Having covered the best budget defenders last week, NaturalFootyFan returns to discuss the best forwards for the official EURO Fantasy Football competition.
There are a couple of popular ways of setting out your forward line in the Euro Fantasy game, however, it's largely identical to the FPL strategy. Option 1 to go all out and spend big on three premium forwards, while option 2 is a slightly more conservative approach of selecting two expensive forwards alongside a mid-priced/budget enabler.
The premium route (option 1) has a negative effect on the spine of your team, with restrictions placed upon your defence and midfield. In contrast, the budget plan (option 2) is more friendly on the bank, and by ‘enabler' we mean a player who allows more freedom to splash the cash in other areas, most notably midfield.
Each strategy has it's own strengths and weaknesses, it's just a matter of preference. For example, it's the difference between selecting (FOR: Ronaldo 12m) with (MID: Busquets 5.5m) or (FOR: Kane 8.5m) with (MID: Martial 9m).
We will work through our recommendations for each category, starting with Premium Forwards, followed by Mid-Priced Forwards and then rounding off the article with Budget Forwards. Hope you enjoy it, and be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts.
Cristiano Ronaldo (12m)
Group Fixtures: Iceland, Austria & Hungary
No questions here, if you haven't thought about putting the Real Madrid forward in your euro squad, you must be mad. Portugal have the most attractive group fixtures of any country, and Ronaldo is a goal-machine at every level.
People have been saying along the lines of… ‘his record for Portugal is poor' or ‘I heard he's conflicting with his teammates in training' etc… the list goes on. To be honest, don't look into any of this too much - Ronaldo will be odds on to win the golden boot and is a three-times Ballon d'Or winner at the end of the day.
Robert Lewandowski (11.5m)
Group Fixtures: Northern Ireland, Germany & Ukraine
Robert Lewandowski has scored for fun this season. At Bayern Munich he formed a deadly partnership with Thomas Muller and scored 42 goals in all competitions. While for Poland he led the goal-scoring charts in qualifying with 13 goals (this stat is slightly misleading with six of his strikes coming against Gilbratar).
Lewandowski can finish, dribble, pass, play with his back to goal, run the channels - he is the complete striker. Pep Guardiola labelled him “the most professional player I have ever met”, which is about the highest praise you can get.
The fixture is often irrelevant to a striker of his quality, however, an opening match against Northern Ireland appears too good to miss - get him on your side.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11m)
Group Fixtures: Republic of Ireland, Italy & Belgium
After calling the shots on his Paris Saint-Germain departure, the big Swede is now well and truly in the shop window. He has expressed his dream to compete in the Premier League, so he will be desperate to put on a show to entice a buyer - worthy of his credentials of course!
A big advantage of selecting Ibrahimovic is that he is literally the boss of Sweden's national team - he takes the freekicks, he takes the penalties, if he wants a substitute to come on it will happen… I'm sure he'd take the goal kicks if he got the chance.
Nevertheless, a disadvantage of splashing the cash on a premium striker from Sweden, is the fact they won't dominate matches like Germany and Spain will. His chances will come at a premium, but he usually takes them.
Thomas Muller (10.5m)
Group Fixtures: Ukraine, Poland & Northern Ireland
If Thomas Muller was a car he'd be a Volkswagen - reliable and always performs to the best of it's abilities when it matters. World Cup golden boot winner in 2010, second-place in 2014 and 12 goals in 19 Euro qualifying matches since his first cap.
Germany will dominate 95% of matches, so you without doubt want one of their forwards. Muller is the best option as he's guaranteed to play just about every minute, is on penalties and overall turns up at the right place at the right time on most occasions.
Gareth Bale (10.5m)
Group Fixtures: Slovakia, England & Russia
Similar to Ibrahimovic with Sweden, Gareth Bale is in command for his country. Instead of being shifted out wide to accommodate Ronaldo and Benzema at Real Madrid, he is the focal point of the Wales attack.
He is relied upon heavily, and when Wales score it's rarely anyone else. The only problem is, Wales will struggle to hold possession against all of their opposition. They will depend on counter-attacks and Bale's delivery from dead-ball situations.
Antoine Greizmann (10m)
Group Fixtures: Romania, Albania & Switzerland
The Frenchman comes off the back of another fantastic season for Atletico Madrid which saw him finish as the club's top-scorer for the second year in a row. He's really added a clinical touch to his game, after some frustrating seasons at Real Sociedad.
