30 years on from Denmark’s surprise Euro ‘92 success, could we see another late arrival to the tournament stun the continent? In Group C, Portugal were only confirmed in June that they would replace Russia, having initially lost to them in the play-off. They are the rank outsiders in a group that also features holders the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland in a group that could see a shock.
The Netherlands are third favourites to win the whole tournament and given the showing they put in on home soil five years ago under Sarina Wiegman, they have all the talent to retain their crown. Intriguingly, as the Dutch boss joined England, the Netherlands chose to replace her with an Englishman - Mark Parsons. This will be the first time he has managed on English soil since leaving Chelsea’s reserves to learn his craft in America back in 2012.
The Dutch possess a lethal weapon. Arsenal star and the top scorer in WSL history Vivianne Miedema is one of the stars of the women’s game and could well win the Golden Boot if they go far. She bagged four goals, all of which came in the knockout stages, as the Dutch won Euro 2017, with two strikes in the final speaking of her immense quality.
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She’ll have support too. Her partnership with the effervescent Lieke Martens essentially won them Euro 2017 and manager Parsons will be delighted that both of them have cleared up their transfer uncertainty ahead of the tournament. Jill Roord is another star to watch and has taken her game up a level with Wolfsburg, having left Arsenal last summer. As a flexible forward player it will be interesting to see how her talents compliment the Martens/Miedema partnership.
The talent in this squad is mesmerising and despite their experience, they have slightly gone under the radar in the build-up as the focus lies with Spain and hosts England. Talking of Spain, Damaris Egurrola to declare for the Netherlands ahead of the team she represented as a youngster could be huge, while Victoria Pelova at 23 is also one to watch.
Six of Sweden’s squad play in England and they have got a well-rounded competitive squad without an individual star. Having said that, Barcelona left-back Fridolina Rolfo stunned Europe with her attacking output and in a midfield role this summer, could be even more dangerous. Filippa Angeldal wasn’t given enough opportunities at Manchester City but this tournament could set her alight ahead of a WSL season that promises opportunity at club level.
Switzerland had so much promise a few months ago for this tournament but that has been sapped by some brutal warm-up defeats. They lost 7-0 to Germany and 4-0 to England which has overshadowed any hopes of a good performance this summer. Arsenal midfielder Lia Walti, PSG forward Ramona Bachmann and Barcelona’s Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic have ability, but against the top nations they have been humiliated.
Portugal’s failure to initially qualify for this tournament shows their lack of quality but if there is one player that can defy the odds it is goalkeeper Ines Pereira. She will be their busiest player this summer but proved against Chelsea in the Champions League this term that she can produce heroics, as she limited Emma Hayes’ team to just one goal.
Five Group C stars to watch:
Vivianne Miedema (The Netherlands)
Lieke Martens (The Netherlands)
Jill Roord (The Netherlands)
Fridolina Rolfo (Sweden)
Filippa Angeldal (Sweden)
The Sportsman’s Group C predictions:
1st - The Netherlands
2nd - Sweden
3rd - Switzerland
4th - Portugal
*18+, terms and conditions apply, odds subject to change.
