Euro 2024 Betting Tips: Our trader's top 9/1 pick from Group B

Euro 2024 Betting Tips

Spain to Win Euro 2024
Straight Forecast – Spain 1st, Croatia 2nd
Lamine Yamal to win UEFA’s Young Player of the Tournament
Josko Gvardiol to have 1 or more Shots on Target during the group stage

All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

Are Spain genuine contenders to win Euro 2024?

Widely considered a top contender for Euro 2024, Under former Under-21 team coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain have adopted a more vertical style of play, and despite that contrast with their traditional possession-based game it has yielded significant results.

When comparing their World Cup 2022 and Euro 2024 qualification stats, Spain average 100 fewer passes, 1.2 more goals, 1.8 more big chances, and 4.5 more shots per game, with slightly reduced possession.

Their record of seven wins and one loss, with a 25-5 goal difference in the qualifiers, along with 13 goals scored in their last three friendlies, make a serious case for them going all the way.

‌Who of Croatia or Italy are best placed to challenge Spain to win Group B?

Historically, both Italy and Croatia have performed better in World Cups than European Championships.

Italy’s qualification campaign for Euro 2024 has been less than impressive. Of their 16 goals, 12 were against Malta and North Macedonia. With a record of four wins, two draws, and two losses, they tied with Ukraine on points but secured second place due to a superior goal difference.

The Azzurri face defensive challenges with injuries to Francesco Acerbi, Giorgio Scalvini, and Destiny Udogie. Additionally, key player Nicolo Barella is dealing with muscle strain and fatigue. It’s a much different team than the one that won them the title in 2021.

Conversely, Croatia enter Euro 2024 with no injury concerns and a pretty routine qualification performance, while conceding only four goals, their best-ever defensive record in Euro qualifications and in this edition behind only Portugal and France.

Despite concerns about the aging core of their squad, Croatia look fresh, resilient, dangerous, and hungry for perhaps one last full charge with this generation that has written the most beautiful chapters in their history books under Luka Modrić’s lead.

There is great quality depth in the team and a good mix of experience and young talent. Their recent performances, including in friendlies, suggest they are in better form and potentially more competitive than Italy.

‌Can Albania be competitive or are they destined for bottom spot in Group B?

Albania appear to be the weakest team at Euro 2024, marking their second appearance in the tournament. They topped Group E, the weakest qualification group, finishing ahead of the Czech Republic on goal difference.

They rely on a strong defence and quick counters, and interesting 56% of shots during qualification came from outside the box. Facing a challenging group, ranked second toughest by the ELO rating system (it’s a way of gauging relative skill levels, and nothing to do with the Electric Light Orchestra), it will be difficult for Albania to create any significant upsets.

Euro 2024 Group B Betting Tips

All that being said, it feels that the current price for the Group B Straight Forecast of Spain 1st, Croatia 2nd’ is worth taking. It would be of little surprise if Italy occupied 3rd spot in the group here.

Another promising bet lies in backing Barcelona star Lamine Yamal to win UEFA’s Young Player of the Tournament. He looks set to start on the right wing and he will be his country’s second-most pivotal player after Rodri.

His presence brings a dynamic and vertical dimension, a facet sorely missed over previous years. Yamal is a player with the X factor, and along with the fact we are seeing the best Spain in the past 10 years or so, the prospect of him claiming this award is distinctly plausible.

One a little from left-field (literally), is for Josko Gvardiol to have 1 or more shots on target across Croatia’s three group games. At the current odds it screams value. Gvardiol will occupy the left wing-back role in their new slightly updated system and will be a dangerous presence in the final third.

Euro 2024 Group B Fixtures

Saturday, June 15: Spain v Croatia, 5pm (Olympiastadion, Berlin)
Saturday, June 15: Italy v Albania, 8pm (Westfalenstadion, Dortmund)
Wednesday, June 19: Croatia v Albania, 2pm (Volksparkstadion, Hamburg)
Thursday, June 20: Spain v Italy, 8pm (Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen)
Monday, June 24: Albania v Spain, 8pm (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf)
Monday, June 24: Croatia v Italy, 8pm (Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig)

All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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Euro 2024 Tips: A 9/1 shot is our trader’s top picks for Group B