Ross Papadakis 
Euro 2024 Group F Preview. Design: Round Ball Australia
Group F at Euro 2024 promises fireworks, with a clash of titans and a historic debut on the cards in the final group of the tournament.
Portugal arrive with a star-studded squad under Roberto Martinez, aiming for their second Euros title.
Turkey, reborn under manager Vincenzo Montella, seeks to silence doubters and rewrite their Euro story after years of underachievement.
Georgia, euphoric about their first-ever Euros appearance, are ready to defy the odds with their passionate fanbase and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s dazzling skills.
The Czech Republic, Euro veterans under the leadership of Ivan Hasek, return with their aggressive high-pressing style and a squad hungry to replicate past successes.
Turkey
FIFA World Ranking: 40th
Best Euros Finish: Semi Final (2008)
Turkey booked their ticket to Euro 2024 by topping their qualifying group.
They secured the top spot with a dominant 4-0 home win over Latvia, marking their third consecutive Euros appearance, while hinting at a strong and consistent Turkish squad.
Squad Profile
Having undergone a significant transformation under the leadership of new manager Vincenzo Montella, Turkey was struggling. But they have since qualified for Euro 2024 and are considered to be one of the most exciting teams in the competition.
Turkey goes into this tournament with a solid amount of talent. The likes of Real Madrid’s young star Arda Guler, Benfica’s standout Orkun Kokcu and 19-year-old Kenan Yildiz.
Montella will be the first foreign head coach to lead the national team at a major tournament since Sandro Puppo led Turkey through the 1954 FIFA World Cup.
It seems as though he will set his side up in his usual 4-2-3-1 formation, slipping into a 4-3-3 at times, prioritising possession with quick attacking transitions and an emphasis on using their width.
Having only been in charge for six games, with three being competitive, Turkey goes into this tournament with a lack of identity; only three players have played in all of Montella’s games.
It feels like a cheap answer to say their strength is their captain, Hakan Calhanoglu, however, it seems to be a relatively safe option.
Reinvented as a deep-lying playmaker at Inter Milan, Simone Inzaghi has transformed him from an above-average attacking midfielder to one of the best in his position.
In this deeper role, Calhanoglu utilises his prowess in long balls and passing to unlock the attacking players ahead of him.
On top of his exceptional vision and playmaking abilities, his long-range strikes and set-piece delivery offer Turkey solutions going forward.
Expectations
Turkey have notoriously been one of the most disappointing nations in the past decade.
When it comes to major tournaments, Turkey is always labelled as that ‘dark horse’ everyone looks at to go deep alas they crash out and disappoint in the group stage.
On a positive note, there is a very large Turkish diaspora throughout Germany, particularly in Dortmund (23,000) and Hamburg (over 60,000) where their games are being held, this could be the closest to a home tournament experience until Euro 2032 for the Turkish team.
With their abundance of support and the playmaking skills present in their midfield, a Round of 16 appearance is a must to silence the critics from the previous tournament.
Runners-up in this group take on the Winners of Group D (Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France) and finishing as 1 of 4 best 3rd placed sides, draws them up against Group B’s Winner (Spain, Croatia, Italy, Albania).
In my prediction, Turkey crash out in the group again, finishing in 3rd but not as a best-placed side.
Georgia
FIFA World Ranking: 75th
Best Euros Finish: First Appearance
In March, the dream of all Georgians came true as they emotionally qualified for their first European Championship.
Finishing fourth in a strong five-team group, Georgia picked up results against Scotland, Norway and Cyprus to qualify for the playoffs. Defeating Luxembourg 2-0, and Greece on penalties to secure qualification.
Squad Profile
Despite doubts about his appointment, former French national team and Bayern Munich player, Willy Sagnol, achieved remarkable success as manager of the Georgian National team.
It is said that Sagnol’s innovative approach, strong mentality, and coaching talent were key factors in his appointment.
Sagnol took over Georgia at a fairly difficult time four years ago, when they had just narrowly lost to North Macedonia in the Euro 2020 playoff final.
Tasked to rebuild the squad psychologically following the defeat, Sagnol already had a core of a talented crop of footballers already developing, headlined by Napoli sensation, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Sagnol prefers to set his side up in a form of a 5-3-2, with Otar Kakabadze and Giorgi Tsitaishvili having room to roam, as well as freeing up space for Kvaratskhelia playing as a second striker.
Mentioning him many times already in this piece, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is Georgia’s shining light. At 23, he is already the most famous Georgian footballer in their history, best known for his dribbling.
Kvaratskhelia’s five goals and three assists helped Georgia top their group in the 2022-23 Nations League, giving them a place in the Euro 2024 qualifying play-offs that earned them a spot at the tournament.
Only 11 goals separate him from Georgia’s all-time top scorer, Shota Arveladze (26 goals in 61 caps) in 30 fewer appearances.
Helping deliver Napoli their first Serie A title in 33 years in 2023, Kvaratskhelia is a hero in Naples, with Neapolitans bestowing the nickname Kvaradona upon him, borrowing from their footballing son, Diego Maradona.
Outside of Kvaratskhelia, Georgia’s biggest strength is in between the sticks; Giorgi Mamardashvili, who stands at 6ft 6in tall.
Joining Valencia in January 2022, Giorgi instantly solidified himself as their first choice despite only being 23. During those two and a half seasons, he has established himself as one of Europe’s top shot-stoppers.
Mamardashvili ranked first for goals prevented in the La Liga last season, so being Georgia’s last line of defence, he is as prepared as ever.
Both key foundations to build a squad around, filling Georgians with optimism for the future of football in their country.
Expectations
Georgia’s excitement for the tournament is arguably unmatched and rightfully so. Their passionate fanbase extends across all sports, creating a thrilling atmosphere.
