Euro 2020 Group E Betting Guide: Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden

Poland - Lewandowski must deliver

Jason Murphy of the Betfair trading team says this talented squad, lead by one of the greatest strikers in world football, will be disappointed if they don't reach the last eight at least.

Profile: Poland reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, where they lost on penalties to eventual winners Portugal, but they were eliminated at the Group stage at the World Cup three years ago.

How They Qualified: Poland qualified with eight wins, one draw and a defeat. Over the 10 games, they scored 18 goals and conceded five goals.

The Manager: In January, after they had qualified, Poland made the shock decision to sack Jerzy Brzecek and replace him with Paulo Sousa. The Polish FA apparently wanted the national team to play more attacking football.

The Squad: Sousa has used three different formations in his three games in charge. They are expected to play three at the back and two strikers up top at the Euros. Piotr Zieliński will be key and needs to step up given the quality he's shown for Napoli. Wojciech Szczesny is likely to start in goal ahead of fellow former -Arsenal man Lukasz Fabianski.

Key Man: Since 2010 Robert Lewandowski has scored 275 goals in 348 games in the Bundesliga and established himself as one of the best strikers in the world. For Poland, he's got 66 goals in 118 games. At 32, now is the time for him to finally deliver at a major international tournament as his record to date is only 2 goals in 11 appearances across Euro 2012,'16 and World Cup '18.

One To Watch: Karol Piatek really broke on to the scene in 2018/19 season with Genoa scoring 13 goals in 19 games. He failed to deliver on that early promise after moving to AC Milan and currently is at Hertha Berlin. He has eight goals in 18 games for Poland and came off the bench in Sousa's first game to score against Hungary around.

Tournament Prospects: They will be disappointed if they do not go beyond the quarter-finals. With the talent in their squad they are potential winners, but a semi-final appearance would be a solid tournament for them.

How To Bet On Poland: Poland play Slovakia in their first game. Sousa is still a new manager and therefore Poland might not be fully up to speed or used to the way Sousa wants them to play. Fail to beat Slovakia, followed by a likely defeat to Spain, and the Poles will be up against it heading into the last game against Sweden. Lay Poland to qualify from Group E.

Slovakia - Limited squad to fall short in group

Emmet O'Keefe of the Betfair trading team thinks this side will try to grind out results but are a good bet to go home early.

Profile: Slovakia reached the last 16 at Euro 2016 but qualifying from a group of Spain, Poland and Sweden does seem like a tall order. As at both of those tournaments, Slovakia will still be reliant on star playmaker Marik Hamsik for creativity and guile in attack.

How The Qualified: Finished third in their qualifying group behind Wales and Croatia which saw them head to the play-offs. They scraped past the Republic of Ireland on penalties after an unconvincing performance in a 0-0 draw before heading to Windsor Park to play Northern Ireland. A goal in extra time from Michal Duris secured a 2-1 victory and their place at finals.

The Manager: The build up to the Northern Ireland game was overshadowed by the sacking of their manager Pavel Hapal despite edging past the Republic. Slovakia had had a poor start to their Nations League campaign and the the Slovakian FA were understandably unimpressed by being dominated for long stretches by Stephen Kenny's side. Into the breach stepped assistant manager Stefan Tarkovic who was part of the coaching team for Slovakia's successful Euro 2016 campaign.

The Squad: Slovakia's formation is more likely to resemble 4-5-1 than 4-3-3 as they aim to sit back and frustrate more talented opposition. This should be aided by Newcastle's Martin Dubravka who is a solid Premier League goalkeeper. In Milan Skriniar, Slovakia possess one of the best centre-halves in Europe. In midfield, Hamsik will provide guile and technical ability. Ondrej Duda and the veteran Juraj Kucka are both useful midfielders with an eye for goal from midfield who may be forced to play as a makeshift striker.

Key Man: Skriniar was the mainstay of an outstanding Inter Milan defence that romped to Serie A victory. He's an excellent traditional defender but also an outstanding distributor. For Slovakia to have any hope of progression to the last 16, Skrinar will need to be at his absolute best.

Tournament Prospects: They will hope to sit back and grind out a 1-0 win over either Sweden or Poland with Skriniar and Dubravka. That would probably see them through to the knockout stages but it seems unlikely given the serious limitations of this squad

How To Bet On Slovakia: In a tough group, Slovakia may be a safe bet to finish bottom at 4/6.

Spain - Potential winners remain unpredictable

Jason Murphy of the Betfair trading team thinks Spain can get to the last four and, once there, will be a match for any opponents.

