The month of June marks the beginning of the Euro 2021 Group stage, when the ball rolls to those responsible for the opening game, on the 11th: Turkey vs Italy, a duel valid for Group A.
From then on it will be a month of elite European football, which begins with the group stage of Euro 2021 and continues until the grand final, scheduled for July 11 at Wembley Stadium in London (England).
There is a lot to say about the teams that are in the Euro 2021 groups, considering the composition of each bracket, the duels already scheduled and the possible crossings. We will see all this in this article that aims to prepare the sports fan for the Euro 2021 groups and everything that will come after.
The best bookmakers to bet on Euro 2020
Group A: Turkey / Italy / Wales / Switzerland
All eyes will be on Rome’s Olympic Stadium on June 11, where the grand opening of the Euro 2021 group stage takes place. The opening game is Turkey vs Italy, and there begins what will be an almost uninterrupted month of football. of selections.
Italy comes from difficult years, but is ready to shake the dust and shake off the bad phase. Meanwhile, Wales is experiencing a renaissance of its football, with good talent but still fragile in terms of the team.
Turkey and Switzerland are unpredictable teams, but the former rely on the cohesion of a tight squad, and the latter bet on their famous defense, which is still strong, but does not command as much respect as in past decades.
Our prediction for Group A
Italy is the most obvious force to win the group, but there is little care, as the performance of the 2006 world champions has worsened with each season, culminating in their non-participation in the 2018 World Cup.
The second force, according to bookmakers, is Switzerland; Turkey, however, is very close to the Turks in terms of odds. Wales, on the other hand, have individual talents, but as a team they are weak and hardly advance.
Group B: Denmark / Finland / Belgium / Russia
While not necessarily a “Group of Death”, Group B is one of the most unpredictable of the entire Euro 2021 group stage. There are three very competent teams and a clear underdog, so the fight promises.
Belgium, above the others, appears as the strongest candidate in the group. In addition to a generation of exceptional players, the Belgians have a third-place finish in the last World Cup. Russia and Denmark, each in their own way, are fighting for the second spot.
Naturally, the weakest team in the group is Finland, but even so, the Finns deserve respect for having beaten, in the Qualifiers, teams with more tradition, such as Bosnia and Greece. It remains to be seen if the Nordic team will have the strength to debunk top-tier rivals
Our prediction for Group B
Belgium should be crowned champions of this Euro 2021 group bracket with ease, and the odds show it (average of 1.7). This is not to say that it will be easy to play against, mainly, Denmark and Russia, but still the favoritism is clear.
The Russians and Danes are likely to fight each other for the second spot, and whoever finishes third is likely to enter the playoffs via a third-place play-off. This is also the hope of the underdog in the class, by the way, Finland.
Group C: Netherlands / Ukraine / Austria / North Macedonia
Group C has a peculiarity: it is the only group whose representatives were all left out of the last World Cup. It’s a group, even so, with an obvious favorite, but it’s still the one among the Euro 2021 groups that looks weakest.
The Netherlands are the key power, even more playing their games at Johan Cruijff in Amsterdam. The first game should be the most challenging: Holland vs Ukraine, pitting the traditional A Clockwork Orange against the second strongest of the bunch.
The merit of the Ukrainian National Team was, mainly, to have beaten Portugal in the Euro 2021 Qualifiers groups, and therefore it is the most highly rated to be second in the group. Austria and North Macedonia, countries with very little football tradition, are out.
Our prediction for Group C
Despite having been left out of the last World Cup, the Netherlands are clear favorites in their group, with very low average odds of classification (1.4 or less). The contest must be for the second spot.
The favorites for bookmakers is Ukraine, who had an excellent Qualifiers before reaching the Euro 2021 group stage. Austria and North Macedonia, two of the weakest in the competition, should only qualify via third place, and with luck.
Group D: England / Croatia / Czech Republic / Scotland
Euro Group D is one of those whose champion seems clear from the first moment: England. The England team is one of the big favorites to be champions of the tournament, and they shouldn’t suffer in their group.
In addition to the English favourites, Croatia appears as the second power, which is why the opening match of the Euro 2021 group stage is the most important: on June 13, England vs Croatia will make Wembley shake.
The Czech Republic and Scotland run out, but the Scots have some familiar names on the European scene and the home factor to give them strength. The Czech Republic, in turn, is committed to the cohesion of the squad, considering that 13 athletes frequently called up play in the country’s league, seven of them in the same team (Slavia Praga).
Our prediction for Group D
Although England are clear favourites, it is possible to expect a good fight for the second spot. The English have champion odds not only for their Euro 2021 group bracket, but for the tournament as a whole.
Second place should go to Croatia, runners-up in the world in 2018, but be careful with Czechs and Scots. One of them will almost certainly be at least among the best third teams in the Euro 2021 group stage.
Group E: Spain / Sweden / Poland / Slovakia
Group E underwent changes in its headquarters, which would be Bilbao and Dublin, but became Seville and Saint Petersburg. The cities host the Euro 2021 group stage matches of group E, a group that has a clearly favorite team, two fighting for the third spot and a more obvious underdog – but, of course, anything can happen.
The first round will have Poland v Slovakia and Spain v Sweden, and good games are expected in both cases, but the matches of the Spanish national team tend to be the highlight of this group in the group stage of Euro 2021.
Let’s analyze, below, who should fight for a direct spot, who dreams of the repechage and who is more likely to be left out, according to bookmakers.
Our prediction for Group E
Spain, world champions in 2010 and powerhouse of world football since before that, are the big favorites in the group. Bookmakers give odds less than 1.5 for the Spaniards to finish in the lead.
The second favorite team is Poland, with odds averaging 6.0. Sweden should fight for third place at most, with odds at 8.0, on average. Slovakia, after all, is in the underdog position, and hardly advances from the Euro 2021 groups.
Group F: Hungary / Portugal / France / Germany
By far the most difficult and balanced group of the Euro 2021 group stage, the F group has everything to have excellent games at a very high level from the beginning. We are talking about the bracket with the last two world champions teams and the current Euro champions together.
The matches will be in Munich (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary). The first round of the group will be on June 15, when they face Hungary x Portugal and France x Germany. That day also marks the last of the first round of the Euro 2021 group stage.
Let’s see, in detail, what we can expect from this group, rightly dubbed the Death Group.
Our prediction for Group F
It doesn’t take effort to realize that Hungary is lost here and, for that very reason, appears last in the predictions of all bookmakers. The other three teams, however, must fight at a very high level.
Most bookmakers place Germany as a favourite, but France is very close in terms of odds. Portugal is considered the third force, but it can surprise and, in the worst case, fight for the teams with the best third-place campaign.
Summary of EURO 2020 groups and favorites
A group:
Headquarters: Rome (Italy) and Baku (Azerbaijan)
Favorite: Italy
Group B:
Headquarters: Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Copenhagen (Denmark)
Favorite: Belgium
Group C:
Headquarters: Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Bucharest (Romania)
Favorite: Holland
Group D:
Headquarters: London (England) and Glasgow (Scotland)
Favorite: england
Group E:
Headquarters: Seville (Spain) and Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Favorite: Spain
Group F:
Headquarters: Munich (Germany) and Budapest (Hungary)
Favorite: Germany