PUNDIT PREDICTIONS
BBC presenter Gabby L ogan and commentator Jermaine Jenas pick their players to watch
GABBY LOGAN
How do you think England will fare?
As the bookies favourites and as beaten finalists in the last Euros I think they have a good chance. They will definitely get to the final and then who knows? My dream scenario would be England v Germany and it goes to penalties!
Do you think it’s now or never for manager Gareth Southgate?
There’s definitely been some talk about his future. His name was being bandied around for the Manchester United job when Ineos took over the club, but he has managed to quieten that noise, which is good – you don’t want those distractions going into a tournament. But I do feel like he might want another challenge – especially if England do well. He’s done the job for seven years and that’s a long time as the manager of the national team.
As a dual-nationality household — how are the Logans feeling about Scotland’s chances?
Well, put it this way, I don’t think Kenny [Gabby’s husband is a former Scotland rugby union international] is blocking out the family diary and plotting his way to the final! They are in such a tough group – especially drawing the host nation. I think Scotland are excited about being there and they have some good players and a manager in Steve Clarke who knows how to set them up well. The Scotland fans will be amazing, of course. They will be allowed to take bagpipes inside the stadiums where the team’s playing, so it will definitely be noisy and fun. I can see lots of kilts swimming in city-centre fountains.
Outside of England, who do you think has the potential to win it?
I see the semi-finalists as being England, France, Germany and Portugal and so any one of those countries could do well. You also can’t count out the Netherlands – especially with Virgil Van Dijk leading them from the back. And Italy will have a point to prove, both as returning champions and having missed out on a couple of World Cup finals.
Who could be the dark horses of the tournament?
Austria could be a surprise package and will cause a few upsets. Denmark will also be one to keep an eye on and, finally, Hungary. England could potentially face them in the quarter-finals and they, of course, beat England in the Nations League in 2022. They can be quite a tough team.
What are you personally looking forward to at Euro 24?
I’m based in Berlin for the tournament and I really love becoming immersed in a city. My working life is usually quite fractured – one minute I’m recording a podcast, then I’m off covering the athletics – but when you do something like the Euros you get to live like a local; you find your favourite coffee shop and pick up on all the cultural nuances. Berlin is such a cool city and I haven’t been there since the 2006 W