Didier Deschamps seems comfortable with deploying Greizmann as an inverted right-winger allowing him to cut inside onto his favoured left foot to let fly. He is playing for the host nation which is an advantage in itself and he's the highest owned forward in the game for a reason
Harry Kane (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Russia, Wales & Slovakia
The Premier League golden boot winner has been in fantastic form in recent friendlies. Despite missing a penalty during England's last match against Turkey, his all round play stood out for us. Kane can strike a ball better than most, and will have a re-charged mindset after his club's end of season meltdown.
Although striking up an exciting partnership with ex-Leicester teammate Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane remains the main-man and the number 9 in England's frontline - so don't worry about minutes, as the Spurs striker will get plenty.
Olivier Giroud (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Romania, Albania & Switzerland
Giroud is the cheaper alternative to Greizmann, so if you want France coverage, which we strongly recommend - but are on a tight budget, then the Arsenal striker is your man. With Benzema not included in the squad, his opportunity is now or never.
In spite of being less explosive than Antoine Greizmann and Anthony Martial, he does have the advantage of playing in a more advanced role than his countrymen. Also with Arsene Wenger appearing set for a spending spree, Giroud has huge motive to impress in his home country.
Alvaro Morata (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Czech Republic, Turkey & Croatia
With all the hype surrounding his future, it's a difficult time for the youngster to knuckle down and get to work, nevertheless, that's exactly what he has to do.
Valencia's Paco Alcacer, who made eight appearances in the qualifying rounds, has been omitted from the squad - a clear sign that Morata is the favoured striker in Del Bosque's system. 35-year-old Aritz Aduriz provides further competition, but has only played 14 minutes of competitive football for his Country.
In contrast, despite 13 years younger, Morata is vastly more experienced on the International stage and suits Spain's system to the tee with his impressive link-up play. If he features prominently in the friendlies, he's an excellent differential.
Mario Gomez (8m)
Group Fixtures: Ukraine, Poland & Northern Ireland
Germany's centre-forward has largely been ignored by the Fantasy Football community in the run up to Euro 2016… but remember he's in line to start for the World Champions! Joachim Low recalled Gomez, after watching his country struggle to convert possession into goals throughout qualifying.
With his low-ownership and battle-hardened experience, Gomez has the potential to give you a massive advantage over your competition. At this price, and with those fixtures, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on the striker in the upcoming friendlies (vs. Slovakia 29th May & vs. Hungary 4th June).
Although Gomez is not a 100% nailed on starter, hopefully he is given the chance to finish on a high, in what is likely his farewell tournament.
Mario Mandzukic (8m)
Group Fixtures: Turkey, Czech Republic & Spain
The aggressive striker is the focal point of his country's attack and will get a handful of chances per match with the likes of Modric, Rakitic, Brozovic and Kovacic feeding the ball towards him at every opportunity. The 30-year-old can obviously perform on the big stage with his three goals in three games during Euro 2012, backed up with two goals in two games at World Cup 2014.
There are a few negatives involved with choosing the striker. Mandzukic has a susceptibility of picking up silly bookings for dissent and flaring arms, there is competition for his starring role with Fiorentina's Nicola Kalinic scoring 16 goals in Serie A this season, and the fact he only managed to record a single goal during qualifying.
Artem Dzyuba (8m)
Group Fixtures: England, Slovakia & Wales
The lanky forward's unorthodox style makes him a handful for any defence, which is highlighted by the fact he tallied eight goals in eight matches during qualifying. Dzuyba is a nailed on starter and consistent finisher for club and country.
At the time of writing, he is owned by just 1% of all Euro Fantasy players, which is surprising for a striker of his caliber - scoring six goals in eight Champions League matches this season and contributing to 57% of Russia's 21 qualifying goals.
Arkadiusz Milik (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Northern Ireland, Germany & Ukraine
Yes, he is the drop down version of Lewandowski, but Milik holds all the qualities to hold his own in Group C. The Ajax prodigy has found the net 21 times in Eredivisie this season, while also displaying his creativeness - contributing with eight assists.
The 22-year-old, who plays with an unnervingly similar style to his strike-partner Lewandowski, scored six times and assisted six in nine qualifying matches, and will look to bring this kind of form into the competition.
Nani (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Iceland, Austria & Hungary
The ex-United winger has been a very much a hit or miss player throughout his whole career… in fact he should be the definition of ‘hit or miss' in a Fantasy Football glossary. From nine goals and 19 assists in a Premier League season (2010/11) to a red card in the Champions League last 16 - Nani has done it all!
Despite being a right headache in the most part, he's an extremely talented individual, and has displayed this on a few occasions this season for Fenerbahce. Like Portugal's last two friendlies, Nani could be handed the role of partnering Ronaldo upfront in France.
