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Three players to look out for in Wednesday's Euro 2016 fixtures

Breel Embolo of Switzerland

Following on from Friday night's victory over Romania, Euro 2016 host nation France return to action on Wednesday with a clash against Albania.

In the other Group A fixture, Romania are back in Paris to take on Switzerland, who will be aiming to make it two wins out of two following Saturday's 1-0 success over Albania.

Kicking off the day's action in Lille is Russia, fresh from Saturday's 1-1 draw with England, and Slovakia, looking to avenge their opening-day defeat to Wales in Group B.

Ahead of another enticing day in the tournament, we pick out three players to look out for...

Oleg Shatov

Shatov began his career playing futsal in the Russian city of Nizhny Tagil, and was faced with a tough dilemma at the age of 16: Futsal or football? Just one year later in 2007, and Shatov was making his professional football debut in the Russian First Division for Ural Sverdlovsk Oblast. Using some tricks from the futsal trade, Shatov's skill and technique endeared him to the club's fans and he was subsequently handed their player of the year award in 2010 - before moving to join Samuel Eto'o and Willian at Anzhi Makhachkala.

Russia's midfielder Oleg Shatov (C) is marked by England's midfielder Eric Dier (R) during the Euro 2016 group B football match between England and Russia
Image: Russia midfielder Oleg Shatov (C) is marked by England midfielder Eric Dier (R)

Anzhi were later forced to sell their star players due to financial issues and Russian rivals Zenit secured Shatov's services in 2013. The Russian playmaker has since flourished under the tutelage of former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas.

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Standing at 5ft 7in and weighing just over 11st, Shatov, who recently donated 200,000 euros to improve the sports facilities in Nizhny Tagil, is by no means a physical player - rather someone who prevails in a free role, which Zenit coach Villas-Boas has granted.

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA - JULY 19: Hulk (L) of FC Zenit St. Petersburg celebrates his goal with Oleg Shatov (R) of FC Zenit St. Petersburg during the Russia
Image: Shatov is one of Zenit St Petersburg's star players

Shatov attempted to find pockets of space in Marseille against England, but a superb performance from Eric Dier kept the Russian in check - offering him little room to manoeuvre.

An exceptional dribbler with a strong right foot, Shatov's remaining performances at the Euros depend on whether national coach Leonid Slutsky continues to offer him a free role - 10 goals and 14 assists in 38 appearances this season suggest Slutsky should take a chance.

Breel Embolo

Manchester United have been tipped to sign 19-year-old Embolo, whose desirable combination of speed and strength will catch the eye in France.

Born in Cameroon, Embolo opted to represent Switzerland and has been included in the squad after scoring 12 goals in 25 appearances this season for Basel; performances that have alerted a host of top European clubs.

Breel Embolo tangles with Robbie Brady
Image: Embolo tangles with Ireland's Robbie Brady

Prior to his impressive season, Basel team-mate Fabian Frei labelled Embolo a "sensation" and claimed his temperament was impressive for someone of his age.

"I like him as a person as much as I do as a player," Frei said in 2015. "His feet will stay on the ground - he won't be shooting from 50 metres to score the goal of the season. You can give him good advice and he is ready to take it without getting angry."

Albania's midfielder Odise Roshi (bottom) is challenged by Switzerland's forward Breel Embolo during the Euro 2016 group A football match between Albania a
Image: Embolo's strength is a huge asset

An unrecognisable name to some, Embolo now has the opportunity to flourish on the international stage and add credence to his potential. Switzerland striker Haris Seferovic had a game to forget against Albania - missing a string of chances - which could now open the door.

After Saturday's solid cameo appearance, and with Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri providing the ammunition, Embolo certainly has the ability to fire Switzerland past Romania.

Kingsley Coman

After becoming Paris Saint-Germain's youngest-ever first-team player in 2013, aged 16, Coman has taken the fast track to stardom via Juventus and Bayern Munich.

Having joined the Italian side, Coman moved to Bayern on an unconventional two-year loan and starred in a sensational comeback to knock his parent club out of the last 16 of the Champions League in March; the Frenchman netting in the 110th minute to claim a 6-4 aggregate win.

France's forward Kingsley Coman vies for the ball with Romania's defender Razvan Rat during the Euro 2016 group A football match between France and Romania
Image: Kingsley Coman came off the bench against Romania on Friday

A natural dribbler, former coach Pep Guardiola claimed that Coman needed to work on his final ball, but the Spaniard couldn't help but praise a "rare" talent.

"You always expect the best when you sign a new player, but you also have in the back of your mind that he might need some time," he told reporters. "But it is madness how fast Kingsley has integrated at Bayern. He is still young, so we should not get carried away. He still has plenty of room for improvement, but it is clear that he has a lot of potential.

Pep Guardiola and Kingsley Coman
Image: Pep Guardiola has been vocal in his praise of Coman

"He has rare dribbling skills that you do not see very often, but his final ball, giving assists, that is where he can still improve. But he is still very young and I have only ever worked with one player who could do it all at such a young age."

Similarly to Embolo, Coman made an appearance off the bench during their first game, but if given the opportunity, Coman should prevail against a shaky Albanian defence and will take another step on a remarkable journey thus far.

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