Profile: It's almost a decade since La Roja dominated International football. An unprecedented treble of back to back Euros wins (2008, 2012) and the World Cup in 2010 is unlikely to be repeated. They are danger of slipping back in being underachievers, though, after disappointing exits in the group stage in Brazil 2014, last 16 in Euro 2016 and at the World Cup in 2018.

How They Qualified: Spain topped their group with eight wins from 10 games. They have performed well since, topping their Nations League group and picking up seven points in their three games in World Cup Qualifying.

The Manager: Luis Enrique. Took charge of Spain after the World Cup and started well. He had to step away from the national side for personal reasons in June 2019, before returning later that November. He has a 61% win rate as Spanish manager, which is good considering that a lot of those games were against strong opposition. Prior to that, as Barcelona manager he won the treble in his first season.

The Squad: Spain will play 4-3-3 and are more direct than you might expect. Their main strength is that they will have no superstars. For nearly every position, Luis Enrique has two or three players to choose from with little difference in quality between them. After a long season, this strength in depth gives Spain an advantage over some of the other runners in that they will not be derailed by an injury to any player.

Key Man: Manchester City starlet Ferran Torres should be in contention in the Young Player of the Tournament betting. The 21-year-old scored a brilliant hat-trick in La Roja's famous 6-0 win over Germany in November. Over all he has stunning record of six goals in only 10 appearances for Spanish senior side.

One To Watch: Potentially the biggest call Enrique will make is who will be in goal. David de Gea had a poor World Cup and no longer United's nailed on number one. Kepa is not getting first team football at Chelsea either. Unai Simon started the last five competitive games in goal for Spain and should get the nod. He has big game experience, all be it negative ones, having lost two Copa del Rey finals with Athletic Club in April, but he won the U21 Euros with Spain.

Tournament Prospects: They will be disappointed if they do not go beyond the quarter-finals and once in the semi-finals they can beat anyone. Potential winners, but after disappointing at recent major tournaments, a semi-final appearance would be a solid performance.

How To Bet On Spain: Back Spain to reach the semi-finals at 6/4. They are the shortest price team to reach the quarters thanks to playing three home games in the Group.

Sweden - Potential dark horses

Emmet O'Keefe talks up the chances of a talented squad with a team spirit that could get them a long way this summer.

Profile: Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the 2018 World Cup by being organised, defensively solid and more than the sum of their parts. Much has changed since then and Sweden have some very promising young attacking players emerging and, if they can maintain their defensive strength, they may be tournament dark horses.

How They Qualified: Finished second behind Spain in their group, losing only one game and finishing ahead of a well fancied Norway team.

The Manager: Janne Andersson is an experienced manager with a very successful career in Swedish domestic football. Three years ago, Andersson oversaw Sweden's best World Cup finish since the days of Tomas Brolin and Martin Dahlin, by playing 4-4-2 formation and being direct. Andersson maximised the abilities of a very limited and aging squad. It will be intriguing to see how much Andersson can coax out of this team with better forward players at his disposal

The Squad: Sweden will play a 4-4-2 formation built around the centre-half pairing of Manchester United's Victor Lindelof and Pontus Jansson. They will play in front of a experienced goalkeeper in Robin Olsen of Everton. Zlatan Ibrahimovic's recent injury means he will miss the tournament, so Sweden will have to choose between veteran Marcus Berg, Mainz' Robin Quaison or the talented Dejan Kulusevski.

Key Man: Lindelof is a polarising figure among Manchester United fans like this writer but he is an excellent passer and that will be important for a Swedish side that may lack for creativity in midfield. He was a key part of Sweden's defensive success in World Cup 2018 and he will again need to be at his best should Sweden wish to get to the latter stages of this tournament.

One To Watch: Isak has been a hugely touted prospect, making his Swedish domestic football debut at 16 and signing for Borussia Dortmund at 17. He struggled to make the breakthrough there but has flourished since moving to Real Sociedad. This season he enjoyed a breakout campaign, scoring 14 goals in La Liga goals and he is starting to make the Zlatan comparisons seem less fanciful. Still aged only 21, and with an impressive physique, Isak is regarded as one of the better young strikers in Europe.

Tournament Prospects: Sweden will expect to qualify for the last 16 from Group E as at least a best third placed side behind Poland and Spain. They could reasonably hope to better their quarter final finish in the 2018 World Cup before going down with a fight to one of the tournament favourites

How To Bet On Sweden: Back Sweden to beat Slovakia. Even without Zlatan, Sweden will have far too much for a limited Slovakian team and victory should see Janne Andersson's men through to the last 16.