After 13 straight days of mind-blowing international football across several prestigious venues in Europe, the group stage of Euro 2020 has finally come to an end.
It’s been a spectacle of brilliance, a few inexplicable results, and rampant own goals (a huge eight have been scored so far). Now, eight teams of the 24 have been sent packing, with the rest set to face the knockout rounds.
The first knockout round will serve us eight promising encounters with which we can delightfully feed our eyes. Most, if not all, of the coming games are tough to predict, and it’s hard to tell which teams will make it into the quarter-finals.
Yet, there are odds-on favorites to win each of the said high-profile encounters.
In this piece, we analyze each of these Round of 16 games, predicting the likeliest teams to progress and giving all tips you will need if you desire to bet on any of the games.
1. Belgium vs. Portugal
This is unarguably the biggest encounter of the round – world no. 1 against the defending champions Portugal. The Red Devils were ruthless in the group stages, amassing maximum nine points and notably only conceding once. In contrast, Portugal didn’t have it all rosy in Group F dubbed Group of Death as they hard to settle for third place behind France and Germany.
Without doubt, Belgium are marginal favorites for this encounter but the game will not be all for Roberto Martinez’s men to lose as Portugal themselves have been a free-scoring team. For a fact, Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates have scored 2+ goals in all of their three group games. Notwithstanding, Belgium should win, possibly by a small margin. Also, we can expect many goals from both sides, so it may be wise checking the Over 1.5 bet for this game.
2. Italy vs. Austria
The Azzurri have been nothing short of brilliant so far in this competition. They are one of only two teams (together with England) that are yet to concede in this competition. They easily topped Group A with maximum nine points and seven goals. They will definitely be too powerful for David Alaba-inspired Austria, who on the other hand finished runners-up in Group C with six points. A win for Italy is the best bet, and when you consider their astonishing clean sheet record you should consider staking on Italy to Win to Nil.
3. France vs. Switzerland
This encounter is undoubtedly France’s to lose. The world champions haven’t been outrightly convincing in this tourney so far, but considering the gulf between them and Switzerland in talent availability, it’s clear Les Bleus have no excuse losing this encounter. Going by record, Didier Deschamps’ men are known to turn on the style in the knockouts, so your Total Goal bet should be Over 2.5 or even more.
4. Croatia vs. Spain
Spain have endured a slow start to this competition but their impressive 5-0 thrashing of Slovakia on Wednesday suggests they may have actually gotten their acts together. Meanwhile, Croatia have had a similar fate. Indeed, the Blazers have appeared toothless without their now retired talisman Mario Mandzukic. This encounter will most likely be very close, it could even be a drab contest that will only be decided by a penalty shootout. Total goals will most likely be Under 1.5.
5. Wales vs. Denmark
The Danes did the seemingly impossible on Monday, sealing automatic qualification after finishing second in Group B with only three points having lost both of their first group games. Their big 4-1 win over Russia was enough to get them a favorable goal difference. Gareth Bales and Wales have had their hopes high, especially after their hard-fought 2-0 win over Turkey on Matchday 2, but Denmark appear to be the slightly better side for this game. In fact, their spirited display in their recent win-or-die encounter with Russia shows they have that crucial zeal to go far in this competition.
6. Netherlands vs. Czech Republic
The Oranje have scored the most goals in this competition so far (8). Just like Belgium and Italy, they also finished the group stages with maximum nine points. The Czechs, on the other hand, have had to rely on the individual brilliance of Patrick Schick who’s scored all their three goals in the group stages. A win for Netherland is almost certain but Czech won’t go out without a fight, so it’s smart having your GG/NG bet checked Yes for this game.
7. England vs. Germany
England didn’t concede any goal in the group stages but they haven’t been convincing still as they only managed two goals from their three games. Germany, for who they are, pose a big threat, and although they have their failings in defense – as seen in Wednesday’s surprising 2-2 draw with Hungary – they are favorites for this encounter.
8. Sweden vs. Ukraine
Sweden have had a quite brilliant tournament so far – finishing top of a Group E that has Spain, Poland and Slovakia is no mean task. Conversely, Ukraine (1W, 2L) haven’t been really impressive. A Sweden win is the best bet. Also, you should consider staking on striker Alexander Isak giving an assist as he’s been their most creative player so far.
You can bet on Euro 2020 games and all other interesting international encounters including those from the ongoing Copa America on NetBet Nigeria. You would definitely be fascinated by our wide market varieties for games like these.