Euro 2020 Fantasy Football is out: How does it differ from the EPL game?

Euro 2020 Fantasy Football

Fans of the popular reality football game Fantasy Football will be excited to learn of the launch of Euro 2020 Fantasy Football.

Many a WhatsApp group chat has been dedicated to leagues throughout the season with bragging rights and embarrassment rife.

Those that have endured a tough campaign may find solace in an escape to international football and league leaders have the chance to consolidate their positions as top dogs.

The launch however brings with it plenty of similarities and differences to what we have come to expect of a Fantasy game. 101 breaks down all the similarities and differences from the Official Premier League Fantasy Football game.

Arsenal’s Spanish midfielder Dani Ceballos smiles as he checks his phone on the pitch ahead of the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium in London on July 15, 2020. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Team building

Similar to the EPL version, you’ll recieve 100 million of the equivalent currency to build your squad, in this case, euros (€).

You’ll need to build a team of 15 players with two keepers, five defenders, five midfielders and three forwards, also the same as the EPL version.

These similarities continue as you’ll initially (note the word initially) only be able to pick a maximum 3 players from a nation for your side.

SAINT PETERSBURG, RUSSIA – JULY 10: Samuel Umtiti of France celebrates with team mates after scoring his team’s first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Semi Final match between Belgium and France at Saint Petersburg Stadium on July 10, 2018 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Now begins the changes. Due to the tournament involving teams getting knocked out, the number of players you’re allowed in your side will change as the tournament progresses.

At the start of the last 16 you’ll be able to have 4 players from each country, for the quarter-final it increases to 5, for the semi-finals its 6 and then a jump to the final with 8 from a single nation.

This allows for the competitiveness of squads to continue throughout the tournament even after eliminations.

Selecting your XI, captains and substitutions

Interestingly, when it comes to submitting your team of 11 from your squad of 15 the deadlines are different from EPL.

Usually, players would need to submit their sides an hour+ before the kick off of the game in the first Gameweek.

For the Euros, you’ll have until the kick off of the first game in the matchday. For the record, there are 7 matchdays. The 3 group stage games and the 4 knockout rounds.

Substitutions work similar to the EPL. If one of your first team squad does not play they will be replaced by your bench as long as formation rules are not broken.

VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIA – JUNE 18: Raheem Sterling of England speaks with Gareth Southgate, Manager of England following being substituted during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images)

You must have at least one keeper, three defenders, two midfielders and one forward in the team.

The captain pick can be what defines a player’s tournament. But the rules of captaincy differ to that of the official EPL game, here’s how:

• Every matchday you’ll need to select a captain, their points will be doubled for the matchday specifically. (The same as normal)
• However, you can switch your captain during a matchday. For example, matchday 1 will run for as many days until all the nations in that matchday have played their first game. At the end of the first day, once all the teams’ matches have completed, you have the option to change your captain ahead of the next day’s games. This gives you the opportunity to have another go, had your choice not been as successful as you would have liked.
• Should the captain you chose not play on an entire matchday and you have made no subs, the captain will automatically be subbed out but the replacement will not get double points. You will need to reselect your captain for the next day’s games.
• There is no ‘vice captain’ like in the EPL version due to this ability to switch your captain day-to-day in a given matchday.
• Therefore, you should always select a captain who is playing on the first day of a ‘matchday,’ as you have the ability to switch to another player later in the entire ‘matchday.’

Similar to the captain pick switch between days in a given matchday, you can also do this with your subs. Should players not have scored well, you have the option to bring a maximum of four players from your bench into your team. However, within a matchday, should one of your starting XI be sent off, they cannot be substituted.

BERLIN – JULY 09: Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (2nd L) of Italy consoles Zinedine Zidane (R) of France, as he is shown the red card by Referee Horacio Elizondo of Argentina during the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Final match between Italy and France at the Olympic Stadium on July 9, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Bongarts/Getty Images)

If you make any changes to your team regarding captain pick or substitutions, unlike on EPL Fantasy, that choice is locked in then and there and cannot be reversed.

However, beware, once you’ve made manual substitutions or changed your captain within a matchday, if any of your starting XI don’t play in real life, they won’t be subbed out automatically.

Transfers

First things first, before the deadline of matchday 1, do not worry, you can make as many tweaks to your team as you like within the budget of €100 million.

This is also the case midway through the tournament at the end of the group stages. Between it and the knockout rounds, beginning with the last 16, you can make as many transfers to your team as you like. This allows players who lost many of their squad due to elimination to play on competitively in the knockout stages.

