Hamann forecast:

European Championship favorites will be a flop, ÖFB team a sensation

Germany made a furious start to the European Championships at home, but TV pundit Didi Hamann still sees Portugal as the top favorites for the title. Austria will be the sensation of the tournament and England, of all teams, will be the flop!

"My flop is England," said Hamann on Irish TV station RTE Sport. "A question mark behind the defense. An even bigger question mark behind the goalkeeper. I don't think he exudes the necessary calmness to the team. If you want to win a big tournament, you need a calm influence from the back and he's the opposite of that."

The England keeper is Jordan Pickford from Everton FC, an extroverted and emotionally charged goalkeeper who is always good for bad mistakes. 

Cristiano Ronaldo(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Here is Hamann's prediction in the video:

That's why Hamann thinks Portugal are the big title favorites. "If they keep Ronaldo on course, they have a brilliant chance. A good defense, a strong keeper, they have a lot of options up front: Bernardo Silva, Leao from AC Milan. The perfect package of talent and speed. I think a lot of Portugal."

Ralf Rangnick(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"Wouldn't like to play against Austria"
However, the former Bayern and Liverpool player believes the ÖFB team will cause a sensation this year. "Austria are the secret favorites for me. They are missing some important players, Schlager from Leipzig, the central midfielder is unfortunately out due to a cruciate ligament rupture, but they are in brilliant form. They beat Serbia last week, they beat Germany some time ago, they won 6:1 against Turkey a few months ago. Rangnick, the former Manchester United coach, has everything under control, he's got them on track. They are a very aggressive team, an unpleasant opponent. They have a strong group with France and the Netherlands, but I think they will get through in this group and I wouldn't like to play them in the round of 16."