MY ACCOUNT
Group B fixtures, UK kick-off times and TV coverage
Spain vs Finland (July 8, 5pm, BBC Two)
Germany vs Denmark (July 8, 8pm, BBC Two)
Denmark vs Finland (July 12, 5pm, BBC Two)
Germany vs Spain (July 12, 8pm, BBC Two)
Finland vs Germany (July 16, 8pm, BBC Two)
Denmark vs Spain (July 16, 8pm, BBC iPlayer)
The teams
Germany: Die Nationalelf know exactly how to win a European Championship — they have triumphed eight times since the competition’s inception, winning six consecutive titles between 1995 and 2013.
The Germans suffered a shock elimination by Denmark in the 2017 edition and will be desperate for revenge when the two teams meet in their tournament opener.
Spain: Group B is being billed as the group of death — and Spain will fancy their chances of challenging Germany for top spot.
La Roja’s star-studded squad includes Barcelona maestro Alexia Putellas and all-time top scorer Jennifer Hermoso, who could fire Jorge Vilda’s outfit to a surprise victory this summer.
Denmark: Finishing in the top two will be a tough task for Denmark but they have plenty of pedigree at the European Championship, having reached five semi-finals and the final in 2017.
Powered by the goals of Chelsea forward Pernille Harder, the Red and White could still make their mark on Euro 2022 if they can emerge victorious from this three-way Group B tussle.
Finland: The Boreal Owls have only won one of their last seven competitive fixtures — and it would be a major shock if Anna Signeul’s unit laid a glove on any of their more illustrious opponents.
Veteran striker Linda Sallstrom will be vital to Finland’s chances of picking up points after reaching 50 goals for her country in last November’s World Cup qualifying clash with neighbours Sweden
Venues
The Brentford Community Stadium will host Germany’s games against Denmark and Spain, while La Roja and Denmark will go head-to-head in West London in the final round of matches.
Milton Keynes’ Stadium MK is the venue for all of Finland’s fixtures.
Pre-tournament form guide
Germany go into Euro 2022 in surprisingly poor form, having lost three of their last four competitive matches.
Die Nationalelf suffered defeats to Canada and England at the Arnold Clark Cup before being beaten 3-2 by Serbia in April’s World Cup qualifier.
But it is better news for Spain, who last lost a tournament or qualification match in March 2020 — against the United States.
They have handed out some hammerings along the way, including a 22-goal haul over two legs against Faroe Islands and a 13-0 away victory in Azerbaijan last year.
Denmark endured a difficult Algarve Cup — losing to Italy and Sweden — while Finland’s 6-0 win against Georgia in April ended a run of four defeats and two draws in six matches.
Key game
The outcome of Group B could be decided by the encounter between Denmark and Spain.
With Germany expected to claim top spot, this fixture will go a long way towards determining which team finishes in second place.
History favours La Roja in this one — they have only played the Danes twice but are undefeated in both those meetings.
Vilda’s outfit recorded a comfortable 3-0 friendly victory last year after drawing 2-2 in 2013.
LiveScore verdict
This will arguably be Euro 2020’s most fascinating group as three heavyweights battle for safe passage into the knockout stages.
Only three teams are ranked higher than Germany in the FIFA World Rankings, so it would be unwise to bet against Die Nationalelf making the quarter-finals.
In-form Spain will be favourites to join them, though it would not be a shock to see Denmark catch fire when the tournament gets under way.
However, it looks set to be a tough couple of weeks for Finland, who will need to be at their best to pick up any points while in England.