Transfers can also be made between matchdays but at a limited capacity with the exception of the two times mentioned above.

PARIS, FRANCE – AUGUST 04: Neymar poses with his new jersey next to Paris Saint-Germain President Nasser Al-Khelaifi after a press conference on August 4, 2017 in Paris, France. Neymar signed a 5 year contract for 222 Million Euro. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)

The number of transfers you can make in these other periods will change depending on the stage of the tournament. In the group stage you can make 2 free transfers per matchday. After the round of 16 you can make 3 free transfers, after the quarter-finals you can make 5 free transfers and after the semi-final before the tournament’s final you can also make 5 free transfers.

Should you wish to make additional transfers beyond your allocated quota of free transfers, this will incur a cost of 4 points per transfer over the quota. This is the same as the official EPL Fantasy game.

What is similar but not mirrored is saving free transfers. You have the ability to carry over a free transfer to the following matchday however this is capped at just one.

Therefore, for example, should you not use any of your two free transfers after matchday 1, you will be able to make just 3 free transfers after matchday 2, not 4.

Chips

These are special abilities which affect how you can make changes to your team and earn points. However, these chips in Euro Fantasy differ somewhat to the EPL version.

Firstly there are just two chips to play in the tournament. The first is one many will be familiar with: Wildcard.

The Wildcard chip works the same as in the EPL version, you can change as much as your squad as you like at no cost and the squad will remain as such after the completion of the matchday.

If you’ve already made transfers ahead of a matchday and you then play your Wildcard, the transfers you’ve made previously will be cancelled, along with any points deductions.

This is a one-time deal. Do not waste it.

The Wildcard chip is often coveted as the most influential gamechanger in Fantasy, however Euro 2020 brings in a brand new chip which will excite fans.

The Limitless chip is something very special. The chip works in a similar way to the EPL Fantasy’s Free Hit chip whereby you can temporarily change your team as much as you like for no cost but at the completion of the matchday, your squad will revert to what it was before you activated the chip.

The difference with the Limitless chip is, as the name suggests, your budget becomes infinite. You can build your squad with the most expensive players in the game and not worry about breaking the bank. Use this chip wisely, it could be the key to winning the league or being the laughing stock of your friends.

Scoring points

Now to the really important stuff. How you earn and lose points in the game.

Depending upon the action and position players can earn and lose points a variety of ways.

For goalkeepers:

• 6 – Scoring a goal
• 5 – Saving a penalty
• 4 – Clean sheet
• 1 – For every 3 saves made
• -1 – For every 2 goals conceded

For defenders:

• 6 – Scoring a goal
• 4 – Clean sheet
• -1 – Every 2 goals conceded

For midfielders:

• 5 – Scoring a goal
• 1 – Clean sheet

For forwards:

Bonus points:

• 1 – Appearance
• 2 – 60 mins on the pitch
• 1 – Long-range goal
• 3 – Assist
• 2 – Winning a penalty
• -1 – Conceding a penalty
• -2 – Missing a penalty
• -1 – Yellow card
• -3 – Red card
• -2 – Own goal

Clean sheets are awarded once a player has played 60 minutes without conceding, should they concede after 60 minutes the points will be retracted. If a player is substituted having been awarded a clean sheet and their side concedes after being taken off, they will not lose their points. The same as in EPL Fantasy.

Should a player be sent off however, they will continue to lose points for the goals the team concedes.

A player dismissed by a second yellow will not incur a -1 + -3 penalty and instead just face the -3 with the yellow card being wiped off.

Should your captain be sent off, you can change your captain to a player who is yet to play. Therefore, should you choose a captain who is playing in the final day of a matchday and they be sent off, you will be unable to change them.

Assists are awarded whenever a player plays the final pass, cross, header or shot which leads to a goal. Should a shot strike the post, crossbar or be saved by the keeper or blocked by a defender and the rebound is scored, this will also count as an assist.

If a goal is scored from a ‘solo run’ or ‘dribble’ then no assist will be awarded.

Players will keep earning points throughout extra time, however, no points are awarded during a penalty shootout.

Get crafting

You do not have long left now to create your teams so go to the following link and get playing. We at 101 plan to have a league which you will be able to join to see how you can do against our team. Stay tuned to our social feeds for updates.

Play the game here.

LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 07: Harry Kane of England during the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier match between England and Bulgaria at Wembley Stadium on September 7, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

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