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The 2016 Euro Championships kick off on Friday. TEAMtalk Media takes a look at the big name players who are poised to make their mark in France as part of the English Premier League
The Premier League will be heavily represented at the tournament, with almost every European team boasting at least one player from the English top flight.
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, who enjoyed a meteoric rise to prominence in the 2015/16 campaign, is expected to play a starring role for England, while club-mate Christian Fuchs will captain a strong Austria squad.
Speaking of Austria, Stoke City’s star player, Marko Arnautovic, will be aiming to continue his good form in 2016 by contributing goals and assists as Das Team aim to progress past the group stage for the first time.
Belgium – one of the tournament favourites, alongside France, Germany and Spain – are blessed with talent in almost every position.
A large chunk of their squad play for England’s biggest clubs, most notably Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Divock Origi (Liverpool) and Romelu Lukaku (Everton).
And the list goes on, with Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) and Tottenham trio Toby Alderweireld, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembélé also expected to feature for the Red Devils.
The Premier League’s Golden Glove winner, Petr Cech, and Arsenal team-mate Tomáš Rosický will be key players for the lesser-fancied Czech Republic, while out-of-favour Liverpool defender Martin Škrtel will skipper Slovakia at the European Championship.
For the Republic of Ireland, Southampton striker Shane Long is set to lead the line in France, while Saints team-mate José Fonte will form part of an ageing Portugal backline.
Looking at the England squad, Spurs trio Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier will be aiming to emulate their impressive league performances after helping the London outfit to a third-place finish. Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, meanwhile, will be England’s first-choice fullbacks.
Liverpool are also heavily represented in the Three Lions squad, with Nathaniel Clyne, Jordan Henderson, Adam Lallana, James Milner and Daniel Sturridge hoping to feature in Roy Hodgson’s side.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart and attacker Raheem Sterling are Manchester City’s only two England representatives, while promising Everton youngsters Ross Barkley and John Stones have also been called up.
Another Premier League player to look out for in France is none other than West Ham United star Dimitri Payet. At the start of the 2015/16 season, Payet would not have been considered an option for Les Blues at Euro 2016, but the attacking midfielder is likely to feature regularly at the tournament.
Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris will start in goal for Didier Deschamps’ much-fancied squad, while Leicester’s highly rated midfield enforcer, N’Golo Kanté, and Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud could be guaranteed starters.
Arsenal playmaker Mesut Özil and Manchester United box-to-box midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, meanwhile, are expected to play key roles for 2014 World Cup winners Germany, while Liverpool’s Emre Can has been named as a defender by Germany boss Joachim Löw.
Southampton striker Graziano Pellè is expected to lead the line for Antonio Conte’s Italy, while Manchester United fullback Matteo Darmian will be hoping to crack the nod after producing some mature performance in a miserly Manchester United defence.
