Later today, the final games of the Group Stages of Euro 2020 will take place as the eight teams in Groups E and F finish the first phase of the tournament. We already know that Sweden in Group E and France in Group F have qualified for the Round of 16. The question is, which teams will join them.
Given UEFA have come up with a somewhat inordinately complex method of deciding who the four best third placed finishers will be, and who they will play, all we know for certain is that on Saturday, the Round of 16 will kick off in Amsterdam with Wales taking on Denmark, while a few hours later at Wembley Roberto Mancini’s impressive Italy will face Austria.
Alongside those teams, we do know that Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Croatia have
qualified for the latter stages. We also know that Switzerland and the Czech Republic will qualify as two of the four best third-placed teams, we just don’t know who they will play yet until the last group games have been decided.
So with that in mind, we have decided to focus on the two big games on Saturday to kick off the Round of 16 at the Euros and of course, if you fancy a bet on any of these games, or indeed just want a top quality football betting service provider, then bet365 Sport is a wise choice.
If you are based in the United States and are following all the action at the Euros then BetRivers Sportsbook offers a great range of bets on the competition and on soccer as a whole. You can also access the site across multiple states.
So let’s take a look at Saturday’s two big games in a bit more detail, giving you the latest on the teams competing and of course, our tips on what bets to back on the game.
Euros Round of 16 – Saturday 26th June
Denmark v Wales
- Venue – Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam
- Kick Off – 5pm GMT
- Head To Head – 10 Games, Wales 4 wins (9 goals), Denmark 6 wins (12 goals), 0 Draws.
- Last Match – November 2018 – Wales 1-2 Denmark (Bale 89; Jorgensen 42, Braithwaite 88)
This first Round of 16 clash pits the two teams that finished second in Group A (Wales) against the team that also finished second in Group B (Denmark).
Wales Group A Performance
- Wales V Switzerland – D 1-1 (Moore)
- Wales V Turkey – W 2-0 (Ramsey, C.Roberts)
- Wales V Italy – L 0-1
Group A Record
Played 3, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 1, For 3, Against 2, Points 4 (2nd place)
Wales Notes
The Welsh did remarkably well to qualify from what looked like a tough group on paper. Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey have been their standout players in the first phase, but the likes of Joe Allen, Danny Ward, Daniel James, Kieffer Moore and Joe Rodon have all played key roles too.
The Welsh reached the semifinals back in 2016, losing to eventual winners Portugal and they won’t fear the Danes. Caretaker manager Rob Page has already delivered above expectations in qualifying from the group and the pressure is off the Welsh as they settle into the underdog role.
Ethan Ampadu will be suspended for this game after receiving a red card in the game against Italy.
Probable Wales Team – (4-2-3-1) – Ward, Roberts.C, Davies.B, Mepham, Rodon, Allen, Morrell, James, Ramsey, Bale, Moore.
Denmark Group B Performance
- Denmark V Finland – L 0-1
- Denmark V Belgium – L 1-2 (Poulsen)
- Denmark V Russia – W 4-1 (Damsgaard, Poulsen, Christensen, Maehle)
Group B Record
Played 3, Won 1, Drawn 0, Lost 2, For 5, Against 4, Points 3 (2nd place)
Denmark Notes
After the trauma of Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest in their opening game, Denmark have done incredibly well to qualify from Group B, albeit they did so thanks to goal difference. After the emotional loss to Finland, the Danes played very well against Belgium but still lost the game but then produced a sensational display to despatch Russia 4-1 and combined with Belgium’s 2-0 win over Finland, that saw the Danes clinch second in the group.
Mikkel Damsgaard has been the eye-catching player for Denmark so far, while Poulsen has netted two goals. Martin Braithwaite and Thomas Delaney have been industrious while Simon Kjaer and Kasper Schmeichel have been very solid defensively. Southampton’s Sander Vestergaard has been a real threat from set pieces too.
Probable Denmark Team – (3-4-3) – Schmeichel, Christensen, Vestergaard, Kjaer, Wass, Maehle, Delaney, Hojbjerg, Damsgaard, Braithwaite, Poulsen
Our Tips For Wales v Denmark
- Match Result – Draw – 9/4
- Correct Score – Wales 1-1 Denmark – 6/1
- Anytime Goalscorer – Gareth Bale – 13/5
Italy v Austria
- Venue – Wembley Stadium, London
- Kick Off – 8pm GMT
- Head To Head – 36 Games, Italy 16 wins (47 goals), Austria 12 wins (55 goals), 8 Draws.
- Last Match – November 2018 – Wales 1-2 Denmark (Bale 89; Jorgensen 42, Braithwaite 88)
After qualifying from Group A with a 100% winning record, scoring seven goals and without conceding, Italy will now face Group C runner’s up Austria in their Round of 16 clash at Wembley.
Italy Group A Performance
- Italy V Turkey – W 3-0 (Demiral OG, Immobile, Insigne)
- Italy V Switzerland – W 3-0 (Locatelli 2, Immobile)
- Italy V Wales – W 1-0 (Pessina)
Group A Record
Played 3, Won 3, Drawn 0, Lost 0, For 7, Against 0, Points 9 (1st place)
Italy Notes
No team in the tournament has been quite as impressive as Italy. They have won all of their last ten games and not conceded a goal since their draw with the Netherlands in October 2020. Roberto Mancini’s side don’t play in a typically Italian style, but their high-energy pressing game allied to a rock-solid defence, has been the cornerstone of their success.
The likes of Immobile, Donnarumma, Locatelli, Insigne, Spinazzola and Barella have been the standout players for the Italians and they are quickly emerging as many people’s favourites to win the tournament. Mancini has used 25 of his 26 man squad and the Italians look well-poised to go far in the tournament.
Probable Italy Team – (4-2-3-1) – Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Bonucci, Bastoni, Verratti, Jorginho, Locatelli, Berardi, Immobile, Insigne
Austria Group C Performance
- Austria V North Macedonia – W 3-1 (Lainer, Gregoritsch, Arnautovic)
- Austria V Netherlands – L 0-2
- Austria V Ukraine – W 1-0 (Baumgartner)
Group C Record
Played 3, Won 2, Drawn 0, Lost 1, For 4, Against 3, Points 6 (2nd place)
Austria Notes
As the Dutch predictably won the group, it was Austria that surprised many people by defeating the Ukraine in their final group game to claim the second place spot in the group, potentially eliminating their opponents that day in the process.
What was notable in that game was the more familiar left-back role for their best player David Alaba and he should continue in that role here against the Italians. There’s no doubt though that despite having a well-organised and disciplined team, the Austrians are going to find this a huge challenge against an in form Italy.
Probable Austria Team – (4-3-2-1) – Bachmann, Lainer, Alaba, Dragovic, Hinteregger, Laimer, Schlager, Grillitsch, Sabitzer, Baumgartner, Arnautovic
Our Tips For Italy V Austria
- Match Result – Italy to win – 8/15
- Correct Score – Italy 3-0 Austria – 10/1
- Anytime Goalscorer – Ciro Immobile (Italy) – 6/5