Euro 2020 Matchday 17 Previews and Betting Tips
Euro 2020 Matchday 17: Last 16 Previews
What a night of football it was on Monday. Croatia and Spain served up an 8 goal thriller with the Spaniards scoring twice in extra time to secure a 5-3 victory. In the second game, Switzerland showed almighty guts to fight back from 3-1 down in the last 10 minutes. Mbappe, our tip to score two goals, couldn’t hit a barn door all night and he predictably missed the crucial penalty. So now France are gone, as are the Netherlands. Either Germany or England will be knocked out tonight too, check out our Euro 2020 Matchday 17 previews and tips below.
England v Germany
Match Odds: England 6/4; Draw 23/10; Germany 2/1.
Venue: Wembley, England.
Kick Off Time: 5.00 pm.
Two of Europe’s biggest enemies clash at Wembley on Tuesday evening and this really is one you won’t want to miss. England are a hard watch. They have an embarrassment of attacking riches but Southgate has decided that he wants to try and do what Greece did in 2004 and grind their way to glory. They are the favourites to win in 90 minutes at 6/4. Germany have looked excellent in possession at times but they have also looked very vulnerable defensively. They are 2/1 to get one over on their fierce rivals. If you think this one is destined for penalties and extra time, the draw is 23/10.
Like many others, I was expecting to see an exciting, attack minded England team at Euro 2020. Grealish, Rashford, Mount, Sancho, Sterling, Foden, Saka and Kane all made the squad but unfortunately, it has been more of a defensive approach. Southgate has opted for two holding midfielders to protect his back four. For the most part, the front four have had to live off scraps.
Kane has yet to hit top gear and only Sterling has found the back of the net. Southgate will likely start those two again and Mount looks a shoo in if he is ready after a spell in isolation. That leaves one more starting spot to fill in the frontline and it looks to be between Grealish and Foden. I reckon the Man City man will get the nod and Grealish will have to be happy with a place on the bench.
End Of An Era?
With Joachim Low set to leave after Euro 2020, this feels like the end of an era for this German side. The likes of Neuer, Hummels, Kroos and Muller are all the wrong side of 30 and the next generation will need to step up in future tournaments. They’ll be desperate to go out on a high and avoid elimination at the home of their biggest rivals. There is no doubt they have the quality to win this tie. The question is whether they can produce it.
Against France and Portugal, Germany were impressive. Kimmich has been very effective on the right and Gosens has also caused plenty of problems out on the left. Havertz has scored a couple of goals and Kroos has played well in the engine room. However, they really struggled to break Hungary’s low block down. It would be no surprise if England employed similar tactics this evening.
Is this going to be an end to end thriller? On what we have seen so far, I doubt it. England have scored the least goals of any team that qualified (2) and they have yet to concede. Germany have huffed and puffed when trying to break teams down at times and I think we might see more of the same against a disciplined England defence. This one could go all the way to extra time and the recommended bet is No Goalscorer at odds of 17/2.
Euro 2020 Matchday 17 Tip: No Goalscorer @ 17/2
Euro 2020 Matchday 17: Sweden v Ukraine
Match Odds: Sweden 11/8; Draw 21/10; Ukraine 23/10.
Venue: Glasgow, Scotland.
Kick Off Time: 8.00 pm.
This game could go one of two ways. It’ll either be a rip-roaring contest or a dull snoozefest and a lot could depend on whether we get an early goal. The Swedes have had a fine tournament so far and remain unbeaten after 3 matches (W2 D1). They are deserved favourites today at around 11/8. Ukraine have blown hot and cold and they qualified despite losing 2 of their 3 matches. It would be no surprise if this game went to extra time and the draw is only 21/10.
Sweden were dominated for long periods of the game vs Spain but they rode their luck and got a 0-0 draw. They were then made to work very hard for a 1-0 win vs Slovakia before they took care of business vs Poland with a 3-2 victory. Forsberg has been their star man with three goals. While he only has one assist, Isak has also been an important cog in the Swedish machine. Lindelof and Lustig bring stability at the back and Larsson has covered a huge amount of ground for them in midfield. It has been a stellar effort so far, but how much will they have left in the tank tonight?
Can Ukraine Bounce Back?
It has been a mixed bag from the Ukraine so far at Euro 2020. They showed glimpses of quality in their opener vs Netherlands, a game they eventually lost 3-2. Their sole win came vs North Macedonia and they lost their final game 1-0 to Austria. Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk have been their biggest threats in the final third and they have scored a couple of lovely goals. Zinchenko has not reproduced his Man City form and their other big player Malinovskiy hasn’t delivered yet either. If the latter two pull their socks up, Ukraine could give Sweden a proper match here.
Given the age profile of this Swedish squad, you would think that their efforts have to catch up with them at some stage. Will it be in this match? It is hard to know but the fact it is being played in Scotland and not in sweltering conditions will be a big help. Ukraine have been more hit than miss so far and it seems like the occasion has got to some of their younger players. I think the Swedes can make their experience count and I am backing them to win and in form Forsberg to score at odds of 11/2.
