradecky to a £4.5 million option if I could free up the funds.

Bernardo Silva should be a key figure for Portugal at Euro 2020.

In midfield, Bernardo Silva (POR) (MID) (£8.5 million) and Ferran Torres (ESP) (MID) (£8 million) are reliable options. While Torres' recent form makes his selection self-explanatory, Bernardo Silva is one of many enticing options in Portugal's midfield.

However, Silva's versatility of playing on the wing or in midfield should better help him avoid rotation over the likes of Diogo Jota (£8.5 million) or Joao Felix (£8.5 million), which makes him a safe option.

Finally, like most Euro Fantasy managers, I've splashed the cash on forwards, who offer the highest ceiling for points in games. I've refrained from picking forwards from teams in Group F, despite an alluring Cristiano Ronaldo (FWD) (POR) (£12 million) pick for Matchday 1. Instead, I've opted to go for nailed-on starters from teams, who are the main attacking forces in their respective groups.

Romelu Lukaku could be one to look out for at Euro 2020.

I expect Memphis Depay (FWD) (NED) (£10 million) to continue his excellent form for club and country at Euro 2020. Similarly, Romelu Lukaku (FWD) (BEL) (£11 million) and Harry Kane (FWD) (ENG) (£11.5 million) are coming off great individual seasons for their respective clubs and look to be the frontrunners to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2020.

Here's my final fantast team for Euro 2020 Matchday 1:

Goalkeepers: Lukas Hradecky (FIN) (£4 million) and Gianluigi Donnarumma (ITA) (£5.5 million).

Defenders: Leonardo Spinazzola (ITA) (DEF) (£5.5 million), Pau Torres (ESP) (£4.5 million), Jason Denayer (BEL) (£4.5 million), Owen Wijndal (NED) (£4.5 million) and Joakim Maehle (DEN) (£4.5 million).

Midfielders: David Alaba (AUT) (£5.5 million), Loic Nego (HUN) (£4 million), Bernardo Silva (POR) (£8.5 million), Ferran Torres (ESP) (£8 million) and Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) (MID) (£8.5 million)

Forwards: Memphis Depay (NED) (£10 million), Romelu Lukaku (BEL) (£11 million) and Harry Kane (ENG) (£11.5 million).

Possible Changes before Euro 2020 Matchday 1:

1) Joakim Maehle (DEN) (£4.5 million) to Simon Kjaer (DEN) (DEF) (£4.5 million)

2) Lorenzo Insigne (ITA) (MID) (£8.5 million) to Domenico Berardi (ITA) (MID) (£6 million) or Federico Chiesa (ITA) (MID) (£7 million).

3) Lukas Hradecky (FIN) (£4 million) to a £4.5 million goalkeeper

4) Loic Nego (HUN) (£4 million) to a £6.5 million midfielder.

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