Euro 2016: Friday Cheat Sheet

Euro 2016: Friday Cheat Sheet

This article is part of our Euro 2016 series.

MATCHES (EDT)

9:00 a.m: Italy v. Sweden
12:00 p.m: Czech Republic v. Croatia
3:00 p.m: Spain v. Turkey

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Italy: Antonio Candreva
Sweden: Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson
Czech Republic: Ladislav Krejci, Tomas Rosicky
Croatia: Darijo Srna, Ivan Rakitic
Spain: Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara
Turkey: Caner Erkin, Hakan Calhanoglu

PLAYERS OF INTEREST

GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Buffon, ITA v. SWE: The ageless wonder has three of the best centerbacks in the world lining up in front of him, a unit that was so good that they shut out Belgium, a tournament favorite, in their opening match. The presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic can certainly cause you to pause, but it shouldn't be enough to pass on the Juventus legend.

DEFENDER

Darijo Srna, CRO v. CZE: The price on DraftKings ($6,500) looks absurd for a defender, but Srna has the upside of a midfielder, as he takes corners and crosses a ton from open play. There may not be a more reliable double-digit fantasy-point player on the slate.

Caner Erkin, TUR v. SPA: Erkin opened the tournament with six crosses, one shot (on goal), one foul, one tackle and two interceptions against Croatia, and while Friday's opponent is certainly tougher, Erkin is on the ball enough that one of his crosses could turn into an assist.

Martin Olsson, SWE v. ITA: With Ibrahimovic in the box, Olsson sent in eight crosses against Ireland earlier this week, and with Sweden needing to attack

MATCHES (EDT)

9:00 a.m: Italy v. Sweden
12:00 p.m: Czech Republic v. Croatia
3:00 p.m: Spain v. Turkey

ODDS REPORT

EXPECTED CORNER TAKERS

Italy: Antonio Candreva
Sweden: Kim Kallstrom, Sebastian Larsson
Czech Republic: Ladislav Krejci, Tomas Rosicky
Croatia: Darijo Srna, Ivan Rakitic
Spain: Cesc Fabregas, Thiago Alcantara
Turkey: Caner Erkin, Hakan Calhanoglu

PLAYERS OF INTEREST

GOALKEEPER

Gianluigi Buffon, ITA v. SWE: The ageless wonder has three of the best centerbacks in the world lining up in front of him, a unit that was so good that they shut out Belgium, a tournament favorite, in their opening match. The presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic can certainly cause you to pause, but it shouldn't be enough to pass on the Juventus legend.

DEFENDER

Darijo Srna, CRO v. CZE: The price on DraftKings ($6,500) looks absurd for a defender, but Srna has the upside of a midfielder, as he takes corners and crosses a ton from open play. There may not be a more reliable double-digit fantasy-point player on the slate.

Caner Erkin, TUR v. SPA: Erkin opened the tournament with six crosses, one shot (on goal), one foul, one tackle and two interceptions against Croatia, and while Friday's opponent is certainly tougher, Erkin is on the ball enough that one of his crosses could turn into an assist.

Martin Olsson, SWE v. ITA: With Ibrahimovic in the box, Olsson sent in eight crosses against Ireland earlier this week, and with Sweden needing to attack to get some kind of result, there's little reason to think Olsson won't be up the wing as much as he can.

MIDFIELDER

Thiago Alcantara, SPA v. TUR: It's worth beginning with the hedge that Thiago is not expected to start, but with how Cesc Fabregas was in the opener, there's every reason for Thiago to replace him, as he did after 70 minutes Monday against the Czech Republic. Thiago will take corners if he starts over Fabregas, which could generate plenty of fantasy points in this one-sided match.

Antonio Candreva, ITA v. SWE: Candreva was a fantasy star in Italy's opening match, picking up an assist in addition to 10 crosses and a shot on goal. While this game is supposed to be the closest of the three, it's still not supposed all that close, which should allow Candreva to keep up the crossing numbers.

Ivan Perisic, CRO v. CZE: With Ivan Rakitic losing out on corners to Srna, Perisic becomes the most reliable attacking midfielder from Croatia. Luka Modric may have bagged a goal in their opening match, but it certainly wasn't an easily repeatable finish. Perisic will shoot, cross and draw fouls, and with Croatia such heavy favorites, he's certainly has a great opportunity for a goal.

FORWARD

Pedro, SPA v. TUR: The Spanish forwards did very little in their opening match, which could open up a spot in the starting lineup for Pedro, who also contributes much more across the stat sheet than Aritz Aduritz and Nolito. Alvaro Morata at least put a few shots on goal, so it would be surprising to see him dropped too, but if Pedro gets the call, he represents a very solid value.

Lorenzo Insigne, ITA v. SWE:Granziano Pelle picked up an ankle knock in Italy's opening match, and while he hasn't been ruled out, it may be enough to squeeze someone else in the starting lineup. Insigne is far from guaranteed that spot, as Ciro Immobile is probably ahead of him, though he's a fine option as well if he starts given Italy's strong odds.

Mario Mandzukic, CRO v. CZE: Mandzukic was much more active than expected in Croatia's opening match, even sending in two crosses along with his four shots (two on target). With the midfielders likely looking to set up goals more than finish them, Mandzukic will be the guy closest to goal when the ball is there.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew M. Laird
Andrew is a former RotoWire contributor. He was the 2017 and 2018 FSWA Soccer Writer of the Year. He is a nine-time FSWA award finalist, including twice for Football Writer of the Year.
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