Pat Nevin Tips England And France As Joint Favourites For Euro 2024 Glory

England and France are being touted as the favourites to win Euro 2024, according to former Scotland international Pat Nevin. Both teams topped their respective groups, scoring a combined total of 51 goals and remaining unbeaten throughout the qualification process.

Gareth Southgate's England will begin their tournament campaign against Serbia at the Arena AufSchalke on June 16. Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe will lead France against Austria the following evening. This marks Mbappe's first time captaining France at a major tournament.

The last encounter between England and France was during the Qatar World Cup in 2022. Didier Deschamps' French side triumphed in the quarter-finals, extending their winning record over England in major tournaments to three matches.

Nevin's Analysis

Nevin, who played for Scotland from 1986 to 1996, believes both teams have an equal chance of lifting the trophy on July 14. "I think there are two favourites. I think they're joint, just about, but it's England and it is France," Nevin told Stats Perform.

Strengths of France

Nevin highlighted the depth of talent in the French squad. "The French are pretty spectacular. Their second XI would go far in this tournament; they're that good. They've got that much quality, and they've been there and done that before," he said.

Strengths of England

Nevin also praised England's attacking prowess. "England, middle to front, are off the scale. All the types of players that England could never develop before, the creatives—they're there, they've finally arrived," he noted. He mentioned key players like Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane.

Key Players

Nevin singled out Harry Kane as a pivotal figure for England. "Harry Kane is probably the most complete centre-forward in world football. I always say to people, see if you put Kane for the last 10 years at Manchester City as centre-forward, he'd probably outscore Erling Haaland," he stated.

Winning Formula

Nevin believes bravery and positive play are crucial for winning championships. "When you watch the Man City's of the world, it's about attacking, it's about positive play. If England does that, I'll put them as favourites. I don't think they will, so it's France," he concluded.

The anticipation for Euro 2024 continues to build as fans eagerly await to see if either England or France will live up to their billing as favourites.