UEFA Euro 2024: Betting Picks for Group Stage Matchday 2

June 18, 2024

RotoBaller's Euro 2024 coverage continues with Jamie Steed's betting picks for the second matchday of the group stage. Jamie picks out his favorite plays from the 12 games.

Happy Euro 2024, RotoBallers! The tournament kicked off with a bang. There was no shortage of goals scored in the early games and most of the tournament favorites have started strong. Everything is still to play for and four points are all but certain to see teams progress from the group stage. Many sides face crucial fixtures over the next four days if they are to reach the Round of 16.

After a three-year break, Euro 2024 coverage is back on RotoBaller. Our dedicated team is bringing you comprehensive coverage throughout the tournament. As well as our favorite bets, we are covering the fantasy game and the day-to-day action of DFS. Today, we're bringing you the best plays from Matchday 2 of the Group Stage.

Don't miss out on our extensive Euro 2024 coverage. You can access all of our Euro 2024 coverage here on RotoBaller. And don't forget to join our free fantasy league with the code to join at the bottom of this article.

Introduction

Just a bit of housekeeping before we begin.

I'll be using a unit-based system. You can play whatever you want. Each bet will have up to 10 units placed on it. Ten units show the highest confidence level I have on a bet and one is my least confident.

We're using multiple sportsbooks to bring you the best odds for each bet. If you are new to any of these sportsbooks, be sure to take advantage of their promo offers. Otherwise, just use the sportsbook(s) you already use. Most of them will offer the same bet types as we have listed below.

Betting on sports should be fun. If you aren't having fun with it, stop. And never bet what you can't afford to lose. Good luck with your Euro 2024 bets. Just remember to bet responsibly!

Match bets - Moneyline

Wednesday, June 19 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

Switzerland to beat Scotland
FanDuel -120 (4 units)

Scotland were pretty hopeless in the tournament opener, going down 5-1 to hosts Germany. While they will almost certainly improve, the Swiss should still have too much for them. They looked impressive when beating Hungary 3-1 and had the highest non-penalty xG (expected goals) of the opening ten games. Switzerland has lost just one of their last 15 internationals and while they draw a lot of games, they should still win this one.

Friday, June 21 - 12:00 p.m. EDT

Austria to beat Poland
DraftKings +100 (5 units)

Austria has been in good form for a long time. Their defeat to France in the opener (courtesy of an own goal) was their second loss in their last 15 games. The previous one came against Belgium. Poland should welcome back record scorer and talisman Robert Lewandowski but it remains to be seen how fit he is and what role he takes. Both teams will feel they need to win and Austria look the liklier of the two.

Robert Lewandowski returns to training with some light workouts.

All signs pointing he will be available for Friday’s match vs Austria. https://t.co/jmfU1DL195

— Scouting Polska (@ScoutingPolska) June 17, 2024

Saturday, June 22 - 9:00 a.m. EDT

Czechia to beat Georgia
FanDuel -120 (7 units)

Czechia impressed in their losing efforts against Portugal. With four points almost certain to secure a place in the Second Round, Czechia will know a win against Georgia is crucial. Georgia earned some plaudits against Turkey. As mentioned in the pre-tournament preview, they are in Germany due to the UEFA Nations League. They only beat Cyprus in qualifying and look overmatched again here.

Parlay: Switzerland, Austria, and Czechia to win
FanDuel +572 (2 units)

Match bets - Both teams to score

Thursday, June 20 - 9:00 a.m. EDT

Slovenia/Serbia both teams to score
BetMGM -110 (5 units)

Slovenia will have identified this as a must-win game if they are to progress. They picked up a point against Denmark and a win here will secure them a place in the Round of 16. Serbia knows they cannot afford to lose this game and came close to securing an unlikely point against England in their opening match. Slovenia's match with Denmark was an open affair and with both teams needing to score, that's what we will anticipate happening.

