Four teams have already made it through to the Euro 2020 finals, as Poland, Belgium, Russia and Italy all made sure of their progress during this international break.
It’s beginning to take shape, but while things are heating up, the next couple of days promise to really kick it into overdrive. Across the 16 games we have to take in on Monday and Tuesday, no fewer than nine sides can book their spot at the finals, so it is all to play for in perhaps the most important international break of the season.
There’s a lot to break down, so let’s halt the preamble there and dive head-first into a systematic breakdown of all the teams who can qualify this week.
Group A
?Who can qualify this week?
England
What do they need?
Defeat to the Czech Republic on Friday complicated things somewhat for Gareth Southgate’s men, but as they head to Sofia to face Bulgaria, the remit is the same as ever: win. Three points doesn’t guarantee qualification in itself, but will be enough should Kosovo fail to emerge victorious over Montenegro.
Failing that, they will have the opportunity to do the job themselves against Montenegro on home turf in November, with that final fixture against Kosovo looking like it will surely be a formality for the Three Lions.
Group B
Who can qualify this week?
Ukraine & Portugal
What do they need?
Ukraine have come flying out the traps as the leaders of Group B, and as such, their permutations are looking favourable. A point against Portugal, as big of an ask as that is, will be enough no matter what, but they can also go through on a defeat should Serbia drop points to Lithuania.
Portugal, meanwhile, know a win against the leaders is essential if they are to go through this week, but would also require Serbia – who sit four points behind them in third – to drop points.
Serbia, meanwhile, know a win is a must if they are to salvage any hopes of nicking second place from the grasp of Portugal come November.
Group D
Who can qualify this week?
Ireland
What do they need?
A nice straightforward one. An Ireland win against Switzerland will put them out of reach of the third-placed side, and thus into the hat for Euro 2020. Any other eventuality, and it may just get a bit nervy come November.
Denmark sit alongside Ireland on eight points, and while they sit out this round of fixtures meaning they
Group F
Who can qualify this week?
Spain
What do they need?
Group E looks as if it’s going to the death between Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Wales, so we’ll jump ahead to Group F, where things take on a much more simple outlook.
For Spain, just a point against Sweden will guarantee them at least second place, putting them on 20 points – seven ahead of third-placed Romania, with six to play for. Nonetheless, they will be after a win to send them through as group winners, and will be confident of achieving that having already comfortably dispatched of Janne Andersson’s men earlier in the campaign.
Sweden’s Nordic neighbours put a few chinks in the armour on Saturday, however, Joshua King’s late penalty ensuring the former world champions dropped their first points of the group to Norway. That may prove encouraging for the Swedes who want to put some distance between themselves and Romania.
Group H
Who can qualify this week?
Turkey & France
What do they need?
The top two teams in Group H both look nailed on to reach the finals, but it would take a pretty wild turn of events for them both to make sure of it this week.
They each sit on 18 points, six ahead of anyone else, and when they face off at the Stade de France on Monday, a win for either side would secure qualification for the victors. Beyond that, it gets a bit more complicated.
A draw will be enough for Turkey if it comes coupled with Iceland losing to Andorra. France are in slightly more favourable position due to their superior head-to-head vs. Iceland, so just matching their result would be enough to secure their passage.
Of course, none of the above will really matter, since both sides are heading through unless one of them is hit with an unmitigated disaster in their final two matches. But it’s nice to do the maths anyway.
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