Thursday, November 14, 2024

Euro 2024 Fantasy: Best Matchday 2 differentials

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Matchday 2 of Euro 2024 Fantasy is almost upon us, which gives us an opportunity to have a look at some more differentials.

For everything else you might need ahead of Wednesday’s 14:00 BST deadline, check out our Matchday 2 guide or the links below.

ANDREJ KRAMARIC

  • Ownership: 1%
  • Price: €7.5m
  • MD2 fixture: Albania

Croatia may have started their Euro 2024 campaign with a 3-0 loss to Spain, but it wasn’t a bad performance, having racked up 16 shots and 2.38 expected goals (xG).

Now, they will be aiming to get their tournament back on track against Albania later today.

Given that Croatia are playing catch-up, we should expect an attacking approach, which bodes well for their attacking options, including Andrej Kramaric (€7.5m).

“We’re moving on, Spain is no longer a topic. That’s football, our focus has switched to the Albania encounter. We’re aware what lies ahead, and we’ll go full throttle” – Andrej Kramaric

The Hoffenheim forward started on the left in Zlatko Dalic’s 4-3-3 on Saturday but consistently moved in-field to find space between the lines, linking well with Ante Budimir (€7.5m).

It resulted in two shots and two key passes.

With Albania up next, who conceded five Opta-defined ‘big chances’ to Italy in Matchday 1, Kramaric feels like a decent differential punt who can step up for Croatia.


BENJAMIN SESKO

  • Ownership: 2%
  • Price: €7.0m
  • MD2 fixture: Serbia

Benjamin Sesko (€7.0m) did not score in Slovenia’s Euro 2024 opener against Denmark but offered a threat in the final third.

The RB Leipzig striker, who was Slovenia’s top scorer in qualifying, improved after the break, holding the ball up well, winning several free-kicks and smashing an effort off the post.

He wasn’t found enough, partly due to some decent Danish defending, but he did get into some good positions to score and caused a bit of havoc in Kasper Schmeichel’s (€5.0m) penalty box.

The 21-year-old scored 18 goals in all competitions for RB Leipzig last season, sparking interest from several Premier League clubs including Arsenal.

Having drawn against Denmark on Sunday, Slovenia now square off against Serbia in Matchday 2.

They are separated by just one point and both sides know that victory would significantly boost their chances of reaching the knockout rounds, so it’s all to play for and we could see an open, end-to-end game.

It suggests Sesko will get opportunities to score in Matchday 2, with his ownership in the official game sitting at just 2%.


MARCEL SABITZER

  • Ownership: 2%
  • Price: €6.5m
  • MD2 fixture: Poland

Austria tasted defeat in their opening match against France on Monday but competed well, only losing 1-0 due to an own-goal.

As a result, they can draw confidence from their performance, as they prepare to face Poland in what is essentially a must-win match for both sides.

In Matchday 1, Marcel Sabitzer (€6.5m) was deployed in a free role off the left in Ralf Rangnick’s dynamic 4-2-3-1 structure, from where he would drift centrally.

He couldn’t influence the match as much as he’d have liked, which isn’t a huge surprise given that he was up against French full-back Jules Kounde (€5.0m), but he did almost set up the opener with an excellent pass for Christoph Baumgartner (€6.5m), who saw his shot saved.

Sabitzer was directly involved in six goals in seven appearances during Euro 2024 qualifying (four goals, two assists), the most of any Austrian player.

And given what we saw against France, he should do well in Matchday 2, against a Poland side that conceded 21 shots against the Netherlands on Sunday.


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