Qualifications for EURO 2020 continue into round five, starting with a fixture between Armenia and Italy on Thursday, September 5 and concluding on Tuesday, September 10 with the last fixture of round six. Featuring 10 groups and 55 teams who all strive for the same goal, the upcoming two weeks are set to provide us with exciting international football fixtures, keeping us, the fans and the teams on their toes as they make one final push to earn their spot in the quadrennial tournament, set to begin on June 12, 2020.
Group A
Saturday, September 7:
Kosovo v Czech Republic
England v Bulgaria
Tuesday, September 10:
England v Kosovo
Montenegro v Czech Republic
Four fixtures in group A are set to take place in the upcoming days, featuring the group leaders, England, runners-up Czech Republic, and two of the worst-performing teams of the group so far, Bulgaria and Montenegro.
Kosovo and the Czech Republic are set to clash on Saturday, in what could be the deciding fixture of which of the two outfits will get themselves in a favourable position to finish second in the group and earn a promotion. While highly-anticipated fixture, the England v Bulgaria clash fails to bring as much attention to it, as it’s considered to be a fairly one-sided match.
In round 6, England will play a host to Kosovo in what will be the first h2h fixture between the two sides in their history. Much like their first opponents, England are expected to have an easy time here. That being said, the Czech Republic do have a tough away match against Montenegro on the schedule on Tuesday night to conclude the round 6 fixtures.
GROUP B
Saturday, September 7:
Lithuania v Ukraine
Serbia v Portugal
Tuesday, September 10:
Lithuania v Portugal
Luxembourg v Serbia
Group B has proven to be an interesting group, featuring 2016 champions Portugal, who so far into the qualifications failed to impress, as they sit on the disappointing fourth place with only two draws to their name.
With two fixtures on the menu, Portugal will be the team to watch as they try to find a way to the top of the group. Yet they will start with a tough away fixture against Serbia on Saturday, followed by a visit to Lithuania. Will Ronaldo and his teammates manage to achieve their goals or no is yet to be seen, nonetheless, anything less than six points will be a disappointing result.
GROUP C
Friday, September 6:
Germany v Netherlands
Estonia v Belarus
Monday, September 9:
Northern Ireland v Germany
Estonia v Netherlands
An interesting turn of events in Group C resulted in Northern Ireland leading the group with a perfect 4-0-0 score to their name, meaning it’s Germany and the Netherlands, who still have a lot to prove. Day one for Group C will provide us with an exciting fixture between Germany and Netherlands, followed by a Northern Ireland v Germany on Tuesday, which will test the strength of Northern Ireland.
GROUP D
Saturday, September 7:
Republic of Ireland v Switzerland
Gibraltar v Denmark
Tuesday, September 10:
Switzerland v Gibraltar
Georgia v Denmark
A couple of interesting matches are set to take place in Group D in the upcoming weeks. The group leaders, Ireland are set to face off against Switzerland, whereas it will be Denmark who will need to perform up to par and avoid dropping the ball against Gibraltar and Georgia if they aim to finish top two. Same, however, can be said for Switzerland who will face off against Gibraltar on Tuesday for the first time in their history.
GROUP E
Friday, September 6
Slovakia v Croatia
Wales v Azerbaijan
Monday, September 9
Azerbaijan v Croatia
Hungary v Slovakia
After four rounds, Group E emerged as a very closely contested group, with only three points separating the top three teams. As it stands now, it’s Hungary who are leading the pack with nine points ahead of Slovakia and Croatia, who both have six points. Yet, a lot can change in the upcoming weeks with an interesting clash between Slovakia and Croatia on Friday as well as Hungary and Slovakia fixture on Monday. Seeing how any mistake can cost the teams their placing, it’s hard to expect anything less than exciting fixtures in Group E.
GROUP F
Thursday, September 5:
Romania v Spain
Norway v Malta
Faroe Islands v Sweden
Sunday, September 8:
Spain v Faroe Islands
Romania v Malta
Sweden v Norway
Spain will enter round five and six hoping they can continue their perfect 4-0-0 run, which should not be too hard, considering they are meeting with Romania and Faroe Islands. While not the most exciting fixtures from a neutral standpoint, it will be the Norway v Sweden clash that promises to catch the most attention, following a 3:3 spectacle the two outfits produced at the end of March.
GROUP G
Thursday, September 5:
Israel v North Macedonia
Friday September 6:
Slovenia v Poland
Austria v Latvia
Monday, September 9:
Poland v Austria
Slovenia v Israel
Latvia v North Macedonia
Lead by Poland with 12 points, Group G is still very open as far as second-place finish is concerned. With only three points separating second-placed Israel and fifth-placed North Macedonia, each round could result in a drastic change in the team’s positioning. Neither of the top five teams can’t afford to lose any of the upcoming fixtures, and while some will have a much easier time achieving that than others, all three days should provide us with some exciting fixtures.
GROUP H
Saturday, September 7:
Iceland v Moldova
France v Albania
Turkey v Andorra
Tuesday, September 10:
France v Andorra
Albania v Iceland
Moldova v Turkey
Surprisingly enough it’s France, Turkey and Iceland who are tied first, all with nine points to their name, followed by Albania with six and Moldova with three. Andorra, unfortunately, have not yet won a match, and with a tough schedule ahead, they should have a hard time breaking the spell. While a handful of matches to be played in the upcoming weeks, all but the Albania v Iceland seem too one-sided to grab a lot of attention. That being said, Iceland and Turkey will be on their toes as they cannot afford to drop points against the bottom two teams.
GROUP I
Friday, September 6:
San Marino v Belgium
Scotland v Russia
Cyprus v Kazakhstan
Monday, September 9:
Scotland v Belgium
Russia v Kazakhstan
San Marino v Cyprus
Belgium has proven to be the dominant force in group I so far and looking at their schedule for round five and six, we can’t imagine that changing. While it will be interesting to see if Belgium can keep the flame going, it will be the clash between Scotland and Russia on Friday and fixture between Russia and Kazakhstan on Monday which will be the two matches to watch. Should Russia emerge victorious in both, they will set themselves nicely for a top-two finish. If they fail, however, their promotion could be in jeopardy.
Group J
Thursday, September 5:
Armenia v Italy
Bosnia and Herzegovina v Lichtenstein
Finland v Greece
Sunday, September 8
Armenia v Bosnia and Herzegovina
Finland v Italy
Greece v Lichtenstein
There is no denying Italy are the main favourites to walk away from this group victorious. That being said, the second spot, which will also lead into the next stage is still open for grabs. Finland as of now seems to be in the best spot with nine points to their name, yet they face a tough test against Greece on Thursday and Italy on Sunday. On the other side, a lot of eyes will be set on Bosnia and Herzegovina, who have failed to impress so far, but considering their relatively easy schedule, the Dragons should not be excluded as a team who can earn all six points in the upcoming two rounds.
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