Let’s face it – everything about this competition feels weird. For starters, it’s the first time that a EURO will feature 24 teams. Plus, this EURO won’t be played in a single country, or in two countries. It’s going to be played all across Europe, from London to Baku.
📍 It’s 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐖!
🤔 How many EURO 2012 host venues can you name? https://t.co/942a9HzkIK
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) February 9, 2021
On top of that, it’s the first time that there are more than four years separating the two EURO Cup iterations. As most of you know already, EURO 2020 was supposed to start in June last year, but had to be canceled.
Exactly four months separate us from the start of the rescheduled pan-European event, and with the pandemic still raging through Europe (and most of the world), questions still exist about the event’s realization.
But, we’re not here to talk about the scheduling difficulties due to worldwide social distancing measures. We’re here to talk about EURO 2020 betting predictions. As stated above, there are just four months separating us from the first group stage matches, and now is a good time to kickstart the EURO betting discussions!
Where to Bet on EURO 2020 – Best Soccer Betting Sites
Online soccer betting has been a thing for quite a while now. Roughly two decades have passed since I’ve placed my first online soccer bet. Good lord how time flies by quickly. Back then, online sports betting was continuously challenged by various legal shenanigans, and even for a tech-savvy guy like me, placing my first bet wasn’t that straightforward.
Fast forward to today and the story couldn’t be more different. Placing online soccer bets is legal (though it still depends on where you live) and easier than ever. Technological advancements paved the way for hassle-free online betting provided by numerous online betting platforms. Here’s a quick look at the best specimens:
EURO 2020 Betting Preview – Interesting Facts
- The rescheduled EURO 2020 starts on Friday, June 11th with group A match between Italy and Turkey in Rome.
- This is the first pan-European competition, scheduled to be held at twelve host cities across the continent.
- The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, July 11th. The venue of choice is the mesmerizing Wembley stadium in London. This will be the stadium’s second EURO final, following the 1996 spectacle.
- EURO 2020 is going to be a proper festival of football, bringing forth twenty-four national teams and whopping 370 million € in prize money.
- At the moment, there are still no concrete news on EURO 2020 attendance. Social distancing measures and lockdown are still active in most of Europe, though the folks over at UEFA seem to be hoping to see (at least halfway) packed stadiums once the event kicks off.
Tournament Format & Groups Overview
The informative sections are almost all wrapped up – we’ll be starting our group stage EURO 2020 betting predictions pretty soon. But, before we can do that, we must inspect all six groups. Here’s a closer look:
| GROUP A | GROUP B | GROUP C | GROUP D | GROUP E | GROUP F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Denmark | Netherlands | England | Spain | Hungary |
| Italy | Finland | Ukraine | Croatia | Sweden | Portugal |
| Wales | Belgium | Austria | Scotland | Poland | France |
| Switzerland | Russia | N. Macedonia | Czech Republic | Slovakia | Germany |
The group stage kicks off on June 11th and will last through Wednesday, June 23rd. June 24th and 25th are rest days; the event returns on Saturday, June 26th with the first ro16 matches. Quarterfinals are scheduled for the following Friday and Saturday, July 2nd and 3rd.
EURO 2020 semifinals will be held on Tuesday, July 6th and Wednesday, July 7th. The final is scheduled for Sunday, July 11th. Yep, a full month of top-notch European national football!
EURO 2020 Group Stage Predictions
If you can’t wait to start betting on 2020 EURO, and who could blame you at this point, then betting on the group stage outcomes is what you should be aiming for. EURO 2020 betting predictions for group stage matches can be found in various places, but don’t stray too far away from this piece as it packs all crucial info in one place.
Group A
Italy stands tall as the heavy favorite in group A! Azzurri haven’t had any mishaps in the qualifications, topping their group with an impressive goals scored/conceded ratio (37/4), following a spectacular 9-1 win against Armenia in the last round. They might not have some of the best individuals out there, but their team is pretty solid and are doing all the hard-work as required. That said, they should be able to top the group.
There’s still one more playoff spot remaining in group A, with three competitors fighting for it – Switzerland, Wales, and Turkey. There’s no clear favorite here, with Switzerland and Turkey being the prime candidates for a playoff run. It’s going to be a dead race between the two, with Turkey having a minimal advantage ahead of the crucial round scheduled for Sunday, June 20th in Baku.
Group A EURO Prediction –Italy (-175)
Group B
Can Belgium justify their role as the heavy favorites in a group of such a large competition? Well, if they don’t do it now, they never will – clear and simple. Belgians have one of the best rosters coming into the EURO, led by the midfield magician Kevin de Bruyne. Backed by the likes of Hazard, Mertens, and Lukaku, Belgium’s attack is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
But, let’s just say they don’t exactly have an excellent history in the group stage of both EURO and World Cup competitions. Are we going with an upset here? Well, in normal circumstances I’d go with Russia, but Denmark is looking impressive too. Both of them are hosts, but they’ll play their h2h match in Copenhagen which could decide a lot of things in group B.
Unfortunately, I’m not going to give you a concrete pick for this group. Belgium to win it at -150 just isn’t worth it considering their history and the level of competitiveness in group B. What I will advise you is to bet on Denmark to beat Finland in the opening round. At -200, Eriksen and the boys ought to reign supreme over their Scandinavian brothers.
Group C
Group C should be pretty straightforward as far as playoff qualification goes. However, there’s going to be a dead race between the Netherlands and Ukraine for the top spot; I reckon we can already write off struggling Austria and N. Macedonian debutants.
But, who’s going to win group C?
Which team has the advantage – Ukraine or the Netherlands? Quality-wise, the Dutch team has some serious firepower. They’ve been nothing but solid in the qualifiers, and will be looking to provide more of the same cometh the group stage matches. Depay, Promes, Wijnaldum, Frenkie de Jong and of course, VVD who’s been backed to return to the pitch before the event.
