captain Mbappé and the Blues enter the scene, Belgium and Ukraine too… Monday’s program

The France team plays its first Euro match against Austria on Monday evening.

It’s the big day for the Blues. The French team enters the fray on Monday June 17. In Düsseldorf, against Austria, Didier Deschamps and his men want to start the tournament in the best possible way.

Before the big match for the Blues, the first two matches of Group F will be played. Belgium, favorite to get first place, will face Slovakia, while Romania will face Ukraine in the opening.

The poster not to be missed: Austria-France (9 p.m.)

After a preparation full of lessons, the serious things begin. The French team, candidate for the title of European champion, enters its Euro Monday evening, on the lawn of the Düsseldorf Arena, against Austria. After the disappointment of 2021, the Blues of Mike Maignan, Kylian Mbappé and Antoine Griezmann want to impress on the European scene, they who have never lost the first match of a major tournament since the arrival of Didier Deschamps on the bench.

First obstacle for the French: Austria, 25th nation in the world, author of a good qualifying campaign completed just behind Belgium. Under the orders of Ralf Rangnick, the Austrians have developed an intense style of play, based on pressing and rapid transitions, which the Blues will have to get rid of. But they will suffer from the absence of David Alaba, injured and integrated into the staff.

The team to watch: Belgium wants to make a direct impression (6 p.m.)

First test for Belgium, which has an appointment for its first match with Slovakia, in Frankfurt. Quarter-finalists in 2021 but eliminated in Qatar in the group stage, the Belgians have raised their heads since the arrival of their new coach, Domenico Tedesco, in March 2023. Still undefeated on the bench of the Red Devils, the Italian- Allemand is aiming for a great start to his first major tournament with his players.

Opposite, Slovakia is approaching its third Euro in a row with an experienced team, like Parisian defender Milan Skriniar, and a new philosophy of forward play. In an open group, where they will battle with Belgium, but also Romania and Ukraine, the Slovaks could do well, especially if they were to win this first match.

The match away from the spotlight: Romania-Ukraine (3 p.m.)

The first match of the day will be that of a team, but also of an entire people. Having passed the play-offs, the Ukrainians won a qualification full of symbols for this Euro 2024, which they start against Romania in Munich. Led by a generation of players who play at the highest level (Vitaliy Mykolenko, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Andriy Lunin), Ukraine can create a surprise and offer themselves a great German adventure.

To do this, we will have to beat Romania from the start, who have not participated in a major competition since Euro 2016 in France. The Romanians are coming off an excellent qualifying campaign, during which they finished at the top of their group, notably beating Switzerland. On the other hand, they have still not experienced victory in 2024.