In the latest of our articles from our team of contributors, Tom Freeman discusses his Euro 2024 Fantasy team ahead of the semi-finals.
He’s using his Wildcard in Matchday 6 and, in this piece, provides two possible squads for those opting to play the chip in the semi-finals. He also reveals his current team draft.
Quite a few Euro 2024 Fantasy managers still have their Wildcard left and will use it in Matchday 6.
In my opinion, there is no point saving it for the final because there is no third/fourth-place playoff. So with only one match, we only need a starting XI, not a squad of 15.
For that reason, I’d play it now.
You can approach it in one of two ways, which I’ll discuss below.
DRAFT 1: THE RISKY APPROACH
Firstly, you could go all-in on the favourites for the semi-finals: Spain and England.
It’s a high-risk strategy, of course, given that it’s the business end of the tournament and match-ups are now much harder to call.
However, Spain have arguably been the most impressive team at Euro ’24. They put two past Germany in the quarter-finals, and statistically, they are first or joint-first for goals scored, shots, big chances and expected goals (xG).
France have a stubborn backline, but Spain’s direct and dynamic approach, fuelled by Nico Williams (€7.0m) and Lamine Yamal (€6.5m), could unsettle them.
Meanwhile, Pedri’s (€6.9m) absence looks set to hand Dani Olmo (€7.5m) a start in Matchday 6. He played a starring role off the bench against Germany and, despite limited minutes, is Spain’s top shot-taker at Euro ’24.
The loss of the suspended Dani Carvajal (€5.5m) and Robin Le Normand (€4.5m) will be notable for La Roja, but France haven’t shown much attacking impetus so far, failing to score from open play.
For that reason, Unai Simon (€5.4m) and Marc Cucurella (€4.5m) are included.
As for England, they have struggled at Euro ’24 so far.
However, the Netherlands’ front-foot approach might just suit them, giving attacking outlets like Jude Bellingham (€9.5m) and Bukayo Saka (€8.5m) the space to thrive.
Harry Kane (€11.0m) looked off the pace against Switzerland, but you wouldn’t bet against him scoring in a semi-final.
Should Spain and England fail to progress, there are three representatives from France and the Netherlands. Even with five free transfers, however, that won’t be enough to field a full XI in the final, highlighting the risk involved.
DRAFT 2: THE CONSERVATIVE APPROACH
This draft contains four players from Spain, France and England, while the Netherlands are represented by three.
- Spain: Unai Simon, Marc Cucurella, Nico Williams, Dani Olmo
- France: William Saliba, Jules Kounde, N’Golo Kante, Kylian Mbappe
- England: Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi, Bukayo Saka, Harry Kane
- Netherlands: Virgil van Dijk, Xavi Simons, Cody Gakpo
In this set-up, you would have seven/eight players left for the final. You’d then have five free transfers to guarantee 11 starters in Matchday 7, giving you plenty of flexibility.
Marc Guehi, Jules Kounde (€5.0m), William Saliba (€5.5m), N’Golo Kante (€5.5m) and Virgil van Dijk (€6.0m) are ball recovery machines.
Further forward, there is plenty of goal threat and assist potential, with midfielders Dani Olmo, Nico Williams, Xavi Simons (€7.0m) and Bukayo Saka (€8.5m) combining for four goals and seven assists at the tournament so far.
TOM FREEMAN’S MATCHDAY 6 WILDCARD DRAFT
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