We are approaching the business end of Euro 2020 and with only two matchdays left, fantasy managers have one last chance to make one final push up the rankings. There are only four teams left in the competition – Denmark, England, Spain and Italy – and with 5 free transfers to make ahead of the semi-final, there are plenty of decisions to be made.
My team currently has 333 points with an overall rank of 4,159 and here is how my squad is shaping up ahead of the semi-finals.
TEAM SELECTION
After taking a -8 in the quarter-finals matchday to bring in England defenders, my team is well-equipped for the semi-finals with 12 players from the remaining four teams.
Unfortunately, injuries to Leonardo Spinazzola and Pablo Sarabia have ruled them out of the tournament that means I only have 10 players fit to play in the semi-finals. However, with five free transfers available, it is still possible to put out a complete squad of 15 players.
TRANSFERS
The must-have players that I have brought in for the semi-final are Raheem Sterling (€9.8m) and Jordi Alba (€6.3m). Sterling has four goals and assists so far in the tournament and has been England’s best player so far this tournament. Similarly, Jordi Alba has been a vital cog in Spain’s run to the final and has registered the most passes into the penalty area (15) amongst all players in the tournament. While it is unlikely Spain keep a clean sheet, Alba has a high ceiling due to his attacking potential.
The other transfers I have made include replacing the injured Spinazzola and Sarabia with Giovani Di Lorenzo (€5.2m) and Ferran Torres (€8.2m). Torres has two goals in the tournament and has managed six crosses into the penalty area this summer, while Di Lorenzo is the cheapest route into the stubborn Italian defence.
And finally, as a differential, I have transferred in Bukayo Saka (€6.6m) from England in place of Domenico Berardi (€6.3m) of Italy. Berardi is unlikely to start for Italy and Saka should come back into the England set-up after his knock that kept him out against Ukraine. While Saka hasn’t contributed any goals or assists in his two starts this summer, he has looked lively against the Czech Republic and is a great differential that can shoot me up the rankings with only 1% ownership.
CAPTAINCY
There are plenty of captaincy options to choose from on matchday 1 with Italy taking on Spain in the first semi-final. Immobile, Insigne, Chiesa and Morata are all viable options but the one I am going for is Ferran Torres (€8.3m). As a midfielder, Torres gets an extra point for a goal as well as a clean-sheet and has been Spain’s most influential attacking player in the knockout phase.
Things are much more straightforward on matchday 2 with Harry Kane (€11.6). The Englishman has found his shooting boots again after his brace against Ukraine and is the bookies favourite to get on the scoresheet in the semi-finals.
Shivaan Shah