Mark Langdon: Euro 2024 top team goalscorer predictions

Euro 2024 is nearly upon us and it would not be a proper international tournament without a good old debate over whether the England manager has got anywhere close to naming the right squad for the finals.

If he picks too many established stars then people will moan he goes on reputation over form, and if he drops those big names who have struggled it's always seen as a massive gamble. 

The simple fact is that the fringe players who cause most debate will barely get a kick and if England are getting down to selecting player number 23, 24, 25 or 26 on the roster then things must have gone seriously downhill to have reached that point.

It would also not be a proper tournament without a few top team goalscorer bets, a wager which has had its up and downs through the years. An absolute peak lucky break came when Heung-Min Son top-scored for South Korea at 2018 thanks to an injury-time tap-in to an empty net after German keeper Manuel Neuer was robbed of the ball near the opposition penalty area having bizarrely decided to take a stint in midfield.

At the opposite end of the scale was 2016 when I declared Nicolae Stanciu - more on him later - would be a breakthrough star in a number of different preview shows and the abuse came hard when not only did he fail to fire but both Romanian goals in the competition came from soundalike Bogdan Stancu. I'm pretty sure it would not have even been remotely a thing had it been any other player but for some reason Stancu scoring made it ten times worse.

There is probably more value to be had at the World Cup and even with 24 European nations taking part, most of the players are well known now. But that doesn't mean we should ignore the market entirely and it does provide a load of interest in games that otherwise would be left alone.

Here are my four to follow:

Jamal Musiala Germany 11-2

This was the one that got away at the World Cup after I had tipped him at 14-1. Annoyingly he hit the woodwork twice against Costa Rica and missed a great chance against Japan as Germany crashed out at the first hurdle, but there were never going to be stupid prices about the magical Musiala two years on.

Germany don't have an out-and-out scorer so their goals are likely to come from a variety of sources and Musiala is well-placed to take advantage.  He got ten Bundesliga goals in a Bayern Munich side who did not function properly and his former club coach Julian Nagelsmann knows his game well.

Marcel Sabitzer Austria 9-1

Sticking with the Bundesliga, Sabitzer had a good season with Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, but he has more licence to attack with the Austrian national team and is set to play a pivotal role in their push for a place in at least the last 16.

Romelu Lukaku scored 14 goals in Group F of Euro 2024 qualifying, but Sabitzer was next best with four and usually takes up a prominent position in Austria's midfield, either as the number ten or wide on the left whereas he is deeper for Dortmund. There's a fair chance he will be on penalties too.

Andraz Sporar Slovenia 13-2

There is crazy hype over Benjamin Sesko - or the new Erling Haaland as some are calling him - but as a warm favourite the Leipzig striker can be passed over with his fellow forward Andraz Sporar. There was a time when Sporar was well-liked and he ended up being signed by Sporting before heading to Middlesbrough and his club link-up with fellow Panathinaikos player Adam Cerin could provide a path to profit in Germany.

Nicolae Stanciu Romania 7-1

And so we meet again. Stanciu has made a nice career for himself, moving to Saudi Arabia twice and also heading to China, but he didn't reach the heights expected of him despite manager Edward Iordanescu calling him "extraordinary." 

Iordanescu berated Stanciu for playing too deep in this week's 0-0 friendly with Bulgaria and one goal could be enough to win this Romanian heat. If they score, it is the captain who is most likely to hit the target and hopefully it will be a case of Stanciu very much. At last. 

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