Date: 10th June 2021 at 3:46pm
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The rearranged European Championship tournament kicks off on Friday night, with Italy hosting Turkey in Rome.

It has been a long time coming for fans of the countries involved, with the tournament originally scheduled for last summer but delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gareth Southgate’s England side are in good form going into the tournament and expectations are once again high for the Three Lions, who have never ventured further than the semi-final stage.

A total of 117 Premier League players will be involved in the tournament, with Chelsea boasting the highest number of representatives on show.

The newly-crowned European Champions will have a total of 17 players taking part in the competition, representing a number of nations from across the continent.

Here we identify three Blues players to watch during Euro 2020…

Timo Werner – Germany

The striker arrived in West London last July as part of the Blues’ summer of spending. After winning a penalty on his debut, Werner went onto have an inconsistent season for Chelsea. Despite scoring 12 goals and registering a further 15 assists, the German was often disappointing in front of goal and could quite easily have finished the season with a goal tally twice as high. After the ideal finish to the domestic season, Werner now turns his attention to international duty and will be one of Joachim Low’s key players as Germany look to navigate their way out of the ‘group of death’, that pits them up against France, Portugal and Hungary. While Germany are not short of attacking prowess and firepower, Werner’s performances could go a long way towards determining just how far they get.

Mason Mount – England

After impressing during loan spells with Vitesse Arnhem and Derby County, Mount was drafted into the first team squad under Frank Lampard in the 2019/20 season and made an instant impact. Since scoring on his home but against Leicester City, Mount has netted 15 goals and made 17 assists and was instrumental in the Blues’ Champions League triumph. Now a regular in the England side, Mount will go into the tournament full of confidence and will fancy his chances of being selected in Southgate’s starting eleven. Mount will have his work cut out to be the standout youngster in an England squad that also includes the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden, but the academy graduate will fancy his chances of making a name for himself. With best mate Declan Rice next to him plus fellow club mate Reece James and Ben Chilwell also in the squad, Mount could take his progress to a new level this summer.

Billy Gilmour – Scotland

Young midfielder Gilmour was yet to make his international debut when he was included in Steve Clarke’s squad for this summer’s tournament. The 19-year-old has since played twice for his country, against Luxembourg and the Netherlands in Scotland’s final two games before the tournament kicks off. Under Frank Lampard, Gilmour broke into the Chelsea first team and earned plaudits for impressive performances against Liverpool in the FA Cup and Everton in the league. Since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel, the young Scot has had to settle for more of a bit-part role but, after impressing on his international debut, Gilmour may well have earned himself a starting spot for the opener against Czech Republic on Saturday. Impressive performances for Scotland this summer could elevate the former Rangers youngster to the next level despite his young age.

Blues fans will not be short of stars to watch this summer, with Kai Havertz, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante also all likely to play key roles for their respective countries. With opinion divided on who will win the tournament, could one of the Chelsea players make it a Champions League and Euros double this season?

 
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