EURO 2020 Group A analysis

With EURO 2020 just a couple of days from kick-off Blazing Reports brings you an in-depth analysis of each team taking part in the competition group by group. Starting with Group A, which comprises of host nation Italy, Wales, Turkey, and Switzerland.

ITALY

Italy qualified for EURO 2020 by coming out tops of Group J during the qualifiers with 30 points winning all 10 matches in a group that included: Finland, Greece, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Armenia, and Liechtenstein.

Italy are favorites to qualify from the group. They have won the competition once (in 1968) since its inception in 1964

Squad

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Milan), Salvatore Sirigu (Torino), Alex Meret (Napoli)

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio), Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint-Germain), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (Chelsea), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta), Alessandro Bastoni (Inter)

Midfielders: Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Stefano Sensi (Inter), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain), Nicolo Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Frello Jorge Luiz Jorginho (Chelsea), Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo)
Forwards: Ciro Immobile (Lazio), Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Andrea Belotti (Torino), Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus)

Turkey

Turkey will be hoping to qualify from the group stage after naming a very strong squad for the competition. They will be playing against host Italy in the opening match of the competition.

Turkey qualified from Group H of the qualifiers coming second to France who topped the group by winning 7 matches drawing 2 and loosing 1.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Altay Bayindir (Fenerbahçe), Ugurcan Cakir (Trabzonspor), Fehmi Mert Gunok (Medipol Basaksehir)

Defenders: Caglar Söyüncü (Leicester), Merih Demiral (Juventus), Mehmet Zeki Celik (Lille), Kaan Ayhan (Sassuolo), Mert Muldur (Sassuolo), Ozan Muhammed Kabak (Liverpool), Rıdvan Yılmaz (Besiktas), Cengiz Umut Meraş (Le Havre)

Midfielders: Hakan Calhanoglu (Milan), Okay Yokuşlu (WBA), Yusuf Yazici (Lille), Dorukhan Toköz (Besiktas), İrfan Can Kahveci (Fenerbahce), Orkun Kökçü (Feyenoord), Ozan Tufan (Fenerbahce), Taylan Antalya (Galatasaray),

Forwards: Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu (Galatasaray), Halil İbrahim Dervisoglu (Galatasaray), Burak Yilmaz (Lille), Cengiz Ünder (Leicester), Efecan Karaca (Alanyaspor), Abdulkadir Omur (Trabzonspor), Kenan Karaman (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Enes Unal (Getafe)

Switzerland

Switzerland qualified to the EURO’s after topping their group (Group D) of the qualifying round by winning 5 of their 8 matches, drawing 2, and loosing 1 in a group that included Ireland, Denmark, Georgia, and Gibraltar.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Yann Sommer (Borussia Monchengladbach), Jonas Omlin (Montpellier), Yvon Mvogo (PSV)

Defenders: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Loris Benito (Bordeaux), Fabian Schar (Newcastle United),  Nico Elvedi (Monchengladbach), Silvan Widmer (Basel),  Kevin Mbabu (Wolfsburg), Becir Omeragic (Zurich), Ricardo Rodriguez (Torino), Eray Comert (Basel)

Midfielders: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool),  Denis Zakaria (Monchengladbach), Ruben Vargas (Augsburg), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Djibril Sow (Frankfurt), Admir Mehmedi (Wolfsburg), Steven Zuber (Frankfurt), Edimilson Fernandes (Mainz), Christian Fassnacht (Young Boys)

Forwards: Breel Embolo (Monchengladbach), Haris Seferovic (Benfica) Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb)

Wales

Wales qualified for the EURO 2020 by coming out second of qualifying Group E a group that included: table topper Croatia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Azerbaijan. Captain Gareth Bale will be hoping to take his national team far in the competition after reaching the semifinals in the 2016 edition.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Adam Davies (Stoke City), Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace), Danny Ward (Leicester City)

Defenders: Ben Davies (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Gunter (Charlton Athletic), Tom Lockyer (Luton Town), Joe Rodon (Tottenham Hotspur), Chris Mepham (Bournemouth), Connor Roberts (Swansea City), Neco Williams (Liverpool), Ben Cabango (Swansea City), Rhys Norrington-Davies (Sheffield United),

Midfielders: Dylan Levitt (Manchester United), Rubin Colwill (Cardiff City), Aaron Ramsey (Juventus), Ethan Ampadu (Chelsea), Joe Allen (Stoke City), Matthew Smith (Manchester City), Joe Morrell (Luton Town), Jonathan Williams (Cardiff City), David Brooks (Bournemouth), Harry Wilson (Cardiff City)

Forwards: Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur), Dan James (Manchester United), Kieffer Moore (Cardiff City), Tyler Roberts (Leeds United)

Fixture

Date	Game	Time (UK)	Venue
Jun 11	Turkey vs Italy	8pm	Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Jun 12	Wales vs Switzerland	2pm	Olympic Stadium, Baku
Jun 16	Turkey vs Wales	5pm	Olympic Stadium, Baku
Jun 16	Italy vs Switzerland	8pm	Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Jun 20	Switzerland vs Turkey	5pm	Olympic Stadium, Baku
Jun 20	Italy vs Wales	5pm	Stadio Olimpico, Rome