Marc Janko (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Hungary, Portugal & Iceland
Another forward worth considering, is FC Basel's experienced talisman Marc Janko. The 32-year-old has scored 20 times for his club this season and finished qualifying as Austria's top-goalscorer, bagging seven goals in nine appearances.
The towering striker has an excellent touch for a man of his size, and often helps his teammates come to life with intelligent link-up play. If Austria are to have any chance of progressing past the group stages, they will need to score goals versus Hungary and Iceland - Janko will be handed that task.
Jamie Vardy (7m)
Group Fixtures: Russia, Wales & Slovakia
With England's impressive goal-scoring form during qualifying (31 goals, only Poland managed more), Vardy is a practical alternative to Harry Kane. After finishing the Premier League season with a winners medal and 24 goals, his confidence will be sky high.
The rugged striker, and qualified wind up merchant, has also impressed during his short spell in England colours with three goals in his last three matches. These were all friendlies, but a quick glance at the opposition (Germany, Holland & Turkey) demonstrates his quality in front of goal.
Harris Seferovic (6.5m)
Group Fixtures: Albania, Romania & France
The Frankfurt forward has been a regular figure for his National side since making his first appearance in February 2013. Spearheading their attack he notched three goals in eight qualifying matches.
Seferovic is a big physical striker, and although nothing like a prolific scorer (three goals in the Bundesliga this season), is capable of doing a job versus Albania and Romania. However, if you do select him, we advise you to transfer him out after these two fixtures, or at least bench him.
Eder (6.5m)
Group Fixtures: Belgium, Sweden & Republic of Ireland
Having been overlooked by just about every journalist and in the majority of previews, Italy could become the dark horses of Euro 2016. Although they are without a win in their last four friendlies, Italy often turn up the heat when it matters - like going undefeated in qualifying.
New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, is expected to lineup with the little and large partnership that is Eder and Graziano Pelle. Darting in and around Pelle's lay offs and flick ons, Eder is the type of nifty player who can turn a match on its head.
Breel Embolo (6m)
Group Fixtures: Albania, Romania & France
Another Switzerland striker, this time the exciting talent of Basel's sought after teenager Breel Embolo. Often playing on the left wing, but also comfortable leading the line, be sure to keep an eye on him in the friendlies vs. Belgium & Moldova.
The 19-year-old has already featured in the Champions League (12 appearances; 3 goals & 1 assist), Europa league (12 appearances; 2 goals & 2 assists) and now Euro 2016 qualifying (5 appearances; 1 goal & 4 assists). An impressive CV for club and country, in which he looks to build on throughout this tournament.
Our partners Fanager are hosting a free entry tournament for Euro 2016 with £10,000 up for grabs. It's free to sign up and doesn't require a deposit. Click the link below to claim your entry!
PREMIUM EURO FANTASY FORWARDS
Cristiano Ronaldo (12m)
Group Fixtures: Iceland, Austria & Hungary
No questions here, if you haven't thought about putting the Real Madrid forward in your euro squad, you must be mad. Portugal have the most attractive group fixtures of any country, and Ronaldo is a goal-machine at every level.
People have been saying along the lines of… ‘his record for Portugal is poor' or ‘I heard he's conflicting with his teammates in training' etc… the list goes on. To be honest, don't look into any of this too much - Ronaldo will be odds on to win the golden boot and is a three-times Ballon d'Or winner at the end of the day.Robert Lewandowski (11.5m)
Group Fixtures: Northern Ireland, Germany & Ukraine
Robert Lewandowski has scored for fun this season. At Bayern Munich he formed a deadly partnership with Thomas Muller and scored 42 goals in all competitions. While for Poland he led the goal-scoring charts in qualifying with 13 goals (this stat is slightly misleading with six of his strikes coming against Gilbratar).
Lewandowski can finish, dribble, pass, play with his back to goal, run the channels - he is the complete striker. Pep Guardiola labelled him “the most professional player I have ever met”, which is about the highest praise you can get.
The fixture is often irrelevant to a striker of his quality, however, an opening match against Northern Ireland appears too good to miss - get him on your side.Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11m)
Group Fixtures: Republic of Ireland, Italy & Belgium
After calling the shots on his Paris Saint-Germain departure, the big Swede is now well and truly in the shop window. He has expressed his dream to compete in the Premier League, so he will be desperate to put on a show to entice a buyer - worthy of his credentials of course!
A big advantage of selecting Ibrahimovic is that he is literally the boss of Sweden's national team - he takes the freekicks, he takes the penalties, if he wants a substitute to come on it will happen… I'm sure he'd take the goal kicks if he got the chance.
