101’s Euro Fantasy Football coverage
Euro 2020 gets underway later this week, with the first tie taking place at 8 PM UK time on Friday, June 11th.
The return of the Euros also, of course, signals the return of the Euro Fantasy Football game.
101 have already brought you a number of detailed articles on Euro Fantasy Football, from best player picks, best teams names and an explanation of the rules – all of which you can read more about in the links below.
6 best goalkeepers | 10 best defenders | 10 best midfielders | 10 best strikers | 101 best fantasy team names | Euro Fantasy Football rules explained
101 will also be bringing you daily EFF articles every day during Euro 2020 which will provide the latest tips and injury news for the forthcoming games, so be sure to check back on the site every day for these updates.
Join our Euro Fantasy Football League
We have also set up our own Fantasy League for the tournament, which you can join be using the following code:
86KB48XT09
101’s Euro Fantasy football XI
We will be participating in the league ourselves, and have come together to select what we believe is the best possible side. And in this article, we will explain why we opted to choose each player from our starting eleven.
Formation: 4-3-3
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Defenders: Simon Kjaer, Pau Torres, Jason Denayer, Leonardo Spinazzola.
Midfielders: Ferran Torres, Diogo Jota, Christian Eriksen
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Memphis Depay
Gianluigi Donnarumma, Italy (5.5m)
When it comes to defensive choices for your Euro Fantasy Football side, there are unlikely to be many better than Italy during the group phase.
Roberto Mancini’s side have been drawn in a pretty favourable group that consists of Switzerland, Turkey and Wales.
All three of these sides are weaker than the Italians, whose defensive record has been impeccable of late.
Gli Azzurri have not conceded a single goal in any of their last eight outings at the time of writing. Italy have also not conceded more than one goal in a game since back in June of 2018, which was vs France.
So, whilst you may want to switch things up later in the tournament, Gianluigi Donnarumma looks set to be by far and away the best keeper for the group stages.
during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna FC at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on December 10, 2017 in Milan, Italy.
Simon Kjaer, Denmark (4.5m)
Moving into the backline, 101 have decided to allocate a good chunk of our 100m budget further up the field, meaning we are left with some cheaper options in defence.
That, however, does not mean that these players will not do well for you this summer.
Simon Kjaer, for example, is just 4.5m but is almost certainly set to be a guaranteed starter for Denmark this summer.
And the Danes, who have a solid defensive record of late, have been drawn in a decent group.
Granted, you may want to bench Kjaer when Denmark face Belgium in the second matchweek. But when they face Russia and Finland, a clean sheet does look likely for Kjaer and co.
Pau Torres, Spain (4.5m)
Like Kjaer, Pau Torres is one of the best budget defenders for the Euro 2020 group phase.
Despite only switching his nationality to Spanish recently, Aymeric Laporte looks set to partner Torres at the heart of Spain’s defence this summer.
The pair have only started one game together, but they were able to keep a strong Portugal team at bay in their first clash last week.
Spain’s group this summer is also quite favourable, especially their opening game which sees them face a Sweden side without the services of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Jason Denayer, Belgium (4.5m)
Belgium are one of the favourites to win Euro 2020, so it would make sense to have a couple of their players in your side.
One of the more nailed on options to start every game at the Euros for the Red Devils is Jason Denayer.
Clean sheets should be fairly easy to come by for Roberto Martinez and co. especially vs Russia on the opening weekend.
And whilst defenders such as Thomas Meunier and Timothy Castagne may end up earning you more points from attacking returns, it is hard to see who Belgium will deploy in their wing-back spots as they change almost every game.
Denayer’s place at centre-back, however, looks nailed on.
Leonardo Spinazzola, Italy (5.5m)
As we have already detailed with Donnarumma, Italy are an extremely defensivly sound side, so having their defenders in makes sense.
Alessandro Florenzi is perhaps the best choice from Italian defenders, so pick him if you can.
However, we were slightly short on money when it came to our defence, which is why he chose Leonardo Spinazzola. He is still a decent option, his position as a regular starter is just slightly less clear.
Ferran Torres, Spain (8m)
With midfielders earning five points for a goal and an extra point for long-range goals, we have focused on signing midfielders who tend to score a decent amount for their country.
The first of these is Ferran Torres, who has become a regular feature in Spain’s attack of late.
The Manchester City man has scored six in 11 for Spain so far, and a similar return at the Euros would be superb.
La Furia Roja, as already mentioned, have been drawn in a group which they are favourites to win.
Diogo Jota, Portugal (8.5m)
Like Torres, Diogo Jota has been made a midfielder on EFF this summer despite playing in a fairly advanced role for Portugal.
The Liverpool man has scored three in his last three games for Portugal, all of which he has started in.
And whilst Portugal do have a tough group, their opening outing vs Hungary should be Jota and co.’s best chance of racking up EFF points.
Portugal’s forward Diogo Jota celebrates after scoring a goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 qualification Group A football match between Serbia and Portugal at the Rajko Mitic Stadium, in Belgrade, on March 27, 2021. (Photo by Pedja MILOSAVLJEVIC / AFP) (Photo by PEDJA MILOSAVLJEVIC/AFP via Getty Images)
Christian Eriksen, Denmark (9.0m)
Christian Eriksen has a superb record for his country, which has so far seen him score 36 and assist 24 in 108 outings.
Eriksen is also more than capable of scoring a long-range strikes, either from a free-kick or from open play.
The 29-year-old is also Denmark’s penalty taker, which of course increases his chances of scoring this summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal (12m)
As already mentioned, Portugal will have a tough group to navigate at Euro 2020.
However, they should have more than enough fire power to see off Hungary during the first matchweek.
And if anyone is going to be scoring for Portugal, it will of course been Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Juventus man is the second top-scorer in international football history and has dominated Hungary in the past, including netting a brace against them at Euro 2016.
Ronaldo is also Portugal’s penalty taker so even when they face France and Germany, he should still have a decent chance of earning some points.
Romelu Lukaku, Belgium (11m)
Romelu Lukaku is no doubt set to be competing for the Golden Boot at the Euros this summer.
Belgium should go quite far in the tournament and are unlikely to have any issues winning all three of their group ties.
The Red Devils recently beat Denmark – their toughest opponent in Group B – 4-2. Elsewhere, Finland and Russia are unlikely to be able to do anything to contain Lukaku.
The 28-year-old has a sensational record for his country, netting 60 and assisting 14 in 93 outings.
He also heads into the competition on the back of a superb campaign with Inter Milan, in which he scored 30 and assisted 10.
BRUGGE, BELGIUM – NOVEMBER 14: Romelu Lukaku of Belgium reacts during the international friendly match between Belgium and Japan held at Jan Breydel Stadium on November 14, 2017 in Brugge, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Memphis Depay, Netherlands (10m)
The Netherlands have been quite hard done by heading into the Euros, with all of Virgil van Dijk, Donny van de Beek, Matthijs de Ligt and Jasper Cillessen missing the tournament.
That has, however, not stopped Memphis Depay from continuing his purple patch for the Oranje.
The Dutchman has scored seven and assisted three in his last seven outings for the Netherlands.
He is also their main penalty taker and should be able to cause all of Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia issues in the group stage.
6 best goalkeepers to pick for your Euro Fantasy Football team
10 best midfielders to pick for your Euro Fantasy Football team
10 best striker options in Euro 2020 Fantasy Football
