Euro Preview: David de Gea, Matteo Darmian & Zlatan Ibrahimovic all involved

Manchester United have a whole host of players taking part at the European Championships this summer, as well as plenty of players who have been linked with a move to Old Trafford. Next up is a heavyweight clash between Manchester United’s Matteo Darmian, and Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The influential forward has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford after the Euro’s finish next month, but now would be an excellent time to see exactly what he is capable of.

Italy are fancied to beat Sweden according to Smart Bets, who say that they have a 50% chance of securing the three points as you can see on the graphic below.

Matteo Darmian has been deployed in the wing-back slot by his manager during recent games for Italy, and that looks set to continue again on Friday. The 26-year-old has that versatility in his locker, which makes him an interesting prospect for incoming Jose Mourinho, who loves his players to be able to compete in more than one area of the field.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic doesn’t need an introduction. The 34-year-old Swede came into the European Championships on the back of his best ever goalscoring season. He found the back of the net an impressive 50 times across all competitions, proving that he still has plenty to offer Manchester United if he does make the move.


Odds

italy v sweden

Probable XIs

Italy predicted line-up: Buffon; Chiellini, Barzagli, Bonucci; De Rossi, Giaccherini, Parolo, Darmian, Candreva; Pelle, Eder.

Sweden predicted line-up: Isaksson, Lustig, Lindelof, Granqvist, Olsson; Larsson, Kallstrom, Lewicki, Forsberg; Ibrahimovic, Berg.

Score Prediction: Italy 2-0 Sweden

Italy looked outstanding last time out, whereas Sweden looked rather sluggish against the Irish. I reckon Conte’s men will have more than enough to secure all three points in this one.

Before the Italy game, David de Gea will once again take to the field as the Spanish #1. His side take on Turkey, in another heavyweight clash. Having forced Iker Casillas out of the side, our goalkeeper will want to sent a real message out to his international manager stating that he is the best man for the job on a permanent basis.

The flying Spaniard has remained the consummate professional whilst at Manchester United this term, despite heavy interest from Real Madrid. He has now signed a new contract at the Theatre of Dreams, meaning the ball is firmly in Manchester United’s court.

He had arguably his best ever season last time around, and further endeared himself to the Old Trafford faithful due to that aforementioned top attitude.

It looks as though the club will get to witness his heroics for at least another twelve months, too. As reports say that he has told Jose Mourinho he will be staying to play under the self-proclaimed Special One.

Onto the game itself, you’d imagine that Spain will have large amounts of possession, similarly to how they did in their last game. However, you’d think they’d have the cutting edge to make the breakthrough somewhat earlier.

On paper, their team is one of the best in the tournament, and if they begin to click in the latter rounds, it could well be easy for them to scoop their third European Championship title in a row.

Spain predicted line-up: De Gea, Juanfran, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Busquets, Iniesta, Fabregas, Silva, Nolito, Morata.

Turkey predicted line-up: Babacan; Gonul, Topal, Balta, Erkin; Inan; Calhanoglu, Tufan, Ozyakup, Turan; Yilmaz

Score Prediction: Spain 2-0 Turkey

Hopefully we see some more fantastic football on display from the Manchester United players, and probably future stars who will grace the Old Trafford turf.

Follow Old Trafford Faithful on Twitter for more Manchester United news.

About Jordan Street 18924 Articles
Mancunian. Red through and through. Season Ticket holder block E332.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*