UEFA EURO 2020 | ROUND UP 6/25/2021 | FINAL 16 Teams
Tournament resumes Saturday 6/26
That is right you bunch of beautiful people, it’s the beginning of crunch time for Euro 2020 and paint me pink, and call me a pig, if this isn’t lining up for an incredible Euro 2020 finale. I’ll go through and talk about each matchup with what/who to look for and what I predict will happen. I’ll also try and keep what sporting odds I fancy when I saw them. Unleash the vuvuzelas, and paint your face your countries flag, because it’s Euro Final 16 time!
- Wales (#18) vs Denmark (#12) – 6/26/21 12pm EST. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Tale of the tape: Denmark (favorite -125) are incredibly motivated and have been playing some quality soccer led by Yussuf Poulsen, RB Leipzig, and Champions League winner Andreas Christensen, Chelsea. They may not have the roster that screams championship, but they will put on a fight win, lose, or draw. Which on the other side for Wales (underdog +400) led by soccer stallion Gareth Bale and his manbun, they have been close in every game with an average roster. They are quality opponents for being where they are ranked but most of their top talent are in there front 3 guys. Daniel James-Manchester United, Aaron Ramsey-Juventus, and Gareth Bale, Tottenham on loan from Real Madrid.
My Prediction: Denmark takes this in shoot out/penalty kicks or 2-1 fashion. Wales are pesky enough to get one, but Denmark will find a way to carry the wagon especially as it rolls through Amsterdam. I like Poulsen to get a goal anytime, +195ish, and continue his goal streak to 3.
- Italy (#10) vs Austria (#23) – 6/26/21 3pm EST. Wembley Stadium, England.
Tale of the tape: Italy (-222) are a red, white, and green WAGON! I like this squad A LOT from top to bottom. They come into this match winning all 3 pool play games “to nil” or no goals against and continue the overall streak to 11! Like I said with aggressive Italian hand gestures this time, this team is a WAGON! Italian goalie Donnaruma just got paid by PSG, Chiesa #14 is a wonderkid for Juventus, Jorginho won champions league with Chelsea, etc. Squad is stacked and their manager Mancini has the recipe to take this squad for a deep push. Austria (+700) got a tough draw here and David Alaba, Bayern Munich stud, will try to make as many plays as he can for his out-matched squad. I would not be surprised if they get a goal, but I would be HIGHLY flabbergasted if they win.
My Prediction: Italy should comfortably take this, but Austria has held their own in every match, generating some quality chances each half. This will be the best squad they have faced since England beat them 1-0 5 games ago and even still, they put on a good fight. 2-0 and the streak continues but Austria, massive dark horse to win, are pesky enough to maybe break the streak.
- Netherlands (#14) vs Czech Republic (#43) – 6/27/21 12pm. Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Tale of the tape: Netherlands (-154) who were once considered doubtful to make it out of pool play, have pressed the easy button and cruised to some 3 quality victories. Not the greatest first half team but they have the youth and experience to capitalize when it matters. Backline consisting of starters and Serie A hogs de Ligt, Juventus, and de Vrij, Inter Milan, will shut down so many stout offenses. Patrik Schick, Bayer Leverkusen, and Tomas Soucek, West Ham, are the two and only stars for Czech Republic (+425) who have been trying to push their team as hard as they can but they seem to not be able to find that win vs top opponents. They have the toughest task so far in an away game and seemingly lacking the power they need to break this defense.
My Prediction: Netherlands coast to a comfortable 2-0 win. Memphis Depay just got paid to go play with Messi in Barcelona so he’s playing on loads of adrenaline right now especially after a 1 goal and 2 assist night vs North Macedonia previously. Netherlands squad is sprinkled with some quality guys to hold the line while the stars become the difference makers. Czech Republic are creative enough to cause a good game but once it gets to the second half, Netherlands will dominate.
- Belgium (#1) vs Portugal (#5) – 6/27/21 3pm EST Seville, Spain.
Tale of the tape: Belgium (+140) enter this match as top of the Euro ranking food chain with the 3 headed dragon of Romelu Lukaku, Inter Milan, Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, and Eden Hazard, Real Madrid. I cannot stress enough how potent and aggressive this team is while being so fun to watch. On the other side, we have Juventus super star and one of the greatest to lace them up, Christiano Ronaldo who is tied at 109 goals for the record of most Euro goals scored by a single player. He is on a 4 game goal streak with 6 goals during that span, so you can see why Portugal (+200) will look to get on the board early and often. Being so close to Spain, Portugal fans will be flocking to the stadium which will make this marquee matchup shine even brighter.
My Prediction: This is a must watch game. I have a small futures bet on Belgium but I see over 2.5 hitting easily and Belgium getting 2 goals which will extend their record to 26 out of 28 games to score 2+ goals. Portugal to upset would be an amazing thing to watch but the draw no bet at +102 is nice parlay material on a second option, especially with Portugal fans most likely outnumbering Belgium fans 6-1. 3-1/4-1 Belgium
- Croatia (#11) vs Spain (#6) – 6/28/21 12pm EST. Parken, Denmark.