Slovenia 1 : 1 Denmark

▪ xG: 1.35 - 1.93
▪ xThreat: 1.03 - 2.51
▪ Possession: 32.9% - 67.1%
▪ Field Tilt: 25.1% - 74.9%
▪ Def Action Height: 35.9 - 48.6 pic.twitter.com/Z1hXHuxJpK

— markstats bot (@markstatsbot) June 16, 2024

Friday, June 21 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

France/Netherlands both teams to score
BetMGM -150 (6 units)

While the Dutch needed a late goal to beat Poland, France needed to ride their luck a bit in their win. Both teams looked like they had plenty of goals in them, but they also looked a bit vulnerable defensively. Austria missed some great chances against France while the Dutch struggled to defend set-pieces against Poland. The winner of this tie will almost guarantee the top spot in the group so expect both to go for the win and we may see plenty of goals.

Saturday, June 22 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

Belgium/Romania both teams to score
FanDuel +104 (5 units)

Belgium will wonder how they didn't take anything from their opener. Bad luck and poor finishing cost them but it's unlikely we see a repeat of that. Romania's win was the opposite, with a great strike and poor goalkeeping helping them seal a memorable win. Romania's attacking threat, Belgium's need to win and questionable defense should lead to goals at both ends in this game.

A frustrating game, to say the least, for Romelu Lukaku.

- 3 Shots
- 3 Big Chances
- 0.82 xG
- 2 Disallowed Goals
- 0 Goals

Will the top scorer in Euro 2024 qualifying have better luck next time out for Belgium against Romania?#BELSVK #Euro2024📷 pic.twitter.com/GUhkr8yrfN

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) June 17, 2024

Parlay: Slovenia vs. Serbia, France vs. Netherlands, and Belgium vs. Romania both teams to score
FanDuel +545 (2 units)

Match bets - Double chance

Thursday, June 20 - 3:00 p.m. EDT

Italy win or draw vs. Spain

As impressive as Spain's win against Croatia was, there were some concerns. Croatia's xG (slightly inflated by their penalty miss) was the highest of any team so far. Italy's 2-1 win against Albania won't have caught the eye but their performance should have. If not for a dreadful individual error after 20 seconds, they'd have won the game comfortably. Their quick passing and high press will cause Spain a problem and they look overpriced in this game.

Spain (2.00) 3-0 (2.67) Croatia

— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) June 15, 2024

Friday, June 21 - 9:00 a.m. EDT

Slovakia win or draw vs. Ukraine

The odds don't reflect the two teams' opening performances. Slovakia caused an upset against Belgium. Although they rode their luck at times, they reached the tournament in good form. Portugal was the only team to beat them in qualifying and they won seven of their other eight games. Ukraine needed a playoff to reach Germany, only beating North Macedonia and Malta in the qualifying group. They looked poor against Romania and Slovakia will know a point is enough for them to progress to the Second Round.

Parlay: Italy to win or draw and Slovakia to win or draw
BetMGM +200 (3 units)

Parlay: Italy and Slovakia to win
BetMGM +1300 (1 unit)

Player Props

Fabian Schar (Switzerland) to have 1+ shots
William Hill -200 (3 units)

EPL fans will be aware of Schar's attacking threat. He recorded 35 shots (35 starts) in the Premier League last season as a centre-back. He had at least one shot in 25 of those games and had three attempts at goal in Switzerland's opener. The Swiss should dominate possession and Schar will likely have an opportunity to step forward like he did against Hungary. And he can pose a threat from set-pieces.

Andraz Sporar (Slovenia) to have 2+ shots
William Hill -118 (4 units)

I mentioned during Slovenia's first game that they will rue their best chances not falling to Benjamin Sesko. Instead, he was left having to try his luck from long range. It was Sporar who had Slovenia's best chances but was unable to find the net himself. He tallied three shots (one on target) and there's no reason to believe he won't get some sights at goal against Serbia.

Nicolae Stanciu (Romania) to have 2+ shots
William Hill -167 (2 units)

It shouldn't have come as a surprise when Stanciu opened the scoring in Romania's game against Ukraine. He was their joint top-scorer in qualifying with three goals from midfield and led the team in shots (29 in 10 games). His memorable strike was one of two shots taken against Ukraine. Given the Romanians might struggle for possession against Belgium, Stanciu may have to resort to trying his luck from distance again and I wouldn't bet against him scoring another screamer.

Sensational from Stanciu 😮‍💨#EUROGOTT | @AlipayPlus pic.twitter.com/HjAgKLxYO2

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 17, 2024

Parlay; Schar 1+ shot, Sporar 2+ shots, and Stanciu 2+ shots
William Hill +343 (1 unit)

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