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Best Group Matches of UEFA Euro 2020
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Following a 12 month delay, Euro 2020 is almost finally upon us, with the tournament set to kick-off in less than a month in Rome. In what has been an agonising period for football fans across the planet, the return of supporters to the championships ensures this summer's tournament is one of the most keenly anticipated in living memory.
Twenty-four of the continent's top nations will compete for the right to be crowned kings of Europe, with heavyweight sides including Spain, France, England, Belgium and champions Portugal, all amongst the early betting favourites. Of course, this tournament has a history of throwing up a surprise winner, with Greece and Denmark among the smaller nations to emerge as champions in recent decades.
Still, while we aren′t predicting a winner just yet, we have taken a close look at each of the groups and picked out our favourite fixtures, with some fascinating matchups set to take place in the coming weeks.
As usual, if you’re looking for betting opportunities, we will be preparing tips and predictions for the tournament along with our UEFA Euro betting sites review.
- Group A – Italy vs Turkey - Venue Stadio Olimpico (Roma) June 11th
- Group B – Denmark vs Finland - Parken Arena (Copenhagen), June 12th
- Group C – Netherlands vs North Macedonia - Johan Cruijff Arena (Amsterdam), June 21st
- Group D – England vs Scotland - Wembley Stadium, (London), June 18th
- Group E – Sweden vs Poland - Venue Saint-Petersburg Stadium (St. Petersburg), June 23rd
- Group F – Portugal vs France - Puskás Aréna (Budapest) June 23rd
Group A – Italy vs Turkey – Venue Stadio Olimpico (Roma) June 11th
The opening match of the tournament and a clash of the two strongest teams in the group sees Italy entertaining Turkey in Rome's famous Stadio Olimpico for what promises to be an exciting opener to this summer's festivities.
The Italians come into this competition as dark horses and 7th favourites in pre-tournament betting, priced up at 12/1 odds, and while other nations might be considered more likely to go all the way, this Italian side has improved significantly under Roberto Mancini in recent years and could prove a tough nut to crack come the knockout phase.
Of course, this Italian team lacks the star names of years gone by, but they come into this event with plenty of confidence, currently unbeaten since 2018 (25 games) and should expect to start the tournament with nothing less than 3 points against the Turks.
Still, Turkey represents a tough opener for the Azzurri with ?enol Güne? side impressing in recent fixtures, including a handsome 4:2 win over the Netherlands in World Cup qualifying earlier this year. They also saw off France during their qualifying run for this event.
Unfortunately, history is not on the Turks side, with Italy unbeaten in all previous eight meetings between the sides dating back to 1964 and with the Italians boasting home advantage, we also expect the Italians to kick off their campaign with all 3 points.
Group B – Denmark vs Finland – Parken Arena (Copenhagen), June 12th
Making their tournament debut, Finland begins their campaign with a Scandinavian derby against a strong looking Denmark side in Copenhagen.
Indeed, having qualified for their first-ever international tournament, ending a run of 32 failed qualifying campaigns, the Finns will be full of energy and excitement for this opener against a local rival in a fixture that dates back almost 100 years.
While Finland comes into this competition as serious outsiders, priced up at 500/1 to win the tournament outright, they have shown serious improvement in qualifying for this event, with British based stars Glen Kamara and Teemu Pukki displaying their quality on the international stage with the Norwich forward bagging an outstanding ten goals during qualifying.
Of course, the Danes represent a serious test for the Finns with Kasper Hjulmand′s side currently 10th in the FIFA World Rankings and given their recent form, which has seen them win 8 of their last 9, including a hugely impressive 4:0 win in Austria, they should be considered big favourites for this derby match.
Still, in what surely represents one of, if not the biggest game in Finland's history, a tasty and possibly feisty affair should ensure with the Danes ultimately proving too strong for a game opponent.
Group C – Netherlands vs North Macedonia – Johan Cruijff Arena (Amsterdam), June 21st
On paper, this fixture looks like one of the biggest mismatches in the history of the European Championship, but North Macedonia, making their first-ever international tournament appearance, will be hungry to make their mark when they take on the Dutch in Amsterdam in the final round of fixtures in Group C.
Having been the beneficiary of the 2nd chance Nations League qualification route, North Macedonia enters the tournament as rank outsiders, priced up at 1000/1 to claim the ultimate prize.
