UEFA Euro 2020 - Group C analysis and prediction

June 9, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria, North Macedonia, Euro 2020, Group C

A European giant in search of their first silverware since 1988, a team that went unbeaten in the qualifiers, a nation struggling to inspire their fans, and a debutant will all battle it out in Group C.

Euro 2020 is finally upon us! After an unfortunate one-year postponement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the widely-loved European Championship is now just days away from kick off, with the Turkey vs Italy showdown on Friday, June 11 set to get things underway.

A total of 24 teams will battle it out for the trophy, with the participants being split into six groups of four. Only the top two spots offer automatic qualification to the knockout stage, with the four best third-placed teams also making it to the round of 16. While defending champions Portugal made it out of the group stages via this path, every nation must do everything in their power to finish in the top two spots.

This is one of the main reasons why Group C is an interesting batch of teams. A European giant in search of their first silverware since 1988, a team that went unbeaten in the qualifiers, a nation struggling to inspire their fans, and a debutant will all battle it out for a spot in the last 16. Here's everything you need to know about Group C in Euro 2020.

Which teams are involved in Group C?

Netherlands
Ukraine
Austria
North Macedonia

What you need to know about the Group C teams

The Netherlands: the greatest footballing nation to never win a World Cup will be looking to end their 33-year wait for silverware. The last trophy the Oranje won was the European Championship but that 1988 success is all but forgotten now. Frank de Boer, who initially struggled after succeeding Ronald Koeman as the head coach, has stabled the ship and will need to secure a first-placed finish.

Ukraine: Shevchenko's side went unbeaten throughout the qualifiers, an impressive feat given that they had to face defending champions Portugal across two legs. Ukraine picked up four points against Cristiano and Co. and subsequently topped their group ahead of the European giants. Form hasn't gone their way, however, picking up only four wins since September of last year.

Austria: David Alaba and Co. have qualified for the European Championship for the second time in a row. However, despite this, Austria's style of football has failed to impress their fans, with "Früher war alles besser" – "everything was better before" – being the common mantra among the supporters. Franco Foda has several talented players at his disposal, thus it will be interesting to see how they fare in the competition.

North Macedonia: The Lynxes will be making their European Championship debut once this tournament kicks off. In fact, this will be North Macedonia's first-ever appearance in an international tournament.

Which cities will host Group C?

To mark the 60th anniversary of the European Championship, UEFA decided to stage the latest edition of the Euros across multiple cities. As a result, the Group C fixtures will be split across two venues: the Arena Naţională in Bucharest and the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.

Group C prediction

Netherlands
Ukraine
Austria
North Macedonia

Frank de Boer might flatter to deceive but given the amount of talented players at his disposal, he should lead La Oranje to a first-placed finish ahead of Ukraine. North Macedonia are the debutants and thus we predict an early exit.