Fans think they know who will win Euros as 2023/24 season boasts four eerie similarities with another year
Manchester United and Leicester are among those at the centre of the various omens
EURO 2024 kicks off on Friday with several teams tipped to go all the way in Germany.
England are hoping to end their 58-year trophy drought as they head into the tournament as favourites.
Losing World Cup finalists France also boast a strong case, along with a talented Portugal squad.
Hosts Germany could prove tough to beat with home support behind them, while defending champions Italy are outsiders but can never be counted out.
It is an incredibly difficult competition to call… but SunSport has identified FOUR parallels with 2016 that point towards one team lifting the trophy in Berlin.
Here are the similarities between the two points in time which could prove to be an omen as to who will triumph come July 14.
England lose to Iceland
One of the lowest points for England at a major tournament came in 2016 when they were humbled by Iceland.
Roy Hodgson’s side were beaten 2-1 in the last-16 – one of the most remarkable upsets in the competition’s history.
Fast forward eight years and England were on the end of another defeat to Iceland last week as they lost 1-0 at Wembley.
This time it was merely a pre-Euros friendly, but still not ideal preparation for what lies ahead.
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Man Utd win FA Cup
Another similarity with 2016 is Manchester United‘s FA Cup success.
The Red Devils lifted football’s oldest trophy under Louis van Gaal eight years ago after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the final.
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Heading to Wembley this time around, Erik ten Hag‘s men were overwhelming underdogs against Premier League champions and bitter rivals Manchester City.
But they stunned Pep Guardiola’s side to claim a 2-1 victory and save an otherwise dismal season.
Real Madrid win Champions League
Perhaps not the most incredible omen given Real Madrid‘s six Champions League triumphs over the last decade… but it remains one nonetheless.
The Spanish giants claimed the first of three successive Champions League titles in 2016 with a penalty shoot-out win over Atletico Madrid.
Having won the trophy another three times between then and a fortnight ago, Real then clinched their 15th European crown earlier this month with a 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Leicester win league title under Italian
Both 2016 and 2024 saw Leicester scoop league titles under Italian managers, albeit in different divisions.
The Foxes’ fairytale Premier League triumph goes down as one of the great underdog stories in sporting history.
This season, having suffered a surprise relegation in the 2022/23 campaign, they returned to the top flight at the first time of asking by winning the Championship.
And the parallels do not end there as they achieved both feats under Italian managers – Claudio Ranieri and Enzo Maresca.
Portugal win Euros?
All these omens point towards PORTUGAL triumphing once again at the Euros – just like they did back in 2016.
Under Fernando Santos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Co claimed the country’s first major trophy when they beat hosts France 1-0 in the final.
Eight years on and a number of footballing similarities are occurring in 2024.
Could this prove to be another one?
