Defenders to Watch!

1) Alessandro Florenzi, Italy

For early cleans sheets at Euro 2020, Italy are likely to stand as one of the best teams to pick from.

Roberto Mancini’s side are returning to their best after a few years of rebuilding and, like the Italian sides of old, once again have a solid defensive record.

At the time of writing, Italy have not conceded a goal in their last six outings. You also have to go all the way back to June of 2018 to find the last time they conceded more than one goal in a match, and even that only happened against France.

Italy also have a pretty favourable group that includes Switzerland, Turkey and Wales.

So, having at least one Italy defender in your side is likely a solid bet and PSG right-back Alessandro Florenzi should be a good choice.

2) Denzel Dumfries, Netherlands

Like Italy, the Netherlands have been handed a fairly easy group which should see them earn at least a couple of clean sheets.

The Oranje are facing off with all of Austria, North Macedonia and the Ukraine, all of which a much-improved Netherlands should be able to beat.

And though you may be sceptical about signing a Netherlands defender with Virgil van Dijk injured, a backline of Matthijs de Ligt (5.5m), Daley Blind (5m), Denzel Dumfries and Owen Wijndal (4.5m) is still solid.

And Dumfries, who scored four and assisted nine in 41 outings for PSV during 2020/21, should prove a solid purchase as he will be able to collect the clean sheet bonuses and looks the most likely of the Netherlands’ defenders to contribute in the final third as well.

3) Harry Maguire, England

The next player you should add

to your Fantasy team is Harry Maguire. If he is fit.

England are not the best side defensively, but they should still be able to earn some clean sheets in a group consisting of Croatia, Scotland and the Czech Republic.

The signing of Maguire – or John Stones if Maguire is not fit in time – is not so much focused on the number of clean sheets England will get.

Instead, there is a good chance that England’s centre-backs will be among the goals this summer.

As shown at the 2018 World Cup, Gareth Southgate puts huge emphasis on set pieces, with the majority of England’s goals in Russia coming from a corner, penalty or free-kick.

And if England are to have success from corners this year, Maguire and Stones will be involved.

4) Thomas Meunier, Belgium

Though Belgium are not necessarily the most defensively sound side, they are clear favourites for their group at Euro 2020.

As a result, expect the Red Devils defenders to be earning clean sheets vs the likes of Finland and Russia.

Of all Belgium’s defenders, Thomas Meunier is likely to be the most useful for your EFF team.

The 29-year-old spe

nt much of 2020/21 playing as a wing-back in a back-three/five for Borussia Dortmund.

And Belgium play a similar system which allows Meunier to get forward and contribute in the attacking phase as well, hence why he was able to provide two assists in his last two starts for his country.

5) Joao Cancelo, Portugal

Joao Cancelo heads into th

e Euros in superb form after having arguably his best-ever season in a Manchester City shirt.

The full-back is incredibly versatile and is capable of contributing going forward as well, making him a solid choice for your EFF team.

One potential drawback when selecting Cancelo is that Portugal are in a tough group and have to play France and Germany.

It is, however, worth noting that A Seleção’s opening group game is against a weak Hungary side, so Cancelo should be a decent option for at least the first round of group games.

6) Benjamin Pavard, France

France, of course, go into the Euro

s as one of the favourites to win the competition after clinching the 2018 World Cup and making it to the final of Euro 2016.

So, there is a good chance they will be able to give any side a go at this summer’s tournament, making pretty much all their regular starters decent options.

And though France’s centre-back spots are abundant, their options at right-back are not that plentiful.

Benjamin Pavard is their first-choice in that spot and is almost nailed on to start most games this month.

It is also worth noting that the 25-year-old would feature in France’s two meetings with Portugal – who they face in Group F – last year, both of which Les Bleus would keep clean sheets in.

KAZAN, RUSSIA – JUNE 30: Benjamin Pavard of France celebrates with teammate Paul Pogba after scoring his team’s second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Round of 16 match between France and Argentina at Kazan Arena on June 30, 2018 in Kazan, Russia. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

7) Jordi Alba, Spain

In part due to injury, Jordi Alba did not play for Spain throughout 2020.

However, the FC Barcelona star returned for La Furia Roja recently and showcased that he is still a top talent.

In his latest two meetings for Spa

in, Alba would manage to notch three assists from left-back.

And though Spain are not the dominant force they once were, they are still the favourites in Group E and have a fairly easy opener vs a Sweden side without Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

SEVILLE, SPAIN – MAY 25: Jordi Alba of FC Barcelona looks dejected after the Spanish Copa del Rey match between Barcelona and Valencia at Estadio Benito Villamarin on May 25, 2019 in Seville. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)

8) Antonio Rudiger, Germany

Antonio Rudiger will head into Euro 2020 on the back of a fine run of form which helped Chelsea with the Champions League.

Since Thomas Tuchel took the reins at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have become one of the most defensively sound teams in Europe and Rudiger has been a big part of that.

Granted, Germany found themselves in a very tough group this summer, hence why Rudiger is low down the list.

But Joachim Low has brought back some of the German old guard for Euro 2020, which should help them improve on some of their recent tournament showings.

And with Germany set to play Hungary during the 3rd round of group fixtures, it may be a good idea to bring the Chelsea man in then, perhaps for one

of the French or Portuguese defenders who will be playing each other then.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 22: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea tries to shield the ball so that Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga can gather the ball during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 22, 2019 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

9) Oleksandr Zinchenko, Ukraine

Though Oleksandr Zin

chenko generally plays as a left-back for Manchester City and is down as a defender on Euro Fantasy Football, the 24-year-old is often deployed as a midfielder for Ukraine.

And as fans of FPL will know, players like this can often prove very useful assets as they earn the clean sheet bonuses whilst also having a higher chance of scoring or assisting as well – Stuart Dallas for Leeds this season and John Lundstram for Sheffield United last campaign being the standout examples.

And whilst Ukraine are not expected to top their Euro 2020 group, they should be able to give North Macedonia and Austria a good fight.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 24: Oleksandr Zinchenko of Manchester City runs with the ball under pressure from Cesar Azpilicueta of Chelsea during the Carabao Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on February 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

10) Ricardo Rodriguez, Switzerland

Like Ukraine, Switzerland are not one of the tournament favourites and are unlikely to finish first in their group.

However, they still have a couple of potentially useful assets you could use as differentials

One of the more obvious is Ricardo Rodriguez. The 28-year-old, despite being a defender, has scored eight and assisted nine in 79 outings for Switzerland.

Rodriguez is also a decent free-kick taker and has been known to take penalties for his country.