Tale of the tape: Spain (-167) has a nice shot at the championship with a loaded squad from Man City and Barcelona alone and put on an offensive clinic last game against Slovakia. Morata, Juventus, is the Spanish Ronaldo and looks to keep at it again with such a creative mid field behind him. Croatia (+500) has a tall but not unreasonable task in front of them given the experience and skill they have. Mainly in the mid field led by Real Madrid stud and Croatian stalwart Luka Modric, with Ivan Perisic, Inter Milan reserve but Croatian beast, these two alone have been to numerous Euro’s and can shoulder a lot of game. Sprinkle in some mid field presence and you have a very complete midfield if not top 5 in tournament. This will lowkey be a great watch to start a Monday!
My prediction: It’s a tough call. Which Spain is going to show up, the loaded and talented roster with end-to-end game of Spain or are we going to get the park the bus and play it safe Spain to which Croatia can take advantage of with some free kicks? 2-1 Spain, but once again this is the toughest one to call.
- France (#2) vs Switzerland (#16) – 6/28/21 3pm EST. National Arena, Romania.
Tale of the tape: France (-190) are geared for a deep push at the Euro championship. Mbappe, PSG stallion, is a French wonderkid and dynamo that has been held scoreless so far but is always dangerous. Deep, elite roster and pedigree behind it makes France a nice favorite for the overall tourney. Benzema, Real Madrid stud, had two goals last game vs Portugal to counter Ronaldo aka Penaldo, because of how many penalty goals he takes, as he gets two penalty goals. Switzerland (+600) have hero Xherdan Sahqri, Liverpool depth stud, who got 2 goals last game and Switzerland’s and EPL Arsenal clubs captain Granit Xhaka who both will try to put their finest on display. Only top 10 opponents so far this year was Italy and they lost 3-0 without much of a serious threat.
My prediction: France is a wagon!! They are stacked really well and have the depth to beat different style teams. One of the fan favorites Giroud on France is always a great watch when he gets subbed in. Swiss will have a tough task to even get 1 against the PSG and France defensive duo of Kimpembe and Varrane but we will see if the former plays due to getting a yellow card in the previous game. France has Kante and Pogba out on the field at the same time which is one of the greatest 1-2 punches you can have. 2-0 3-0 France
- England (#4) vs Germany (#13) – 6/29/21 12pm EST. Wembley Stadium, England
Tale of the tape: England (+150) vs Germany (+190) is such a great matchup for the first round of Euro 2020. Prestigious and favorite England have such a skilled, defensive, and possession-based squad. What they boast in tactics and overall play, they lack the ball luck and execution to blow out a team. Past 5 games have been 4 1-0 wins and 1 0-0 draw to Scotland. Germany on the other hand can be a menace with how much firepower they have. Kai Havertz, Chelsea big star and Champions League Champion, is in a helluva form! Guy is practically oozing lava he’s that hot. German and Bayern Munich legends like Hummels and Kroos in the center and Manuel Neuer in net are always a dangerous team to play. Once again the rosters are loaded and this will be an interesting matchup between a total defense and total attack matchup.
My prediction: I’m going with this reaching penalty kicks. Back and forth all game, maybe 0 goals maybe 6 by the end but there will surely be come extra ball in this. This is a home game for England 200%. Something tells me England will falter like they usually do, somehow, and matched with a more internationally experienced Germany, I can see Germany getting by. Draw no bet any team really is not a bad call or playing the corners since both teams will definitely be botting that thing into the stands often. Ehhhhh really tough call, I’m pretty torn on this one. I really see both teams scoring or neither.
- Sweden (#21) vs Ukraine (#24) – 6/29/21 3pm EST. Hampden Park, Scotland.
Tale of the tape: Sweden (+125) looks to close up the first round of Euros with a somewhat home victory at Scotland. Sweden at 8-2 still in home matches and have won their past 5, drawing 1. Led by RB Leipzig stud Emil Forsberg, 3 goals in past 2 games, and Manchester United depth stud Victor Lindelof who shores up the defense, Sweden look to continue their winning ways. Ukraine is almost a mirror shape of Sweden on paper as in led by two stars as Oleksandr Zinchenko, Manchester City stud, and Rusian Malinovsky, Atalanta stud, who look to spur their team into a quality underdog win. Both squads look to create of turnovers and free kicks so every whistle will be something to keep an eye on.
My prediction: Sweden takes this 8/10 times and should do it comfortably with a 2-1 victory, Ukraine getting a second half goal. I wouldn’t be shocked if Ukraine takes them OT and/or scraps a quality fight late. Sweden on the other hand are solid on the home performances and even a quality 0-0 tie vs Spain. Ukraine in their last 8 away matches have 6 losses and 2 draws. Definitely not a good road team so makes me feel all the better about this nice +125 Sweden Moneyline