If we take all that into account, our EURO 2020 betting predictions are pretty straightforward as far group C goes. The Netherlands ought to take the top spot, followed by Ukraine in the second spot. That’s it, that’s where my money is going to be!
Group C EURO Prediction –Netherlands (-300)
Group D
Group D has a proper contest for us right off the bat. England vs. Croatia, the replay of the marvelous World Cup 2018 semifinals. As you probably recall, Croatia went on to win it following a superb goal by Mandzukic in the extra time… but it’s safe to say the Albion will want to have their revenge.
And they’re probably going to get it – Croatia is in the middle of a massive generation switch. Modric is still in the equation, but the likes of Rakitic, Subasic, and Mandzukic are out. Croatians have struggled through the qualifiers, and I honestly wouldn’t be that surprised to see them fail to reach the playoffs.
England should top the group, they’re one of the hosts and have a squad packed with in-form players. As for the second spot, Scotland (the second group D hosts) should prevail. The Czech Republic are outsiders coming into this one, but they do have a solid upset potential that could perhaps complicate things for the second-place contestants.
Group D EURO Prediction –England (-250)
Group E
Here’s where I’ll emphasize the first real upset. Group E has Spain, Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia. I reckon we can immediately count Slovakia out of the equation; that leaves us with Spain, Poland, and Sweden battling for the two spots leading into the playoffs.
La Furia Roja are the clear favorites, with most online sports betting sites pinning them at -250, just like many other group stage favorites. However, I’d like to point Poland out as a potent underdog. At +550, my money will be on Poland to win group E! Why? Well, they have a good mixture of young talent and experience. Plus, Spain is not as strong as the experts suggest; Sweden hasn’t reached out of the group stage since 1992, and let’s not even start talking about Slovakian struggles.
Don’t get me wrong, Spain is probably going to win the group, but if there’s going to be an upset in the group stage, it’s going to be Poland. I know their form hasn’t been the best, but there’s something about the above-mentioned factors that brings hope to the Poles… and to my EURO 2020 accumulator!
Group F
Welcome to the group of death! Welcome to the group that has put our EURO 2020 betting predictions to the real test! Not only do we have the last EURO’s finalists in the same group (France and Portugal), but they’re also accompanied by another world-class team – Germany. Poor Hungary, they finally qualify for a big event and they get placed into such a wicked group.
Who’s going to top this group? Well, according to soccer bookies, Germany are the favorites at +110, followed by France at +137 and Portugal at +550. I’m not going to go on and on about this trio, I’m just going to state my thoughts and be done with it.
First things first – remember how Germany failed to reach the playoffs of the 2018 World Cup? Well, I reckon the same thing is going to happen to them on EURO 2020 too! I see France and Portugal as the group F playoff teams, with Portugal snatching the top spot. At +550, Ronaldo and the boys are sort of upset too, which just goes to show you how tough group F really is. It’s going to be an amazing group stage, that’s for sure!
Outright Betting on EURO 2020
The odds on EURO 2020 outright winner couldn’t be more complicated. If you ask me, the odds don’t reflect on the actual situation on the pitch. If we take into account the latest forms and performances of players, the odds’ table would be massively different. In fact, here’s a sneak peek at the top ten outright winner countries. I’m sure you’ll understand what I’m talking about once you see the numbers:
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| England | +500 |
| Belgium | +550 |
| France | +600 |
| Spain | +750 |
| Germany | +800 |
| Netherlands | +900 |
| Italy | +1200 |
| Portugal | +1200 |
| Croatia | +3300 |
| Denamrk | +6600 |
England as the first favorite to win the EURO 2020 ? Sounds like a joke, right? Well, soccer bookies all across the globe apparently aren’t too fond of joking around – they are for real! Bookmakers see England as the heavy favorites, with Belgium and France as the direct runners-up.
While I can see where the bookies are coming from, England has a young, pacey, and title-thirsty squad, I’m not quite sure why the current world champions are ranked third. In my books, France is still the strongest team in the world, followed by Portugal as the closest runner-up.
Didier Deschamps’ men don’t have a single weak link. Powered by the likes of Mbappe, Pogba, and Griezmann, Les Blues will definitely fancy their shots at taking the EURO crown after succumbing to the grand finals’ pressure in 2016. At +600, I reckon they are the best outright winner option for betting on EURO 2020!
If you’re eyeing bigger upsets, sort of like 2004 upset a la Greece, Portugal might be more up your alley. Ronaldo might be past his peak, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with; a true goalscoring machine in every meaning of the phrase. He’s finally surrounded by a world-class midfield, courtesy of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Neves. At +1200, Portugal should be the prime choice for everyone looking for high-risk high-reward EURO 2020 betting options!
THREAD: Great EURO 2004 goals!
🇸🇪 Zlatan Ibrahimović’s outrageous flick 🤯🤯🤯@svenskfotboll | @Ibra_official pic.twitter.com/QudNFfb5nO
— UEFA EURO 2020 (@EURO2020) February 11, 2021
Summary
EURO 2020 brings forth a ton of firsts, that’s for sure! The first pan-European event, the first rescheduled event, and the first event to bring forth twenty-four teams separated into six groups. As far as EURO 2020 betting predictions are concerned, this group stage piece is only the beginning!
There are still four months to go, but we decided to post an introduction to all you early birds out there.
Hope this piece featured all the info you were looking for!
Until next time…
Pavo Jurkic
Pavo Jurkic has been in the esports betting industry since 2015, actively writing content related to this rapidly growing industry. A dedicated father by day and an avid gamer by night, Pavo Jurkic aims to bring you the freshest esports news and betting predictions. …
