Will Spain start with Álvaro Morata up front, will Wayne Rooney get into the England team and who will be the full-backs for Germany? Our writers pick their preferred starting XI for six of the most highly rated sides in the tournament

The international break has thrown up some interesting results already, notably England’s well-deserved 3-2 win over Germany in Berlin, while Italy were almost as impressive as they drew 1-1 against Spain, and this is the time when players can earn a place in their respective teams.

Here six writers pick their starting XIs for England, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Spain – the main favourites for the tournament in France – and their reasoning behind their selections.

It also gives us an opportunity to compare the strengths and weaknesses of the favourites with only two and a half months before the tournament starts.

England





My concern would be the obvious lack of experience, with six players here who have won fewer than 10 caps. It was also difficult getting the right balance in midfield when, to give Jordan Henderson his due, the Liverpool midfielder had one of his better games in Berlin. However, Danny Drinkwater has been the better player by some distance in the Premier League.

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He and Eric Dier could control the centre of midfield while Dele Alli and Ross Barkley would have licence to roam and, in attack, Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy surely deserve to be ahead of Wayne Rooney.

Ordinarily, I would like John Stones in defence but the team – featuring five players from Tottenham – needs some experience and the Everton centre-half has struggled in the past few months. Daniel Taylor

Belgium





Marc Wilmots has at least five certainties in his team and he recently revealed Thibaut Courtois, Vincent Kompany, Radja Nainggolan, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are his key players.

Although Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen are one of the best central defensive pairs in the Premier League, they will probably start the competition as full-backs. They have played there internationally for years as Belgium are short of top quality full-backs. If Kompany is not fit, there is a possibility Alderweireld could move to the centre, but Wilmots also rates Galatasaray’s Jason Denayer. Nicolas Lombaerts of Zenit St Petersburg is the first choice left-sided central defender with Thomas Vermaelen as back-up.

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In midfield there is only one question mark with Axel Witsel, Nainggolan, the No10 De Bruyne and Hazard almost guaranteed starting places. Dries Mertens does not play a lot at Napoli but Wilmots likes him while Yannick Carrasco could play on the right wing too. Mousa Dembélé could bring something extra too, as does Marouane Fellaini, the highest scoring international in the squad.

Romelu Lukaku has never been first choice, but Wilmots cannot ignore him any more. But is the Everton striker the pivot he is looking for? Christian Benteke’s profile fits the style of play better, but he has lost form and confidence at Liverpool. Wilmots has made it quite clear that Lukaku has to adapt to his style. Kristof Terreur

France





Few teams will be able to compete with the home country in midfield, where France have a mouthwatering blend of power, dynamism and creativity. With Karim Benzema unlikely to be available, it is tempting to deploy Olivier Giroud as the fulcrum for the midfielders to feed off, but better to save that as an option to be used from the bench and start with the fluid, fast, inventive and in-form trio of Anthony Martial, Antoine Griezmann and Dimitri Payet.

Defence is where France look most vulnerable but Bacary Sagna and Patrice Evra remain the more reliable full-back options. Raphaël Varane is the best centre-back, while Laurent Koscielny gets the nod ahead of Mamadou Sakho because he is less error-prone and ahead of Aymeric Laporte because of heading prowess. The aerial route is perceived as the option opponents are likely to turn to as they try to bypass midfield and get down the wings. Paul Doyle

Germany

With Per Mertesacker, Miroslav Klose and Philipp Lahm retiring from international football after the 2014 World Cup final, Joachim Löw has to find new leaders.

As Manchester United’s Bastian Schweinsteiger could well miss the tournament because of injury, he will have to find some new leaders for his starting XI. The goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer, is one of them. He is unquestionably first choice for Löw and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world. The central-defensive pairing of Jérôme Boateng and Mats Hummels proved in Brazil what they are able to do and it will be hard to beat them. They both need to be fit, as Germany’s defeat against England on Saturday proved. There is a lack of experience in the full-back positions with Cologne’s Jonas Hector on the left and and Matthias Ginter of Borussia Dortmund, Antonio Rüdiger of Roma or Liverpool’s Emre Can.

There is also some uncertainty over who will start on the right wing. Karim Bellarabi has the speed and agility to become one of the stars of the tournament, but he is inconsistent. Thomas Müller can fit in, but Löw prefers to play with him in attack instead of an out-an-out striker, such as Mario Gómez of Besiktas. Toni Kroos of Real Madrid and Dortmund’s Ilkay Gündogan will hold the two spots in defensive midfield, with Sami Khedira on hand to replace either of them. Arsenal’s Mesut Özil, as the playmaker, will be expected to infuse Germany’s game with magic along with Marco Reus on the left wing. Players such as Julian Draxler, André Schürrle and Mario Götze give Löw an embarrassment of riches should he be without Özil, Müller or Reus because of injury. Michael Reis

Italy





Antonio Conte has altered his formation constantly through qualifying and is leaning towards a four-man defence but I would build my team around Juventus’s BBC – Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini – who have lost only four times in 63 league matches as a trio.

Having such an assured ensemble at the back allows for bolder choices further forward. A 3-4-3 formation would allow Italy to make space for two dynamic wing-backs in Alessandro Florenzi and Matteo Darmian, without having to renounce their abundance of quality wide forwards.

Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne has rarely found favour with Conte but would be one of the first names on my teamsheet after a superb season. Stephan El Shaarawy could be his devastating impact replacement on the left flank, while Antonio Candreva could likewise be alternated with Domenico Berardi on the right. Graziano Pellè brings the ideal blend of humility, graft and goals to complement such expansive players around him.

If Conte gets his tactics right there is enough quality here to aspire to a place in the semi-finals. Paolo Bandini

Spain





“I don’t think we’re leaving any Leo Messis out,” Vicente del Bosque insists, but the depth of talent means there will be good players among those Spaniards who do not go to France. There are few doubts about the country’s footballing identity but there are still some when it comes to the personnel, among them who the striker will be after Del Bosque admitted he has been disappointed with the way the season has gone for Paco Alcácer and Álvaro Morata.

He has supported Diego Costa, even as others have criticised him, while Aritz Aduriz has got a belated recall aged 35. David de Gea looks set to finally become first choice while three of the back four are relatively settled, right-back being the issue. Sergio Busquets is vital and, fitness permitting, looks likely to be joined by Thiago. Other options include Koke and Santi Cazorla, while Del Bosque believes that Cesc Fàbregas invariably performs well. The World Cup in Brazil hurt, but Spain are still the double European champions. Sid Lowe