Landstrænerne from Germany, France and Portugal, recognise that their national team has ended up in ‘death pool’.
The three large groups were on Saturday put in the same group when the draw for the group stage at the european championships in 2020.
“This is the hardest group, but we must take with. We are possibly in the worst position, because playoff team in the group can be the best of all playoff teams,” said France’s coach, Didier Deschamps, according to the AFP news agency:
“This means that we must be right up in gear from the start,” says Deschamps, according to news agency Reuters.
The last team in the ‘death pool’ is to be found in the playoffrunden from the Nation’s Leagues, the A-layer with the teams of Iceland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.
If Romania win ends the team, however, in Group C with Holland, Ukraine and Austria. It happens, ends up the winner of the playoffrunden from the Nation’s Leagues, the D-layer with Georgia, Nordmakedonien, Kosovo and Belarus in the ‘death pool’.
Germany is among the 12 hosts at the european championship, also played in Copenhagen. All of Germany’s three matches to be played in the fodboldgale city of Munich.
“It is the ‘death pool’. The fighting in Munich will be fodboldfestivaler, and the expectations are going to be high.
“It will be a huge challenge for our young team, but also a big motivation,” says the German national coach, Joachim Löw, according to Reuters.
He points to the French champions as favourites.
“They are the world champions and have been stronger over the past three to four years. They are gruppefavoritter,” said Benitez, according to AFP.
Portugal’s coach, Fernando Santos, has good memories of France, who Portugal beat in the final Betpark at the european championships four years ago with an injured Cristiano Ronaldo on the sidelines.
“the Group includes the winners of the last three major international finals. It is a tough group with the two favourites for the title and a suitor. We believe in ourselves,” says Fernando Santos, according to Reuters.
The biggest favourite to win the european championship according to the bookies England.
the Team is in the pool with Croatia, the Czech republic and the winner of the playoffrunden from the Nations League C-layer that counts Scotland, Norway, Serbia and Israel.
“We must accept that the expectations have changed,” says England’s coach, Gareth Southgate, and adds that the team’s semifinaleplads in the WORLD cup in 2018 has raised people’s faith in the national team.
/ritzau/