While they face a group stacked with seasoned European nations, their experience in high-pressure qualifiers has instilled a deep sense of pride in their play.
Georgia’s opening games offer a good chance to grab points, with their final game, Portugal posing the biggest threat.
Despite being underdogs against both Turkey and Czechia, Turkey’s attacking style of play could suit Georgia’s own approach. Against the Czechs, it may be a cagey affair as both nations prefer to counter-attack, absorbing pressure.
With all of that being said, Georgia’s own goal is to qualify out of the Group Stage, however, playing with pride and clenching a point out of this group is a solid foundation to work on for a country filled with so much passion.
Portugal
FIFA World Ranking: 6th
Best Euros Finish: Champions (2016)
The only team to qualify with a 100% record. Portugal saw off Slovakia 3-2 to make it to their first European Championship under new manager, Roberto Martinez.
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his sixth Euros finals appearance, looking to extend his record for most goals (14) and most appearances (25) at the tournament.
Squad Profile
This is Portugal’s ninth Euros and their eighth in a row since Euro 1996.
The only team to reach the knockout stage of the tournament at each of the last seven editions, Portugal has never failed to qualify from the group stage.
Portugal go into this tournament winning 10 from 10, scoring 36 goals and conceding just two. A winning run that has built immense momentum and confidence within the team.
Portugal also boasts a core of experienced players who have won major trophies before, including a bulk of them present at the Euros in 2016. Experience that will be invaluable in high-pressure knockout matches.
Portugal’s squad is ludicrously strong. Players such as Pedro Goncalves, who scored 18 goals and assisted 17 in all competitions last season, and Braga’s Ricardo Horta didn’t make the 26.
When you look at Portugal’s squad, your eyes are immediately drawn to their frontline. Roberto Martinez has plenty of talent to pick from including Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafael Leão, Bernardo Silva, Diogo Jota, Gonçalo Ramos, João Félix and Pedro Neto.
A very similar squad to that of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Tactical familiarity is ever present within Portugal’s 26-man squad with three-quarters of their selections either played in the Premier League or for Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.
Similar to his time at Belgium, Roberto Martinez began his tenure winning matches and playing an exciting brand of football. However, only being 15 games into his Portugal career, Martinez is still experimenting with tactics and formations.
Throughout qualification, he changed from a 3-4-3 to a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 with a box-to-box midfielder as he looks to crack Portugal’s elusive attacking formula while keeping enough defensive rigidity to win a tournament.
Expectations
In this Group, the Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia won’t provide much resistance, however, Portugal should look far beyond that.
On paper, their squad is good enough to win it and considering they have in the past, their expectation in every tournament should be to win it again. But will they?
Thinking about the quality of nations in this tournament, the semi-finals are a reasonable benchmark for Portugal.
Winning their group means they play 3rd place in Group A, B or C.
Czech Republic
FIFA World Ranking: 36
Best Euros Finish: Runners Up (1980), as Czechoslovakia: Champions – 1976
Czechia are no stranger to the Euros, with Euro 2024 being their 8th successive tournament.
They secured qualification on Matchday 10, with a victory over ten-man Moldova.
Czechia have reached the quarter finals twice, the semi finals and a final in their last seven appearances as they look to replicate the success of their triumph of 1976.
Squad Profile
Czechia have an excellent record at European Championships, having qualified for every tournament since becoming an independent nation in 1992.
They have reached the knockout stages four times in their seven tournaments, including a semi-final and final appearance in 1996 and 2004 respectively.
Czechia’s biggest strength seems to be their aggressive high-pressing system that allows their wingbacks to express themselves offensively. The nation attempted the most crosses per game (27.1) in Euro 2024 qualifying.
On that note, Czechia is bundled with serious aerial threats. The likes of Soucek, Schick, and Krejci are all major threats from crosses or set pieces into the box.
Patrik Schick was in fine form at Euro 2020, leading his nation to a quarter-final appearance by scoring 5 of his country’s 6 goals, including one from the halfway line.
Patrick Schick had the world at his feet after scoring 24 goals in 27 Bundesliga games in the 2021/22 season, but the next 18 months were a nightmare.
Missing more than 50 matches across all competitions, ending 2022/23 with just three goals in 23 appearances, his injury issues continued to plague him at the start of 2023/24.
Despite a slow start to the 2023/24 season due to injury, Schick bounced back to help Bayer Leverkusen win their first-ever Bundesliga title, the DFB Pokal, and reach the Europa League final. He will be crucial in Czechia’s success in this tournament
Czechia’s manager Ivan Hasek embodies the nation’s footballing spirit. A midfield maestro in his playing days, he captained both Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, amassing 56 caps.
Since 1999, he’s managed clubs in his homeland, France, Japan, and the Middle East, bringing a wealth of experience to the Czech national team.
With an exciting brand of attacking football and a squad boasting both experience and fresh talent, Czechia will be a force to be reckoned with at Euro 2024.
Throughout their relatively successful qualification campaign, Ivan Hasek has set his side up in a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-3 in possession switching to a back four for a couple of games.
Ivan Hasek was forced to call up only 25 players to Euro 2024 after Michal Sadilek suffered from a bike accident.
Expectations
The hope for the Czech Republic will definitely to be get out of the group, though that shouldn’t be their expectation.
With a win against Georgia, Czechia would probably only need a point against either Turkey or Portugal to progress.
If their star man, Patrick Shick continues his club form into this tournament, then a repeat of 2020 may be on the cards for the Czech Republic.
Finishing second would draw them against the Winner of Group D (Poland, Netherlands, Austria, France) which will prove to be a test no matter the team.