Euro 2024 Group D: France frontline a competitive group

Group D at UEFA Euro 2024 kicks off on Sunday with Poland taking on the Netherlands in Hamburg. The group presents a thrilling mix of teams, with the most note-worthy of those being World Cup finalists France, who begin their campaign against Austria on Monday.

The French stand out as the favorites, boasting a squad brimming with world-class talent. Under Didier Deschamps, they've shown a blend of attacking flair and defensive solidity, making them the team to beat. The Netherlands, adorned with a blend of experienced stars and vibrant young talents, eyes a significant tournament impact under Ronald Koeman.

Austria, under Ralf Rangnick's tactical guidance, brings discipline and cohesion. Building on their round-of-16 achievement in Euro 2020, they aim to make a deeper run, leveraging their squad’s experience from Europe’s top leagues. Poland, entering through a nail-biting playoff victory, carries the underdog spirit, aiming to surpass their previous best of reaching the quarter-finals in 2016.

Country: Austria

Manager: Ralf Rangnick

Captain: Marcel Sabitzer

Player to watch: Patrick Wimmer

Best Euros performance: Round of 16 (2020)

Fixtures

Monday, 17 June: France, (Dusseldorf), 8pm

Friday, 21 June: Poland, (Berlin), 5pm

Tuesday, 25 June: Netherlands, (Berlin), 5pm

Austria booked their place at Euro 2024 with victory over Azerbaijan on 16 October to ensure they advanced from Group F with Belgium. It is a now their third successive Euros and their fourth in total having co-hosted the 2008 competition with neighbours Switzerland.

The experienced Ralf Rangnick takes charge of Austria this summer. Having previously enjoyed spells at a number of high-profile German Bundesliga sides such as Stuttgart, Schalke and Leipzig, Rangnick was