Group C - Final round preview

How they got here

Germany

The World Champions didn’t enthusiasm but they were efficient in their mission of getting to this stage in the first place of the group. They had troubles in creating chances, mostly due to Low’s insistence in Mario Gotze as his striker. It was especially heartbreaking seeing the small Gotze in the middle of the Polish center backs, without any hope of getting rid of them.

Poland

It was their lack of composure in front of goal, with Milik especially at fault, that impeded them of achieving first place before the last game. In both games he could’ve scored more goals than he actually did. But their consistency has been one of the good highlights of the tournament.

Nor.Ireland

They were protagonists of one of the upsets of the tournament, when they beat Ukraine and guaranteed they will, at least, get the third place. Against Poland, though, they couldn’t attack by any means, and it was worrying for them in anticipation for the rest of the competition.

Ukraine

The first team eliminated of the Euros, in an achievement that is anything short than shameful, Ukraine was a great disappointment. Two games, no goals scored and four conceded, including two against minnows Northern Ireland. Just a forgetful campaign.

What they need

Germany

Expect Germany to try and score a few goals in the second half, so they make sure they don’t risk the first place to a possible thrashing that Poland might inflict on Ukraine. Joachim Low will probably rotate his squad, giving his reserves a chance to impress against a considerably weaker team.

Poland

It’s unlikely that their second place is at risk, as Northern Ireland faces Germany, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see Nawalka trying some new options, and try to win the game against Ukraine by a large margin, and try and sneak to the top.

Nor.Ireland

Third place is guaranteed so Michael O’Neill faces an interesting dilemma, as he knows that if he sits back he’ll get defeated, but he cannot lose by a big margin as goal difference might be what qualifies the 3^rd placed teams. It will be a great headache for the manager, that must be cursing the order of the games right now.

Ukraine

Its been an awful time in France, and now they face Poland, a team that’s highly motivated. With nothing to play for, maybe we’ll see the Ukrainians free of pressure and actually providing us with a good match. It’s not very predictable, but one can hope.