Euro 2024 Dark Horse Watch
Euro 2024 is finally here! After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Europe’s premier international competition is finally set to start. Fans from all over the world are eagerly awaiting how favorites like France, England and the hosts Germany will do.
However, with any large international tournament, there is always some intrigue with what “non-favorite” teams are set to make some noise. These “dark horse” teams, while not as flashy on the surface as a French team, have the talent and spirit to knock some of these big boys out and advance far into the tournament. Below, I will detail three dark horse teams that you should watch during Euro 2024. At this point, teams like Croatia and Denmark will no longer fall into this category due to their success at recent World Cups and Euros, so instead we will shine the light on three other teams to keep an eye on this summer.
Austria
I am a big fan of the Austrians. The team coached by former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is unbeaten in their last seven games leading up to this summer’s Euro, including a 2-0 victory over the hosts in a friendly last November. They also have some sneaky-good midfielders and attackers, with Borussia Dortmund’s Marcel Sabitzer and Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer the best of the bunch.
The only concerns I have for this Austria side are that they are missing their captain and star player David Alaba in the back and that they are in a challenging Group D also occupied by France, the Netherlands and Poland. However, I like the Austrians’ chances to get out of this group with either three or four points, and once they get out, no one is going to want this matchup. Check out the Austria preview for a more in-depth look at this Austrian side, and definitely keep an eye on them as Euro 2024 gets underway.
Hungary
This is Hungary’s third-consecutive Euro appearance and the Hungarians are hungry to make it their best. This time, Hungary is entering the Euro on the heels of a remarkable 2022-23 UEFA Nations League group stage showing where the Hungarians were just a point off making the semifinals and finished ahead of Germany and England.
They did not just stop after the impressive Nations League showing, however. Since their last Nations League game against Italy, Hungary has only lost one out of their 16 games, with only a shocking friendly loss to Ireland staining their record.
Led by Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai, this Hungary team is good, and I mean good good. To see more details on Hungary’s players, check out the Hungary preview, but the strength of Hungary goes well beyond the Liverpool man. In a group with Germany, Scotland and Switzerland, do not be surprised to see this Hungarian side get top two, and once they get out of the group, be wary of what they can do.
Serbia
As mentioned in the Serbia preview, this is the Eagles’ first Euro appearance as an independent nation, and it comes right in the midst of their golden generation of soccer and on the heels of their first World Cup appearance in 2022. Just because they are newcomers does not mean they should be disregarded, however.
They have serious offensive firepower with players like Aleksandar Mitrović, Dušan Vlahović and Luka Jović. While the Serbians will need everyone to step up, having these three players drastically changes how teams will have to approach playing Serbia and will give them a shot in any game they play, even if they are not favorites.
Serbia also finds itself in a group where it is very doable to reach the knockout stage and even get second place if they can get a positive result against either Denmark or England. This Serbia side has the tools and the group stage drawing to be considered a dark horse and with the extra motivation of trying to avenge a group stage exit at the 2022 World Cup, watch out for this dangerous Serbia side.
Let us know what you think. Who do you think will be this summer’s dark-horse teams? Did we get them right or are we missing someone? Be sure to check out all of our Euro 2024 team previews and let us know what you think below!
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