Surprises in provisional squads for heavyweights Spain and Germany

Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has raised eyebrows with his provisional squad for Euro 2016, with Diego Costa, Juan Mata, and Fernando Torres – the third highest all-time scorer for La Furia Roja – missing the cut.

And some of the 65-year-old’s inclusions in this Spanish squad have also been left-field, such as veteran Atletico Madrid striker Aritz Aduriz and his uncapped club teammate Saul Niguez.

However, the experienced gaffer’s selections at the back have been more conventional. Iker Casillas and David De Gea are among the names Del Bosque is trusting between the posts.

Meanwhile, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos are just two of the world-class defensive heavyweights to make it into the 26-man squad.

There’s still some Premier League interest in this Spain squad too, with three Chelsea players among the selections, as well as Manchester United’s De Gea and David Silva of Manchester City.

The Germany squad is shorter on surprise choices, but Bastian Schweinsteiger’s inclusion has provoked debate many following his disappointing season at Old Trafford.

Manuel Neuer has obviously made the cut, as have other heroes of the 2014 World Cup win like Mesut Ozil, Thomas Muller, and Toni Kroos.

And Joachim Loew has put his faith in a number of largely untested youngsters, with uncapped Borussia Dortmund winger Julian Weigl and 19-year-old Bayer Leverkusen star Julian Brandt.

Spain go into the tournament as 11/2 shots, with Del Bosque’s charges 4/7 to win Group D ahead of Croatia, Turkey, and Czech Republic.

Germany are second-favourites behind hosts France, with Die Mannschaft 7/2 to win their first European Championship since 1996.

Meanwhile, It’s 12/1 that these two meet in the final at Stade-de-France on July 10.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.