Any early shocks? Brown-Finnis' Euro 2025 predictions
Group A
Brown-Finnis's pre-tournament picks: Norway (winners) and Switzerland (runners-up).Iceland are the highest-ranked team in Group A but the Fifa rankings are quite slow to reflect current form and I certainly don't see them as favourites to progress.Norway have the likes of Caroline Graham Hansen and Ada Hegerberg in their team and they also have to shake a monkey off their back after getting battered 8-0 by England at Euro 2022 and failing to make it out of their group.Switzerland don't have a great record at major tournaments, but generally the hosts do well and I think they will make it through even without injured star striker Ramona Bachmann.
2 July, 17:00 BSTArena Thun, ThunWorld ranking: 14th v 26thBest Euros finish: Iceland: quarter-finals in 2013. Finland: semi-finals in 2005Historically, both of these teams have a strong record of qualifying for the European Championship, although they have found it harder to make progress at recent tournaments.Neither of them won a game at Euro 2022 - Iceland drew all three of their group games, while Finland lost all of theirs - and this match probably offers both sides their best chance of a victory this time.My initial thinking was that Finland would edge it but tournament openers are often very cagey, so I am going to go with a draw.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 1-1
2 July, 20:00 BSTSt Jakob-Park, BaselWorld ranking: 23rd v 16thBest Euros finish: Switzerland: groups in 2017 & 2022. Norway: winners in 1987 & 1993Norway will want to rectify what went wrong for them at Euro 2022.They have got Guro Reiten's goals from midfield as well as Hegerberg and Graham Hansen up front, but they have not been scoring as heavily as you'd expect from a team with that kind of firepower.I do think their attack will click at this tournament, though, which is why they are my pick to top the group.Still, taking on the hosts is a tough way to start any tournament, and I can see this game being extremely close.It will be interesting to see how Switzerland approach this - do they go out to not get beaten because they see this as their hardest game in Group A, or do they want to put down a marker as hosts and show what they can do?I don't expect them to be too open, but I do think we will see a winner here... and I am going to go with Norway.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 0-1
Group B
Brown-Finnis's pre-tournament picks: Spain (winners) and Portugal (runners-up).Spain are nailed on to win this group, but after that it gets tricky.Italy and Portugal are ever-improving, in terms of their domestic leagues as well as their national teams, and Belgium have got a lot of experience in their squad.I am going with Portugal to cause a bit of a surprise and finish second, because we've seen them cause Spain and especially England some problems in this year's Nations League, but that spot behind Spain is going to be very closely fought.
3 July, 17:00 BSTStade de Tourbillon, SionWorld ranking: 20th v 13thBest Euros finish: Belgium: quarter-finals in 2022. Italy: runner-up in 1993 & 1997Both of these teams will fancy their chances of getting out of the group, and three points here would be massive for whoever gets them.I don't think there is too much between these sides quality-wise, but Belgium's experience - like striker Tessa Wullaert, for example - might make the difference. Brown-Finnis' prediction: 2-1
3 July, 20:00 BSTStadion Wankdorf, BernWorld ranking: 2nd v 22ndBest Euros finish: Spain: semi-finals in 1997. Portugal: groups in 2017 & 2022Portugal are the underdogs here but with the momentum they have from their recent results, they won't necessarily feel that way.Instead, they may see this as an opportunity of a major scalp, by getting something out of the world champions. They will definitely believe they can run Spain close, because they did the same they when they drew with the holders, the United States, at the 2023 World Cup.I still think Spain will win, though. They will go at this at full tilt because they will want to win their first two games and book their place in the last eight as quickly as possible.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 3-1
Group C
Brown-Finnis's pre-tournament picks: Germany (winners) and Sweden (runners-up).Germany will still be licking their wounds after losing to England in the final of Euro 2022 and they have definitely got a point to prove at this tournament.Sweden are always at these major finals, and always seem to be there or thereabouts in the closing stages too.
4 July, 17:00 BSTStade de Geneve, GenevaWorld ranking: 12th v 6thBest Euros finish: Denmark: runners-up in 2017. Sweden: winners in 1984Sweden have already beaten Denmark twice in the Nations League this year, including a 6-1 win in Solna in June, and I am going for the same outcome this time.I don't see Sweden as being particularly good at shutting up shop but they are pretty relentless at going forward, and they will outscore Denmark one way or another here.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 1-2
4 July, 20:00 BSTArena St Gallen, St GallenWorld ranking: 3rd v 27thBest Euros finish: Germany: winners x8 between 1989 & 2013. Poland: first-time qualifiersThis is Poland's first game at any major finals and it couldn't be much tougher - Germany are looking very strong and could be in contention to win the entire tournament.Poland scored first in both games when these sides played each other in qualifying, but Germany fought back on both occasions to win quite comfortably.I think that going behind twice like that will have annoyed Germany so we might see a reaction here - they will want to be flawless in this group stage, and they won't want a narrative that involves them having to fall behind before they get going.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 3-0
Group D
Brown-Finnis' pre-tournament picks: England (winners) and France (runners-up).I had to take a sharp intake of breath before I tried to predict who will finish where in Group D.I do think England will make it through but, after that, I might as well throw the names of the other teams in the air and see where they land - it is that close to call.
5 July, 17:00 BSTAllmend Stadion Luzern, LucerneWorld ranking: 30th v 11thBest Euros finish: Wales: first-time qualifiers. The Netherlands: winners in 2017.The first task for Wales is to try to control the emotions and adrenaline rush that comes with playing your first game at a major tournament.They can still enjoy themselves, though. I am so excited for Jess Fishlock because she has done so much to showcase Welsh football around the world for many years, and has worked so hard to get here.It will be a proud moment for her and lot of the other Cymru girls and, as much as they have a lot to learn on this stage, it could be a very quick learning process.Once they deal with the emotional side of things, they will focus on executing their game plan at the level they need to against a team that has been European champions in the past decade.Wales are certainly capable of making things difficult for the Netherlands, but the Dutch probably have enough quality to find a way through in the end.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 0-1
5 July, 20:00 BSTStadion Letzigrund, ZurichWorld ranking: 10th v 3rdBest Euros finish: France: semi-finals in 2022. England: winners in 2022I keep changing my mind about how this game might work out for England, and I am sure that will continue right up until kick-off.I feel like the Lionesses will probably need to be a little conservative if they are to start the defence of their title with a win, but I can see them keeping a clean sheet if they get things right at the back.Even in this week's friendly win over Jamaica, England showed some vulnerability at set-pieces, so they are going to have to tighten up and be sharper in those situations.England lost two key defensive players, goalkeeper Mary Earps and centre-back Millie Bright, in the run-up to the tournament and while our backline is still at world-class level without them, replacing them has caused some disruption to our defensive unit.So, I am sure there will still be a few issues that will need to be ironed out as this tournament progresses, but hopefully that won't cost England any goals or points here.The key for England winning this game will be them being tight at the back - maintaining possession, controlling the game and reducing the number of mistakes. If they can do that and also create some chances for our forward line then our attackers are so ruthless, they will take care of the rest.Brown-Finnis' prediction: 0-1
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