Nevertheless, a disadvantage of splashing the cash on a premium striker from Sweden, is the fact they won't dominate matches like Germany and Spain will. His chances will come at a premium, but he usually takes them.Thomas Muller (10.5m)
Group Fixtures: Ukraine, Poland & Northern Ireland
If Thomas Muller was a car he'd be a Volkswagen - reliable and always performs to the best of it's abilities when it matters. World Cup golden boot winner in 2010, second-place in 2014 and 12 goals in 19 Euro qualifying matches since his first cap.
Germany will dominate 95% of matches, so you without doubt want one of their forwards. Muller is the best option as he's guaranteed to play just about every minute, is on penalties and overall turns up at the right place at the right time on most occasions.Gareth Bale (10.5m)
Group Fixtures: Slovakia, England & Russia
Similar to Ibrahimovic with Sweden, Gareth Bale is in command for his country. Instead of being shifted out wide to accommodate Ronaldo and Benzema at Real Madrid, he is the focal point of the Wales attack.
He is relied upon heavily, and when Wales score it's rarely anyone else. The only problem is, Wales will struggle to hold possession against all of their opposition. They will depend on counter-attacks and Bale's delivery from dead-ball situations.Antoine Greizmann (10m)
Group Fixtures: Romania, Albania & Switzerland
The Frenchman comes off the back of another fantastic season for Atletico Madrid which saw him finish as the club's top-scorer for the second year in a row. He's really added a clinical touch to his game, after some frustrating seasons at Real Sociedad.
Didier Deschamps seems comfortable with deploying Greizmann as an inverted right-winger allowing him to cut inside onto his favoured left foot to let fly. He is playing for the host nation which is an advantage in itself and he's the highest owned forward in the game for a reason
MID-PRICED EURO FANTASY FORWARDS
Harry Kane (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Russia, Wales & Slovakia
The Premier League golden boot winner has been in fantastic form in recent friendlies. Despite missing a penalty during England's last match against Turkey, his all round play stood out for us. Kane can strike a ball better than most, and will have a re-charged mindset after his club's end of season meltdown.
Although striking up an exciting partnership with ex-Leicester teammate Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane remains the main-man and the number 9 in England's frontline - so don't worry about minutes, as the Spurs striker will get plenty.Olivier Giroud (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Romania, Albania & Switzerland
Giroud is the cheaper alternative to Greizmann, so if you want France coverage, which we strongly recommend - but are on a tight budget, then the Arsenal striker is your man. With Benzema not included in the squad, his opportunity is now or never.
In spite of being less explosive than Antoine Greizmann and Anthony Martial, he does have the advantage of playing in a more advanced role than his countrymen. Also with Arsene Wenger appearing set for a spending spree, Giroud has huge motive to impress in his home country.Alvaro Morata (8.5m)
Group Fixtures: Czech Republic, Turkey & Croatia
With all the hype surrounding his future, it's a difficult time for the youngster to knuckle down and get to work, nevertheless, that's exactly what he has to do.
Valencia's Paco Alcacer, who made eight appearances in the qualifying rounds, has been omitted from the squad - a clear sign that Morata is the favoured striker in Del Bosque's system. 35-year-old Aritz Aduriz provides further competition, but has only played 14 minutes of competitive football for his Country.
In contrast, despite 13 years younger, Morata is vastly more experienced on the International stage and suits Spain's system to the tee with his impressive link-up play. If he features prominently in the friendlies, he's an excellent differential.Mario Gomez (8m)
Group Fixtures: Ukraine, Poland & Northern Ireland
Germany's centre-forward has largely been ignored by the Fantasy Football community in the run up to Euro 2016… but remember he's in line to start for the World Champions! Joachim Low recalled Gomez, after watching his country struggle to convert possession into goals throughout qualifying.
With his low-ownership and battle-hardened experience, Gomez has the potential to give you a massive advantage over your competition. At this price, and with those fixtures, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on the striker in the upcoming friendlies (vs. Slovakia 29th May & vs. Hungary 4th June).
Although Gomez is not a 100% nailed on starter, hopefully he is given the chance to finish on a high, in what is likely his farewell tournament.Mario Mandzukic (8m)
Group Fixtures: Turkey, Czech Republic & Spain
The aggressive striker is the focal point of his country's attack and will get a handful of chances per match with the likes of Modric, Rakitic, Brozovic and Kovacic feeding the ball towards him at every opportunity. The 30-year-old can obviously perform on the big stage with his three goals in three games during Euro 2012, backed up with two goals in two games at World Cup 2014.