While that might prove a little beyond Igor Angelovski′s side, the Macedonians, led by the ever-green Goran Pandev, will be hopeful of at least causing problems in a group alongside Austria and Ukraine and in this fixture, will be especially keen to cause another major upset, having stunned Germany in World Cup qualifying in March this year.
Holland, priced up as 8th favourites at 12/1 will be without their inspirational centre-back Virgil Van Dijk but should still be confident of having qualification already wrapped up when they enter this fixture. However, they should be prepared for a tough battle against a proud nation desperate to make a big impact in their first-ever appearance at a European Championship.
Group D – England vs Scotland – Wembley Stadium, (London), June 18th
The oldest fixture in International football, dating back to 1872, Scotland, appearing in their first major tournament in 23 years, travels the short distance to London and Wembley Stadium to take on old rivals England in a fixture that rarely disappoints.
While England certainly enters this historical fixture as big favourites, the Scots will be hugely determined to impress, having ended their long wait to qualify for a major tournament, having last qualified for the World Cup in 1998.
Of course, with Gareth Southgate′s side boasting exceptional talent and an embarrassment of riches in the attacking positions, the Scots will undoubtedly be up against it but have shown real improvement in the past couple of years under former WBA manager Steve Clarke.
Led by Liverpool full-back Andy Robertson, this Scottish side has plenty of Premier League quality in the likes of Kieran Tierney and John McGinn, while the pace of Southampton forward Che Adams should give the Scots more cutting edge in attack. While underdogs, Clarke′s side should not be discounted in a fixture where so often they have raised their game to cause some considerable concern for their great rivals, including in their most recent meeting, a 2:2 draw in Glasgow back in 2017.
Ultimately, with the likes of Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling in the attacking positions, England should be expected to have the edge, but given the passion and history of this fixture, a potentially classic encounter could ensue.
Group E – Sweden vs Poland – Venue Saint-Petersburg Stadium (St. Petersburg), June 23rd
Perhaps not the most glamorous of fixtures on paper, this one could prove crucial in the battle for qualification from Group E. With Spain expected to top the section, this contest has the feel of a potentially decisive one, with both sides expecting to progress to the round of 16. Of course, with only two guaranteed spots up for grabs, this contest will likely decide who joins the Spanish in the knock-out phase.
Unfortunately for the Swedes, they will be without veteran legend, Zlatan Ibrahimovic who, having reversed his international retirement decision earlier this year, was forced to rule himself out of the finals with a lingering knee injury suffered on club duty with Milan.
However, Poland should be able to call on their experienced talisman with Robert Lewandowski, fresh off another record-breaking season at Bayern, leading their line alongside the talented Arkadiuz Milik.
The bustling Bayern striker bagged another 47 goals with the German champions in this past campaign and now has a remarkable 293 in just seven seasons with the Bavarians.
With 66 goals for his country, Lewandowski is crucial to Polish success and, in this fixture, could prove decisive against a Swedish side that, while missing Zlatan, still boasts plenty of youthful talent in the shape of Alexander Isaak and Dejan Kusulevski, to name but two.
Group F – Portugal vs France – Puskás Aréna (Budapest) June 23rd
Surely the biggest game in the group stages, current European Champions Portugal takes on World Champions France in the final round of fixtures from the star-nation stacked Group F.
With fellow big gun Germany also in this section, alongside a talented but inexperienced Hungary, this mouthwatering fixture, a re-match of the 2016 final, should prove vital in deciding the final qualifying positions, with one of those three mentioned big nations potentially stumbling out in the first phase.
Led by their veteran goal-getter-in-chief, Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese now boast a wealth of attacking talent to support the Juventus forward and should be expected to make a strong defence of their crown, even if they do find themselves in the tournament's “Group of Death”.
Surely the biggest game in the group stages, current European Champions Portugal takes on World Champions France in the final round of fixtures from the star-nation stacked Group F.
Of course, France, who have surprisingly recalled Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema following a 6-year absence from the national team, enter this tournament as joint betting favourites (with England) at 5/1 with coach Didier Deschamps boasting a squad full of exquisite and experienced talent.
Indeed, the addition of Benzema only adds to an impressive array of attacking options, including hotshot Kyllian Mbappe, Antoine Griezmann and veteran Olivier Giroud.
Given the depth of talent likely to be on show, and the expected importance of this fixture, we are sure to see an intense and exciting clash of two of the tournament's best sides.
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