Staff Reporter
Euro 2020 has seen a year delay but is finally on the horizon and the tournament this time around has a very different feel to it. Rather than one or two host nations, the tournament will be played all around Europe, with many countries and cities getting to host games.
One of the cities hosting is Sevilla, and this is where Spain will play all of their Group E matches. This is a huge positive for them, meaning they can be based at home for the first stage of the tournament and be surrounded by something familiar as they find their feet.
This is good new for those betting on Spain to win the tournament with sites like these new betting sites, as Spain should have more than enough to qualify from the group and could even go through with three wins and a 100% record.
Who Do Spain Play in the Group Stage?
Spain find themselves in Group E of the Euro 2020 tournament, alongside Poland, Sweden and Slovakia. The top two from this group will automatically qualify while the third placed team may also do as four of the six do, depending on their records.
If the group was played at a neutral venue, Spain would be favourites to win the group, however not as strong as we see them now. They are very strong favourites, with three home games and it would be no surprise to see them win all of them.
The draw has been relatively kind here, it isn’t the easiest group for them to compete in, but the three teams they play are all teams that they will fancy beating on their day. This is definitely the case now they are playing all three games at home in the tournament.
The Advantage of Being at Home
The minimal crowd won’t play much of a part but what Spain will have is the ability to base themselves inside Spain for the group stage, set up a base they are familiar with and focus on playing football. It has been said that fans will be able to attend games, and there is even a chance that some fans will be in attendance for La Liga games very soon, before we get to the competition.
This is an advantage that no one else has in this group, and not too many teams have in the entire tournament. With a very strange tournament taking place, one that no player is used to and this coming on the back of an odd season, familiarity could have a big impact on the tournament winner.
When you look down this Spanish football squad, there is a lot of quality but they are not as good as what we have seen in the past from them. Therefore, they may need a little help and playing at home brings that. Whether they can make inroads into the knockout phase and go far in this tournament remains to be seen, but the group stage has certainly been made a lot easier thanks to hosting the games in Sevilla.
What Happens in the Knockout Phase?
Of course, the group stage of the tournament is just the first and there will be many more games after that. The semi finals and final will all be played at Wembley, so everyone will be based in England for that part of the tournament.
In between, there is the first round and quarter finals, which are played a various grounds around Europe. Here, it is likely that all teams will need to travel, and that is going to be the test for Spain, how will they cope playing away from home, even though it is a neutral ground.
This is likely to decide just how far Spain will get in the tournament, a good showing could see them get as far as the semi finals, while getting into the quarter finals is probably a realistic expectation of the team.
Whatever Spain do in this tournament, they have an excellent platform to build on, and can get off to a great start in the competition if they use home advantage well. Although winning may be a long shot, with a few teams looking to have more quality than Spain, the chances of going well are high, and if Spain can use their home advantage and base well, we could see them go as far as the semi finals.