There are a few negatives involved with choosing the striker. Mandzukic has a susceptibility of picking up silly bookings for dissent and flaring arms, there is competition for his starring role with Fiorentina's Nicola Kalinic scoring 16 goals in Serie A this season, and the fact he only managed to record a single goal during qualifying.Artem Dzyuba (8m)
Group Fixtures: England, Slovakia & Wales
The lanky forward's unorthodox style makes him a handful for any defence, which is highlighted by the fact he tallied eight goals in eight matches during qualifying. Dzuyba is a nailed on starter and consistent finisher for club and country.
At the time of writing, he is owned by just 1% of all Euro Fantasy players, which is surprising for a striker of his caliber - scoring six goals in eight Champions League matches this season and contributing to 57% of Russia's 21 qualifying goals.
BUDGET EURO FANTASY FORWARDS
Arkadiusz Milik (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Northern Ireland, Germany & Ukraine
Yes, he is the drop down version of Lewandowski, but Milik holds all the qualities to hold his own in Group C. The Ajax prodigy has found the net 21 times in Eredivisie this season, while also displaying his creativeness - contributing with eight assists.
The 22-year-old, who plays with an unnervingly similar style to his strike-partner Lewandowski, scored six times and assisted six in nine qualifying matches, and will look to bring this kind of form into the competition.Nani (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Iceland, Austria & Hungary
The ex-United winger has been a very much a hit or miss player throughout his whole career… in fact he should be the definition of ‘hit or miss' in a Fantasy Football glossary. From nine goals and 19 assists in a Premier League season (2010/11) to a red card in the Champions League last 16 - Nani has done it all!
Despite being a right headache in the most part, he's an extremely talented individual, and has displayed this on a few occasions this season for Fenerbahce. Like Portugal's last two friendlies, Nani could be handed the role of partnering Ronaldo upfront in France.Marc Janko (7.5m)
Group Fixtures: Hungary, Portugal & Iceland
Another forward worth considering, is FC Basel's experienced talisman Marc Janko. The 32-year-old has scored 20 times for his club this season and finished qualifying as Austria's top-goalscorer, bagging seven goals in nine appearances.
The towering striker has an excellent touch for a man of his size, and often helps his teammates come to life with intelligent link-up play. If Austria are to have any chance of progressing past the group stages, they will need to score goals versus Hungary and Iceland - Janko will be handed that task.
Jamie Vardy (7m)
Group Fixtures: Russia, Wales & Slovakia
With England's impressive goal-scoring form during qualifying (31 goals, only Poland managed more), Vardy is a practical alternative to Harry Kane. After finishing the Premier League season with a winners medal and 24 goals, his confidence will be sky high.
The rugged striker, and qualified wind up merchant, has also impressed during his short spell in England colours with three goals in his last three matches. These were all friendlies, but a quick glance at the opposition (Germany, Holland & Turkey) demonstrates his quality in front of goal.Harris Seferovic (6.5m)
Group Fixtures: Albania, Romania & France
The Frankfurt forward has been a regular figure for his National side since making his first appearance in February 2013. Spearheading their attack he notched three goals in eight qualifying matches.
Seferovic is a big physical striker, and although nothing like a prolific scorer (three goals in the Bundesliga this season), is capable of doing a job versus Albania and Romania. However, if you do select him, we advise you to transfer him out after these two fixtures, or at least bench him.Eder (6.5m)
Group Fixtures: Belgium, Sweden & Republic of Ireland
Having been overlooked by just about every journalist and in the majority of previews, Italy could become the dark horses of Euro 2016. Although they are without a win in their last four friendlies, Italy often turn up the heat when it matters - like going undefeated in qualifying.
New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, is expected to lineup with the little and large partnership that is Eder and Graziano Pelle. Darting in and around Pelle's lay offs and flick ons, Eder is the type of nifty player who can turn a match on its head.Breel Embolo (6m)
Group Fixtures: Albania, Romania & France
Another Switzerland striker, this time the exciting talent of Basel's sought after teenager Breel Embolo. Often playing on the left wing, but also comfortable leading the line, be sure to keep an eye on him in the friendlies vs. Belgium & Moldova.
The 19-year-old has already featured in the Champions League (12 appearances; 3 goals & 1 assist), Europa league (12 appearances; 2 goals & 2 assists) and now Euro 2016 qualifying (5 appearances; 1 goal & 4 assists). An impressive CV for club and country, in which he looks to build on throughout this tournament.
Our partners Fanager are hosting a free entry tournament for Euro 2016 with £10,000 up for grabs. It's free to sign up and doesn't require a deposit. Click the link below to claim your entry!
