5. Greece vs. Romania (Sept. 7):
There’s usually no such thing as a “must win” game in the first game of a long qualification period, but when you’re in a wide open group like Greece and Romania are in Group F that’s exactly what faces these two teams on Sunday.
With those teams plus Finland, Hungary and Northern Ireland all in the same group anyone could be in line to qualify. Getting three points out of the gate allows that team to control what happens from the word go and is vitally important, especially for Romania.
Greece have had a long run in Europe and at the World Cup, but the squad it took to this summer’s World Cup was old. Greece need an infusion of younger talent and this could be the time to bring some of that on board.
This is the group with the most teams that could qualify in my view and worth keeping an eye on in a major way.
4. Serbia vs. France (Sept. 7):
Another friendly for France, but another quality opponent as well. Serbia (when it was part of the former Yugoslavia) was once a power in international soccer, but it hasn’t been much of one since the break up.
That could be changing though, as a number of younger players are seeing time at bigger European clubs. Three of the best defensive players all ply their trade in the EPL, with Matija Nastasić and Aleksandar Kolarov both playing for Manchester City and Branislav Ivanović playing for Chelsea.
This won’t be an easy task for France and perhaps the best test of their offensive firepower they’ll see before Euro 2016 actually gets underway.
3. Spain vs. France (Sept. 4):
France is already in Euro 2016 as the host nation, and that means no rugged qualification process and trips to small countries with no hope or prayer of beating them. However, it also means they need to find open opponents to keep things fresh.
Spain is coming off a disaster World Cup, with many of its glory-years superstars choosing to retire following a group stage exit. The Spanish side will also be without Andres Iniesta, who suffered an injury over the weekend playing for Barcelona.
This game is vital to both sides as they look to find out an identity ahead of the next big tournament for them. Spain will see this as a quality test before heading in to a relatively easy group for qualifying, while France will see this as a chance to build some more positive momentum from the World Cup.
2. Czech Republic vs. Netherlands (Sept. 9):
These two heavyweights are drawn in to the same group and won’t play until next Tuesday so they fall within the week of our Top 10 posts. It should be a very entertaining and high paced match.
It will be a good test of the strength for both squads, as the Netherlands love to attack and play on the ground, while the Czech’s are strong in the middle of the pitch and in the back line. Petr Cech is still with the national team and midfielder Tomáš Rosický is a massive star with Arsenal in the EPL as well.
Needless to say, this match could go a long way in determining who needs to take future qualification games in Group A more seriously. Realistically, only Turkey are a serious threat to upend either of these squads for one of the two automatic spots, so getting off to a good start would be helpful in putting some distance between them and Turkey.
1. Switzerland vs. England (Sept. 8):
England had a disastrous World Cup and Switzerland showed some real promise by getting out of a group with Ecuador, France and Honduras. Both are going to be favorites to get out of Group E in Euro 2016 qualification.
Make no mistake about it; a loss in this match by England is likely to send manager Roy Hodgson right into the unemployment line. That’s how vital this game is for England, who needs to find an identity on the international level.
That identity could mean finding players that fit a system, rather than players that are just high-priced and thrown together.
On the other hand, Swiss soccer has never been at a bigger point (at least in my lifetime of soccer fandom). Winning this game would set the tone for the rest of qualification, and the bigger question is how this side handles increased expectations after the World Cup.
