Having delayed the tournament by a year, the global pandemic continues to disrupt Euro 2020 and, by extension, Dream Team Euros.
Joao Cancelo has tested positive for Covid-19 and has consequently been withdrawn from Portugal’s squad and replaced by Diogo Dalot.
This is a significant blow for Fernando Santos’ side as the 27-year-old was certain to start at right-back and had even scored a goal in Portugal’s final pre-tournament friendly against Israel.
Cancelo was (and still is) the second-most popular defender in Dream Team Euros with a massive ownership of 24.2% – only Ruben Dias appears in more teams.
Dream Team Euros have 20 transfers to use throughout the tournament – some may have already now that we’ve seen plenty of starting line-ups.
If you’ve got Cancelo in your XI then you need to find a replacement as soon as possible.
With £4.0m at your disposal you could bring in a defender who has already got a clean sheet (and eight points) under their belt with a view to cashing in during the second round of fixtures: John Stones, Giorgio Chiellini, Toby Alderweireld.
If you still back Portugal to repel Hungary on Tuesday then perhaps Raphael Guerreiro is your man – the attack-minded left-back provided ten league assists for Borussia Dortmund in 2020/21.
18-year-old Nuno Mendes is highly thought of but Guerreiro should start in Portugal’s first group fixture.
Or perhaps your head has been turned by a bright offensive full-back display from the likes of Leonardo Spinazzola (£2.5m), Denzel Dumfries (£3.0m) or Thomas Meunier (£3.0m) – three perfectly reasonable replacements for the absent Cancelo.
Whatever you decide, just make sure you act as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
To finish off, we’re aware that some of you may be having issues accessing the Dream Team app on Android. We are investigating the problem. In the meantime, please make sure your app is up to date (click here for instructions if needed) and be aware that you can also play Dream Team via our site.