We’ve put together our Scout Picks for Matchday 6 of Euro 2024 Fantasy.
This is essentially a ‘Free Hit’ XV for the semi-finals of the tournament only, with no thought given to Sunday’s final.
We get a squad budget of €105m in Matchday 6 and can now select six players from one nation.
GOALKEEPERS + DEFENDERS
Mike Maignan (€5.5m) and Jordan Pickford (€5.0m) are our chosen goalkeepers for Matchday 6.
France have proven incredibly difficult to break down at Euro ’24. They have conceded only one goal and kept four clean sheets, while Maignan has faced just 16 shots on target in five matches.
Should a second goalkeeper be required, the option is there to switch to Pickford.
Defences, rather than attacks, tend to win tournaments, and England have actually been pretty solid so far, conceding just four Opta-defined ‘big chances’.
At the back, Jules Kounde (€5.0m), Marc Guehi (£4.7m) and Virgil van Dijk (€6.0m) are ball recovery monsters, accumulating a combined 99 of them so far.
Kounde is also the leading defender for chances created, while van Dijk is unbeaten among players in his Fantasy position for headed goal attempts.
Two more defenders are included, namely Theo Hernandez (€5.5m) and Marc Cucurella (£4.5m).
A 38-year-old Jesus Navas (€5.0m) is likely to start in place of Dani Carvajal (€5.5m) for Spain and could be in the firing line, given Hernandez’s attacking instincts.
Cucurella rounds off our defensive selection. The Spaniard has been a revelation at Euro ’24, with his relationship with Nico Williams (£7.0m) going from strength to strength.
MIDFIELDERS
Gareth Southgate switched to a 3-4-2-1 system for England’s quarter-final win over Switzerland, a tactical shift that brought the best out of Bukayo Saka (€8.5m).
Despite being deployed at right wing-back, he was England’s best attacker and racked up team-leading totals for passes received in the final-third, crosses, chances created and shots.
Jude Bellingham (€9.5m) wasn’t nearly as effective but did get into some promising central positions in his no 10 role behind Harry Kane (11.0m). A man for the big occasions, he’s already picked up two Player of the Match awards.
Dani Olmo (€7.5m), fresh from his quarter-final haul, joins the England pair.
Despite limited pitch-time, he is Spain’s top shot-taker in Germany and ranks third for chances created:
| Metric | Total (Spain rank) |
|---|---|
| Minutes | 271 (11th) |
| Shots | 14 (1st) |
| Shots in the box | 7 (1st) |
| Chances created | 9 (=3rd) |
| Expected goal involvement (xGI) | 2.19 (3rd) |
Spain are the best attacking side of the tournament so far, while France have allowed more crosses and chances to be created from their right flank.
Kounde had a tough time defending against pacey winger Rafael Leao in Matchday 5, so there is hope Nico Williams could get a bit of joy on Tuesday.
Our final midfield pick, N’Golo Kante (€6.0m), has rolled back the years at Euro ’24. Only one France player has won more tackles than the midfielder, with only Ousmane Dembele (€8.0m) and Kounde creating more chances.
FORWARDS
Cody Gakpo (€7.7m) has scored three goals and notched one assist to help the Netherlands reach the semi-finals.
He also played a key role in the 2-1 quarter-final win over Turkey, providing the pressure that forced Mert Muldur to turn the ball into his own net, so he’s perhaps unfortunate not to have scored more.
Dangerous coming in off the left flank, Gakpo could hurt England in Matchday 6.
He is joined by premium pair Kylian Mbappe (€11.0m) and Harry Kane.
Both players have underwhelmed so far, but they are second and fourth respectively among forwards for shots. They have also had five big chances each, so will surely click into gear soon.
SCOUT PICKS TEAM CAPTAINCY SCHEDULE
- Tuesday 9 July: Kylian Mbappe
- Wednesday 10 July: Bukayo Saka
MATCHDAY 6: SCOUT PICKS
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