It's been one of the most low-key builds to a major tournament that I can remember, but might get into the swing of it after it starts. Some loose predictions:
-Wales will do better than some think absent from the Giggs drama.
-Finland to be the Iceland of 2021, insofar as they go relatively far, and ignorant people will think it's the most shocking thing in football history.
-North Macedonia to go out at the first stage, but not disgrace themselves.
-The English, absent opposition like Panama, will struggle more than they did in 2018, and Southgate will end the tournament in the firing line.
-An heroic last 16 exit for Scotland
-Spain to need Lewandowski to be injured to get automatic progression in the group.
-Portugal to scrape into the knock-outs in third, then somehow get to the semi-finals, at least.
-Germany out in the last 16 or last eight, with players already thinking about the next manager.
-France/Belgium in the Final, with Belgium winning.
More generally
-At least one team to have their tournament ruined by a COVID outbreak.
-A VAR call will cost England at least once, leading to the BBC Sports section to insist that the game of football has been irrevocably destroyed.
-A VAR call will save England's bacon at least once, leading the BBC Sports section to collapse in on itself.
-An early Slovakian exit will be used as a criticism of Stephen Kenny by at least one pundit.
-George Hamilton will, once again, identify every black player on the French team as "Paul Pogba" at least once in the tournament.
Bookmarks