Euro 2024 Fantasy tips: Germany's projected lineup, players to target
With Euro 2024 kicking off on Friday, football fans around the world are trying to get their fantasy teams ready for the start of the tournament.
In this article, we take a look at Germany's projected starting lineup as well as the most interesting players from a Euro 2024 Fantasy perspective.
Germany's predicted lineup against Scotland:
As the host country in a rather favorable group with Scotland, Hungary and Switzerland, Germany are one of the teams that many will be looking to target.
That's despite the fact that their two warm-up friendlies against Ukraine (0-0) and Greece (2-1) left a lot to be desired.
In the Ukraine game, Julian Nagelsmann's side dominated possession and showed good combination play up front, but weren't ruthless enough to win the game.
In the following game against Greece, they went behind after a big mistake by Manuel Neuer and looked vulnerable on the counter, but still managed to win 2-1 thanks to substitute Pascal Gross' late winner.
Manuel Neuer and captain Ilkay Gündogan came in for particular criticism after that performance, with many German fans calling for them to be dropped from the starting line-up.
However, after showing his support for Neuer, head coach Julian Nagelsmann is expected to name the exact same team that faced Greece in the opening match against Scotland:
Manuel Neuer - Joshua Kimmich, Jonathan Tah, Antonio Rüdiger, Maximilian Mittelstädt - Toni Kroos, Robert Andrich - Jamal Musiala, Ilkay Gündogan, Florian Wirtz - Kai Havertz.
Despite not reaching its full potential recently, this team has produced impressive results before. With the exception of Manuel Neuer, all of the players above started in Germany's victories over France (2-0) and the Netherlands (2-1) in March.
Euro 2024 Fantasy tips: Top 5 picks from Germany
Maximilian Mittelstädt (Defender, 4M)
After an impressive season for VfB Stuttgart, Mittelstädt has nailed down a starting spot ahead of David Raum on the left side of defense. With his attacking style, he emerged as a mainstay in many Fantasy Bundesliga teams over the course of the 2023/24 season, and he will be in a lot of teams in the Euro 2024 Fantasy game as well given his low price and high potential.
Ilkay Gündogan (Midfielder, 7M)
The cheapest of Germany's attacking midfield trio, which also includes Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala, the captain could offer good value for money. His role as a central attacking midfielder and penalty taker certainly makes him an interesting option. It's worth noting though that the Barcelona midfielder hasn't been at his best in Germany's warm-up friendlies and many fans are calling for Leroy Sané to start ahead of him.
Florian Wirtz (Midfielder, 7.5M)
Coming off a fantastic season with Bayer Leverkusen that saw him named Bundesliga Player of the Season, Wirtz will now look to transfer that high level to the national team. The 21-year-old may have scored just one goal in 18 international appearances, but he's proven time and again that he's a special player with the ability to create something out of nothing. However, he struggled with injury towards the end of the season and didn't finish it off on a high. He was substituted at half-time in both of Germany's warm-up games, and Leroy Sané's push for a starting berth is a potential concern for Wirtz owners.
Jamal Musiala (Midfielder, 8.5M)
If you're willing to pay one million more, you could go for Jamal Musiala instead. One of Germany's best players at the 2022 World Cup, the Bayern attacker is a little more proven at international level than Wirtz, and the fact that he's been given the number 10 shirt is testament to his importance. Yet Musiala has just two goals and five assists in 29 appearances for Germany, figures that the 21-year-old will be keen to improve upon.
Kai Havertz (Striker, 7.5M)
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has made it clear that Havertz will go into the tournament as the starting striker, but that the Arsenal forward will have to perform to keep Niclas Füllkrug behind him. The competition from Füllkrug is a slight concern, as Nagelsmann may prefer the Dortmund striker to Havertz against certain opposition. Nevertheless, Havertz is cheaper than most of the other top strikers in the game and is one of Germany's more in-form players, having scored in the 2-1 win over Greece.