Home of football statistics and historyThe 2024 UEFA European Championship is around the corner, and fans’ excitement is starting to grow exponentially as the 2023/24 club season reaches the final stretch.
After missing out on back-to-back FIFA World Cups, defending holders Italy travel to Germany desperate to make amends and become only the second nation in the Euros history to win two consecutive titles.
Only the famous tiki-taka generation of Spanish superstars achieved that feat in 2008 and 2012, setting the benchmark for other continental heavyweights.
To say Italy’s task is daunting would be an understatement, especially considering the strength of their fellow competitors, as best illustrated by Euro betting odds. In addition to host nation Germany, star-studded England and beaten 2022 World Cup finalists, France tops the bookmakers’ lists for tournament favourites.
Let’s look at the best bets for the upcoming tournament.
Who will win Euro 2024?
According to numerous leading bookmakers, England and France are the joint-favourites to dethrone Italy this summer.
Gareth Southgate’s side will hope to do better than they did in the 2020 edition, when they suffered a grand-final heartache at Wembley Stadium.
With Harry Kane set to miss out on a long-awaited title in his first season at Bayern Munich, Euro 2024 emerges as his next big chance to take home a piece of silverware.
However, England’s long-standing struggles at the final tournaments cast doubt on their lofty ambitions, putting Les Bleus in pole position to add to their 2018 World Cup triumph.
Didier Deschamps’ men, inspired by the mercurial Kylian Mbappe, came as close as they got to defending the crown in Qatar, only to lose to Argentina after a nail-biting penalty shootout.
Prediction: France
MVP
Had France conquered the Qatar showpiece, Mbappe would’ve been the best player of the tournament, but he was unlucky to face Lionel Messi.
If Les Bleus climb to the top of the continent for the first time since 2000, there’s no doubt he’ll be the likeliest candidate to claim the MVP award, perhaps in his final act as a Paris Saint-Germain player.
As per Spanish outlet Fichajes, Les Parisiens have already identified Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka as Mbappe’s replacement, with the 25-year-old superstar destined to join Real Madrid after years of speculation.
Prediction: Kylian Mbappe
Top Scorer
You’d expect Mbappe to be in the running for the top-scorer award after securing the Golden Boot in Qatar with eight goals, yet he’ll have to beat several prolific strikers to replicate that feat.
Kane is always the first name that springs to mind, even though his tendency to disappear from the big stage only subsided in the last World Cup tournament.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur ace has recently backed his Bayern teammate Eric Dier to make the cut after reviving his faltering career at the Allianz Arena, claims the Metro.
But let’s get back to the topic. Much will depend on how far the two sides get, but there’s a feeling we’ll see them in the semi-finals at least.
While Mbappe may have to share the scoring stakes with the likes of Olivier Giroud and Marcus Thuram, Kane has been England’s most consistent source of goals down the years.
As such, we back the Englishman to win the prize.
Prediction: Harry Kane
Germany to bow out in group stages
It looks like a bizarre idea, yet the Germans have been in a steady decline in recent years, as most recently witnessed by their premature World Cup elimination.
Drawn together with Hungary, Scotland and Switzerland in a competitive-looking Group A, Julian Nagelsmann’s lads can’t take progression into the knockout stages for granted.
Indeed, their post-World Cup form has been nothing short of miserable, with only three wins from 11 internationals (D2, L6), including some catastrophic results against Japan (1-4) and Colombia (0-2).
Given the odds, it appears to be a value bet.
Dark Horses
Portugal’s household reputation in world football hardly makes them dark horses, but the bookies think so, placing them as only the fifth-likeliest title contenders.
New manager Roberto Martinez has sprung a renaissance within the national team after replacing Fernando Santos in the dugout, leading the Selecao to their first-ever 100% Euro qualifying campaign.
They’ll have an added motive to make a standout result in Germany as this will be Cristiano Ronaldo’s last major tournament with the national team.
Ronaldo’s never-ending hunger for success will be the Euro 2016 winners’ driving force, and with an array of top-class players behind the veteran icon, Portugal could upset the apple cart.
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