UEFA Euro 2024 – Group D Preview

The draw for the UEFA European Championship 2024 in Germany has been made, and followers have some mouth-watering ties on the horizon. Our content team and football betting writers preview each of this summer’s groups from A through to F, highlighting the most competitive pools, the biggest games, and the pre-competition value. Use our articles to help you decide which team will win or qualify from each group. Also, you can follow the stats to predict an outright champion. We have everything you need to enjoy the festival of football.

In this article, we focus on Group D, analysing each of the four teams involved. Additionally, we will look ahead to the fixtures and check the head-to-head scores from past meetings. If you’re looking for the Group D schedule or news on which nation is the favourite to move into the knockout rounds as champion, we have everything you need. Keep reading as we introduce you to each team from Group D. Many followers of international football believe this could be the most competitive pool with the best chance of providing at least one major upset.

Netherlands

One of the biggest names at this summer’s competition and a real sleeping giant of world football. The Netherlands hasn’t quite lived up to the high expectations of its fans in recent times, but Euro 2024 is a chance to remedy that. They have a star-studded squad packed with players good enough to win a game with a moment of individual brilliance. But can the big names come together and play as a team, pushing in the same direction to win the trophy? Fans can’t wait to find out.

The Netherlands finished second in Euro 2024 qualifying Group B, behind pool champions France. Les Bleus won with stats of seven wins and one draw with the Netherlands posting six wins and two defeats to bank 18 points and finish five clear of Greece in third place. It was a strong qualifying campaign.

France

The French will renew rivalries with the Netherlands this summer, and Les Bleus will feel that they already have an advantage over Oranje. They won Euro 2024 qualifying Group B in excellent fashion. Remaining unbeaten in their eight games, the French dropped just two points along the way. France came agonisingly close to a perfect record and will feel they can go one better this summer by winning all three group games to secure the pool.

The French national team, led into this competition by Didier Deschamps, has won this trophy twice before. They first won in 1984 and then again in 2000. If they lift the silverware this season, they will move onto three titles, level with Germany and Spain. There’s all to play for here, and it would come as no surprise if France won the group and the trophy.

Poland

All the talk pre-competition surrounds the chances of the Netherlands and France, with most pundits expecting those teams to fill the top two places and qualify for the knockout rounds. But that would be unfair to Poland, which arrived in Germany as the dark horse and a nation capable of throwing a spanner in the works. Can Poland separate the group’s two big teams and keep their dreams of winning this trophy alive? Only time will tell.

Poland came up short in the Euro 2024 qualifiers when finishing third in Group E behind Albania and the Czech Republic. They posted a points tally of 11 following three wins, two draws, and three defeats, scoring ten goals and conceding ten. Poland needed the safety net of the Nations League to sneak into Euro 2024 via the backdoor.

Austria

Can Austria spring a surprise in Germany and bank one of the two available qualifying places? It’s a long shot, and most pundits believe the Austrians are here simply to make up the numbers. They finished second in Euro 2024, qualifying Group F behind strong pool winners Belgium. Austria returned six wins, one draw, and one defeat, scoring 17 goals and conceding seven.

Austria has appeared four times at this level, first in 2008. Their best effort to date came last time in 2020 when making the Round of 16. Getting through the pool and securing a spot in the knockout stages is the dream again. However, it’s a long shot, considering the strength of the group and how the fixtures fall for Austria.

Group D fixtures

• Poland vs Netherlands – 16th June – Hamburg
• Austria vs France – 17th June – Dusseldorf
• Poland vs Austria – 21st June – Berlin
• Netherlands vs France – 21st June – Leipzig
• Netherlands vs Austria – 25th June – Berlin
• France vs Poland – 25th June – Dortmund

Head-to-head analysis

• Poland vs Netherlands: The Netherlands have never lost to Poland since May 1979, winning seven of their previous meetings and drawing five times.
• Austria vs France: Since 1965, Les Bleus has beaten Austria seven times, with two games ending in a draw, and the Austrians have won three.
• Poland vs Austria: There’s very little in the stats, with Poland on six wins, Austria on three, and the other two games ending in a draw.
• Netherlands vs France: Regular opponents on the big stage, France has 16 wins with the Netherlands on 11 and 3 games ending in a draw.
• Netherlands vs Austria: Another game that should be competitive, according to the stats, with the Netherlands on nine wins, Austria claiming six and four games finishing all-square.
• France vs Poland: These teams have met 17 times in the past, with France boasting nine wins, Poland on three, and the other five matches a draw.

Euro 2024 Group D predictions and expectations

This group should live up to expectations, with France and the Netherlands going through as the two best teams. Which order will they finish? It’s difficult to see past Les Bleus, who were almost faultless in qualifying, yet we know there’s plenty more to come on the big stage. The top events bring out the best in Deschamps’ side, and they have the quality to wrap things up early here. It wouldn’t shock us to see France win the trophy.

*Odds are subject to change