1. How will the home nations fare at Euro 2016?
On the 10th of June, France and Romania will commence proceedings at this years European
Championships. Four out of five home nations sides successfully navigated their way through a
year long qualifying campaign and are now making their final preparations for the eagerly
anticipated tournament. Swarms of fans will descend into France with the hopes that their nation
will emerge as champions of Europe. So, how will the Home Nations and Ireland perform at the
finals?
Firstly lets start with, Northern Ireland. It is their first major tournament since Mexico ’86 and their
fans are brimming with excitement as their first fixture draws nearer. Manager Michael O’Neill has
selected his 23 man squad and they have jetted off to Austria for a training camp prior to a final
friendly game away to Slovakia in Bratislava on Saturday.
Four wins from four in their opening fixtures instilled hope and belief that Northern Ireland could
make it all the way to France. This was followed by an away defeat to Romania, their only loss in
the 10 qualifying fixtures. Home and away victories over Greece highlighted their intent and a draw
on the final day confirmed a first place finish in qualifying group F, a feat that fans and players
could only have dreamed about.
In order to have any chance of progressing from the group, Michael O’Neill needs big
performances from his captain, Steven Davis. The Southampton Central midfielder has been a vital
player for his country throughout qualifying scoring two goals while providing a driving force in the
middle of the park. At the back Gareth McAuley is going to be an important figure. As well as his
defensive capabilities, he can also be a nuisance in attack for defenders at set pieces, scoring 3
goals in the 10 qualifying matches. Finally, it is Kyle Lafferty, the man from Enniskillen who
Northern Ireland will be looking to rely on in terms of goals from the front. He became something of
a talisman for his country during qualifying scoring 7 goals in 9 games including a last minute
equaliser against group F rivals Hungary, confirming top spot.
They have been drawn into a massively challenging Group C against world champions Germany,
qualifying group D runners up Poland and Ukraine who qualified after a play-off win over Slovenia.
It will take a number of big upsets from Northern Ireland to progress from this group and the odds
will be in favour of them heading home early after the group stage, unless they can manage to
advance through finishing as one of the best third placed teams.
Preparations for the finals has been relatively positive. Northern Ireland are unbeaten in their four
friendly matches including a 1-1 draw with Wales at the Millennium Stadium in March. However the
Welsh side was missing a number of key players, most notably Gareth Bale. It could be argued
that their biggest test comes next when they face an in form Slovakia side on Saturday. A good
result in this fixture will give O’Neill’s men confidence that they can cause a stir in group C. On the
other hand, the reaction from some of the players may suggest that the side are there for the
occasion rather than the results.
Euro 2016 will provide Welsh fans their first taste of a major tournament for 58 years. The squad
has been announced and Chris Coleman and his team are ready to face Slovakia in Bordeaux on
June 11th.
Wales kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 win away to Andorra in dramatic fashion.
They had to rely on a last minute stunning free kick from Gareth Bale to ensure that all 3 points
were secured. This was the beginning of an 8 game unbeaten run which included 6 wins, and an
impressive home victory over group winners Belgium which all but secured their invite to the finals.
Chris Coleman will be hopeful that all of his key players stay fit and perform to their capabilities so
that they can progress as far as possible. Gareth Bale is undoubtedly the most important player for
Wales. He has it all; Pace, power, trickery, he's good in the air and he can even defend. His

2. involvement in nearly every single goal in qualifying has proved that bale must stay fit if Wales are
to have any chance at all. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey will also play a pivotal role for his country. His
engine in midfield and his passing ability and his habit of arriving late in the box will undoubtedly
cause many teams problems.
They have been drawn into arguably the most even group in the competition, alongside home
nation counterparts England as well as Russia and Slovakia in group B. The draw could be seen
as a positive for Wales as there are no teams that they couldn't beat on their day. However, if Bale
doesn't perform or picks up an injury then it is difficult to see where the goals are going to come
from for Coleman’s side.
Recent friendlies have been a struggle for Wales. Defeat by the Netherlands in Cardiff was
followed by a draw with Northern Ireland and most recently they suffered a 1-0 loss to Ukraine in
Kiev. Gareth Bale was missing for all 3 of the friendlies, further highlighting his impact on the
results of the team. A final friendly match against Sweden will end preparations before they begin
their campaign, looking to go all the way in France. Overconfidence may be a problem for this
Welsh side and they must be wary of this to avoid exiting the finals at the group stage.
England as ever go into the tournament with bags of confidence. This will be their 22nd major
tournament. Their squad has been selected by Roy Hodgson and will arrive at their base in
Chantilly on the 6th of June, ready to take on the Russians in their first fixture.
Hodgson’s side costed through a fairly easy group picking up maximum points and netting an
impressive 31 goals in the process.
This English side have a number of high profile and experienced internationals, Wayne Rooney is
one of them. He will captain the side this year and his experience as well as his ability will be key
to any success that England may have. Harry Kane is another high profile player and will most
likely lead the line for his side. He will be looking to add to the 32 goals he has scored this season
and if England go far, he will be one of the favourites for the golden boot.
England undoubtedly have the strongest squad in their group and should finish as group winners.
Nevertheless, the game against Wales presents itself as a battle of Britain in which England have
more to lose than their rivals. Gareth Bale could provide the English defence with a number of
problems and they could find themselves losing if they don't manage to contain the two time
champions league winner.
Four wins from five in the friendlies, one against hosts France and one away to World Cup winner
Germany in the build up to the tournament have given England fans and of course the media real
confidence that their side can go far. They have one friendly fixture against Portugal to go before
their first group game. England have a strong squad filled with experience and will be seen as a
dark horse for the tournament if all of these players play to their ability.
Finally, we have the Republic of Ireland. This is their second European Championship finals in a
row and this year they will be hoping to get beyond the group stages after their disappointment in
2012. Martin O’Neill has some tough decisions to make before he makes his final choice on his 23
man squad.
They began their qualifying campaign in steady fashion in the so called “group of death”, winning
their first two games followed by a sensational draw away to the Germans with a last minute
equaliser from John O’Shea. A defeat to Scotland then put their chances of third place in the
balance but they followed that up with three wins in a row, including another surprising result
against Germany. This time it was Shane Long who was the hero. This result, paired with a
shocking defeat for Scotland in Georgia meant that they had secured a play-off place and a tie with
Bosnia. The Irish impressively beat the Eastern Europeans 3-1 over two legs.

3. Martin O’Neill will be hoping that Jon Walters will have an important part to play in the finals after
he netted a number of decisive and important goals in qualifying. He scored two in the home win
against Bosnia in he play-offs and controversially netted the all important equaliser against
Scotland on match day 6. The fitness of James McCarthy may be an important factor in the
success of the team. He provides solidity in midfield and is able to get forward and support attacks
while also possessing the ability to break up play and distribute the ball effectively.
Just like their Northern Irish neighbours, the Republic of Ireland have been drawn in one of the
tougher groups. Placed together in group E with Belgium, 2012 winners Italy and Zlatan
Ibrahimovic’s Sweden. All three nations have experienced internationalists and world class player,
meaning O’Neill’s men may struggle to progress from the group.
Ireland’s preparation for the competition has been fairly successful. They were undefeated in their
last three friendly matches against some tough opposition but were beaten 2-1 at home to Belarus
in their final fixture. Although the players will take a number of positives from these games. The
Irish always travel with an aura of excitement and passion but they will be lucky to progress from
the group and their main aim will be to fight for that best third placed finish.
Unfortunately Scotland wont be joining the party in France, however the nation’s football fans will
definitely be keeping an eye on the results of the home nations, especially England. Good luck to
them all.