Euro 2012 Fantasy Football: Value picks

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Robert Lewandowski – Poland (£8.3m)

One of Poland’s three double-winning players from Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski is undoubtedly the co-hosts’ most potent attacking threat. The pacey frontman was the third top scorer in the Bundesliga this season with 22 goals and netted in all three of his appearances for his country in 2011/12.

Fernando Llorente – Spain (£5.5m)

If the Athletic Bilbao striker gets the nod to lead the line then he looks an unbelievable bargain at £5.5m. However, it remains very much a mystery as to who will start following David Villa’s injury-enforced omission, so monitoring Spain’s line-up and making appropriate changes is crucial. The other options are Sevilla’s Alvaro Negredo (£9.3m) and Fernando Torres (£9.1m), who were both used in Spain’s friendly with China but failed to find the net.

Giannis Fetfatzidis – Greece (£5m)

The young attacking midfielder is rated as Greece’s hottest prospect and has the perfect platform to announce himself on the international stage this summer. The 21-year-old will be allowed plenty of creative freedom among an otherwise disciplined Greek side in what is considered the easiest group at the finals. The Olympiakos star also has previous in producing the goods on the big stage, having netted twice in both the qualifiers and UEFA Champions League this season.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar – Holland (£9.2m)

After topping the Euro 2012 qualifying and Bundesliga scoring charts, the Netherlands striker is simply impossible to ignore. The Schalke striker’s 29 goals were all the more impressive given his side were way off the title race and the prospect of linking up with the likes of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder can surely only mean one thing, more goals. The 28-year-old averaged a goal per hour during qualifying and will be good value if he can rack up goals at half that rate in the finals.

Mesut Ozil – Germany (£8.8m)

The Germany midfielder may carry a hefty price-tag but looks worthy of it with some impressive form for both club and country. The 23-year-old contributed 19 assists to Real Madrid’s league triumph and even delivering a few goals at the end of the campaign, netting three in their final two games. However, it is on the international stage where he really produces the goods, coming into the spotlight from the usual shadow behind Cristiano Ronaldo to provide seven assists during qualifying, the joint most of any player, and netting five times.

Aleksandr Anyukov – Russia (£5.9m)

When looking for a good value defender in Fantasy Football there is one thing more important than the actual player – the team they play for. Anyukov’s country, Russia, were stringent in qualifying, conceding just four times, with their right-back in question also contributing three assists. With Russia favourites to win Group A, which contains the two lowest scoring sides from qualifying, Czech Republic and Greece, their backline becomes even more attractive and Zenit’s full-back is one of the first names on their team sheet.

Glen Johnson – England (£5.3m)

Johnson may have endured a poor season with Liverpool while England’s prospects may look bleak, but the right-back could be good to deliver both assists and clean sheets this summer. The 27-year-old loves to get forward while the Three Lions boast a decent defensive record from qualifying, conceding just four times. He is also good value, costing £2.1m less than fellow first-choice full-back Ashley Cole.

Adil Rami – France (£5.8m)

Once again, the man in question is less important than the fact that France look good for a few clean sheets in the group stages, with a toothless England their main competition. The Valencia defender represents the cheapest option of those sure to be part of Laurent Blanc’s backline – with their right-back replacement for the injured Bacary Sagna likely to be Mathieu Debuchy, who is registered as a midfielder and therefore exempt from clean sheets points.

So they are Tim’s bargain picks, now select your Fantasy team here.