Euro 2020: Who is likely to qualify?

Group G: Poland, Austria, Israel, Slovenia, Macedonia, Latvia

Robert Lewandowski's goals should help Poland to qualify comfortably

Overall this is perhaps the weakest qualifying group in terms of depth. Poland came up woefully short in the World Cup, losing to both Senegal and Colombia before a consolation win over Japan, and their form hasn’t really improved in the Nations League as they failed to win a game in their group against Portugal and Italy.

They should still have a massive edge here though; huge talents like Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik and Grzegorz Krychowiak remain from their solid Euro 2016 campaign, and the opposition in this group is sorely lacking.

Despite a pair of outstanding players in David Alaba and Marko Arnautovic, Austria disappointed hugely in Euro 2016 and went home with a solitary point. They also failed to qualify for the World Cup, although this year has seen them pick up big victories in friendly games against the likes of Uruguay, Russia, Germany and Sweden.

Even so, I’d expect the Austrians to finish as runners-up in this group in comfortable fashion. Slovenia have been on a slide as of late, failing to win a game in the Nations League and finishing below Cyprus; Israel showed flashes of potential but little else against Scotland and Albania, and Macedonia and Latvia are levels below despite Macedonia’s Nations League group win in League D.

Barring a major upset – likely perpetrated by Israel or Macedonia judging on recent form – this should be a straightforward group for both Poland and Austria, and I’d expect Poland to come out on top.

Prediction: Poland and Austria to qualify