On day 3 of Euro 2016, two groups kick into action: Group C, with Germany facing Ukraine and Poland playing Northern Ireland; while Group D starts off as Turkey face Croatia.
Turkey vs Croatia: An interesting encounter, with a hungry (and rather streaky) Turkish side, without any major international competition since 2008, looking to exploit the defensive problems Croatia have. Arda Turan on the left and Selcuk Inan in the middle are the key men, hoping to win the battle of possession and pace with Luka Modric, while Croatia will mostly be targeting Mario Mandzukic to find goals.
Poland vs Northern Ireland: Most Northern Ireland players weren’t even born when their national side last player an international competition. Robert Lewandowski is by far the biggest name on the pitch, but Poland are more than just the Bayern striker, and Grzegorz Krychowiak, if he’s 100%, is someone to look out for. For Northern Ireland, Steven Davis will try to find Gareth McAuley as much as possible on set pieces, although he might be exhausted from marking Lewandowski.
Germany vs Ukraine: In their attempt to cause a major upset against the defending World Champions and semifinalists in the previous Euros, Ukraine will rely on Yevhen Konoplyanka and Andriy Yarmolenko to cause mayhem down the wings. For Germany, it’s about integrating the new pieces, with danger man all over the board, but the one who puts it all together will once again be Thomas Muller.