Euro 2016 Qualifying: Stars Who Will Shine Brightest on Matchday 1
Qualifiers for Euro 2016 will finally kick off on Sunday, September 7, giving football fans across the European continent their first glimpse since the 2014 World Cup at how their favourite teams will compete in a true competitive fixture.
UEFA's new format, which will see 24 teams in total qualify for the final tournament, will guarantee the action remains exciting until the final matchday, and the favourites will want to start off their campaigns with a bang.
Top teams field top players, and it will be these stars who are called upon to make the difference as they attempt to guide their respective nations to the promised land. Here are some of the stars set to have the biggest impact on Matchday 1.
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Koke, Spain
Opponent: Macedonia
Koke and La Roja may have lost their friendly against France, but it wasn't for a lack of trying from the Atletico Madrid midfielder. At just 22 years of age, Koke took responsibility in the centre of the pitch, leading the charge for the defending European champions.
As shared by Sergi Dominguez, Koke truly looked like a leader:
ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan saw the same thing:
Cesc Fabregas has been in blistering form during the early stages of the 2014-15 season, and it would be a logical and easy pick to select him as the player with the highest chance of dominating on Sunday.
But with no Andres Iniesta or Xavi in the squad, Koke is being used as the team's primary playmaker, and the results have so far been good. His passing against the French squad was superb, via OptaJose:
One criticism Koke often faces is that he underwhelms against stronger opposition, but since the retirement of Goran Pandev, the visitors have lacked an ace striker who can keep the opposition honest. In front of a home crowd and looking to make a statement, Spain will have the ability to press forward from the first whistle.
Raheem Sterling, England
Opponent: Switzerland
Sometimes stars can shine because they play a team thoroughly overwhelmed by their opponents. Sometimes they shine because they have to, on the highest stage and against an elite team. For Raheem Sterling, it's the latter.
Fans of the English national team will cringe, but playing in Switzerland, the hosts simply have to be favourites going into this match. That isn't a knock on the state of the English squad—the Swiss simply are that good.
Sterling was excellent against Norway, as he has been all season. StatsBomb's Ted Knutson is beyond impressed by what he's seeing from the youngster so far:
As shared by the team's Twitter feed, so is Gary Cahill:
The 2013-14 season was Sterling's breakout campaign—2014-15 will be the season in which he establishes himself as the single greatest English player today. The Liverpool man has that kind of potential, and in order to meet the expectations, he'll have to perform for the national team as well.
Mateo Kovacic and Mario Mandzukic, Croatia
Opponent: Malta
Mateo Kovacic could very well rival Sterling for the title of most in-form youngster in Europe. The midfielder may have suffered a difficult start to life in Italy with Inter Milan, but his performances in 2014-15 have been phenomenal so far.
Meanwhile, Mario Mandzukic has seamlessly slotted into Atletico Madrid's starting XI, and he added two more goals to his tally in Croatia's win over Cyprus. Both players are in phenomenal form, and they'll now face...Malta, an absolute football dwarf.
The Maltese squad will likely dig in, defend for 90 minutes and hope to avoid embarrassment. That translates to plenty of possession for Kovacic on the edge of the box and plenty of crosses aimed at Mandzukic. As shared by OptaJose, the latter will like his chances:
The smaller nations are ever improving, but facing a deadly duo in excellent form, Malta stand little chance of pulling an upset. If Croatia score early, this could turn into a rout.
