The delayed 2020 European Championship is set to kick off on Friday June 11th in staggered locations across Europe.
The competition which is held every four years was supposed to be held in June 2020, but the COVID-19 situation of the world at the time forced UEFA to postpone the tournament until now.
The last edition in 2016 was held in France and won by Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. For punters interested in betting on football, the Euros seem like a good time to earn some money.
Here, we would look at five of the teams that we think stand the best chances of winning the title.
France (Les Bleus)
If not France, who else can be considered for the trophy? The French national team won the FIFA World Cup in 2018 and will be looking to emulate Spain who were the last team to hold both the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championship simultaneously.
Les Bleus have been definitely given a boost by the return of Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema after 6 years away from the international stage.
In his absence, Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud has shown that he is a capable number 9 for the French national side. Adding these two to an attack force that also boasts of Kylian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembele, Wissam Ben Yedder, and Marcus Thuram spells danger for any defence in the world.
Adding their midfield pair of N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba to the mix sees the French as proper contenders for the title.
They have no weak spots in their squad and should be able to brush off any opposition on their way to the title. They are in Group F alongside Germany, Portugal and Hungary.
Germany (Die Mannschaft)
Joachim Low will be looking to win the European Championship title that has evaded him since his appointment as manager of Die Mannschaft.
Germany boasts of elite talent such as Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane, Joshua Kimmich, Timo Werner, Jamal Musiala and the likes of Robin Gosens and Ilkay Gundogan.
Low’s decision to hand recalls to veterans Thomas Muller and Mats Hummels may prove a shrewd choice that propels them to glory in the tournament.
Adding the experience of the likes of Toni Kroos, Manuel Neuer and Antonio Rudiger to the young talent in the squad, Germany stand a very good chance of going all the way.
Belgium (The Red Devils)
The Red Devils’ Golden generation is quickly waning, and this may be the best time for them to finally pick up an international trophy.
Romelu Lukaku just had the season of his life, leading Inter Milan to a first Scudetto in a decade, and the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois are quickly running out of time to win an international title with their national team.
They have a better chance than most other teams in the competition, and may find the needed grit to go all the way.
England (Three Lions)
On the back of a dominant season by English teams, it is impossible to overlook the possibility of England going all the way in the competition, especially with their fearsome-looking frontline of Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish.
This English squad can go all the way if they can find the right balance, as they have all the necessary tools for the job.
Portugal (A Seleção)
The Portuguese national team won the last European championship despite being unfancied throughout the tournament.
The side contains some of Europe’s finest players, including the evergreen Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Renato Sanches, Joao Cancelo, Andre Silva, Bernardo Silva and Pepe.
They would need to navigate their way past Germany, France and Hungary in the group stage to stand a chance.
We are not ruling out the Italians who could also be a dark horse.
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