Finally, the European Championship is here and we have a full list of football predictions waiting for you. No time to waste, let’s get into them:
**Germany vs. Scotland** Expectations from the home fans will be high on Friday evening when Germany faces Scotland at the Allianz Arena. The Germans have been underwhelming at major international tournaments since their triumph in the 2014 World Cup. A semi-final at Euro 2016 was followed by a Round of 16 exit in 2020. And then there were the two embarrassing group stage exits at the World Cup in Russia and Qatar. So, you see, there is pressure on Die Mannschaft to deliver. Julian Nagelsmann got off to a rocky start with the German National team with two defeats and a draw in his first four games, but he has turned it around with three wins and a draw in the next four. Yes, they’re all friendly games, but with the absence of qualifiers due to them being hosts, they’ve not played a competitive game in 18 months. So, friendlies are the only measuring stick to judge them by. The decision to blend experience and youth by having a midfield of İlkay Gündoğan and Toni Kroos with Jamal Musiala and Florian Wirtz playing in front of them seems to be paying off. They’ll be hoping for more of the same. Scotland has almost always struggled in this matchup. Out of their last 13 games against Germany, they've only won once, drawing four times, and losing eight. In recent years, though, they’ve proven they're no easy team to beat, with players like Scott McTominay, Andrew Robertson, John McGinn, and Billy Gilmour stepping up for the national team. Facing a likely hostile crowd, they’ll aim to take advantage of Germany’s shaky defense. The Germans have let in at least one goal in each of their last 12 major tournament games and haven’t kept a clean sheet since playing Slovakia in the Euro 2016 Round of 16. Despite this, we still think the home team will grab all 3 points.
**Hungary vs. Switzerland** These two teams are meeting in an international tournament for just the second time ever—the first was 86 years ago in the 1938 World Cup quarter-final, where Hungary won 2-0. Recent matchups have been mostly in Switzerland's favour, with the Swiss winning 6 out of the last 9 games (2 draws, 1 loss). Their last two games together saw 12 goals, with Hungary netting 4 and Switzerland 8. With players like Yann Sommer, Fabian Schär, Granit Xhaka, and Manuel Akanji on the Swiss side, we don't expect quite that many goals this time. But with both teams looking to advance from the group, we could still see an open and exciting match. Hungary is a team you shouldn't underestimate. This is their third straight appearance in the tournament, after only making it twice in the previous 14 editions. One of their biggest strengths is set-pieces; they scored the most goals (7) from dead ball situations in the qualifiers, excluding penalties. Dominik Szoboszlai is crucial for this, handling most of their set-pieces. The Liverpool player has 5 goals and 3 assists for Hungary in his last 7 games, and our bet of the day is for him to make an impact in this match.
**Italy vs. Albania** Elsewhere in Group B, Italy faces Albania, which we believe should be an easy win for The Azzurri. This will be their first encounter at a major tournament, but Italy has won all four previous meetings with Albania, scoring 7 and conceding just once. With Spain and Croatia also in the group, the Italians know they need a strong start. We expect them to keep a clean sheet too, as they’ve managed four clean sheets in their last five games. Italy hasn’t conceded more than one goal in a match across their last two Euro tournaments (2016 & 2020), letting in just 6 goals in 12 games. In fact, we’re predicting a low-scoring game. Italy’s 45 games in the Euros have produced just 83 goals, an average of 1.84 per game—the lowest among all 25 teams that have played 10 or more games in this competition. So, we’re expecting a boring win for them.
**Spain vs. Croatia** With their fourth consecutive meeting at the Euros, these teams are well acquainted. Just a year ago, they faced off in the Nations League final, where Spain won 5-4 on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. Their Euro 2020 match was a different story, with Spain winning 5-3 in extra time—it was the highest-scoring game of the tournament this century and the second-highest overall. Previous meetings between these sides have looked like the goals galore of that game than the goalless draw at the Nations League. Three of their last four encounters across all competitions have seen at least 5 goals. With this in mind, we're betting on lots of goals in this one. One reason we’re backing Spain to produce goals is also because of their form. They wrapped up their qualifiers with a pair of 3-1 wins over Cyprus and Georgia, and in 2024, they have scored 13 goals in 4 friendlies, 10 of which have come in the last week ahead of their preparations for this tournament. Mikel Oyarzabal's hot streak is boosting Spanish fans' confidence. The Real Sociedad forward came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick against Andorra last Wednesday, then scored again off the bench three days later against Northern Ireland. Excluding shoot-outs, Spain has lost just two of their last 22 matches in the Euros (13 wins, 7 draws). With attacking options like Oyarzabal, Alvaro Morata, and exciting young talents Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, we're confident they'll start Group B with a win.
**Serbia vs. England** England face a tricky opener in the Euros when they play Serbia in what would be the first ever meeting between both sides. With players like Đorđe Petrović (Chelsea), Sergej Milinković-Savić (Al Hilal), Filip Kostić (Juventus), Dušan Tadić (Fenerbahçe), Dušan Vlahović (Juventus), and Aleksandar Mitrović (Al Hilal), the Serbs have players who would be more than capable of causing some real damage if underestimated. Also, 33% of Serbia's goals in the qualifiers came from headers, the highest ratio among any team in the tournament. So, that's definitely something to watch out for. England comes into this tournament with one major worry - their defence. With Harry Maguire missing the tournament and Luke Shaw and John Stones battling to be fully fit, they could play this game with just one fully fit player from their regular back-four, Kyle Walker. The decision to play Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, over natural midfielders like Kobbie Mainoo, Conor Gallagher, and Adam Wharton, has worked in friendlies but remains untested in a major tournament. So, this is a potential Achilles heel for them. That said, the Three Lions have no such worries in attack. With Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, and Cole Palmer, England has six players who racked up a combined 168 goals and 79 assists at club level. This firepower will be crucial as England looks to kick off their quest to "bring football home."
**Poland vs. Netherlands** The Netherlands got some bad news this week with Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners, two key midfielders, withdrawing from the tournament due to injuries. This last-minute setback is certainly a blow to their plans. However, there is a silver lining: the Netherlands has called up Joshua Zirkzee for the tournament. Zirkzee was a standout player for Bologna last season, helping them finish 5th in Serie A and secure a Champions League spot. The young forward, reportedly on Manchester United's radar, scored 12 goals and provided 7 assists in 37 games, and should be an exciting addition to this Dutch side. Oranje are heavily favoured for this game. They've won four of their last five matches with an aggregate score of 18-0, with their only loss in that span a 2-1 defeat to Germany. These results show how lethal they can be in attack with players like Xavi Simons, Memphis Depay, and Cody Gakpo. However, their defense might be their strongest asset. Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, and Denzel Dumfries form a rock-solid back-line, and with Matthijs de Ligt, Micky van de Ven, and Daley Blind as options, they arguably have the best defensive unit in the tournament. Also, they haven't lost to Poland since a 2-0 defeat in Euro 1980. Since then, they've faced them 12 times in all competitions, winning 7 and drawing 5. So, history seems to be on their side.
**Austria vs. France** France begins their quest for their first European Championship in 24 years with a match against a tough Austria side. National team captain Kylian Mbappé has settled his club future with the announcement of his move to Real Madrid. So, that won’t be a distraction any longer. Now focused on the national team, he is eager to achieve success with Les Bleus in his first tournament as captain. While France has found it easier to succeed in the World Cup, reaching the finals in the last two editions, success in the Euros has been more elusive despite the quality they possess. With one of the most talented groups of players in this tournament, our online betting community has them not only getting off to a winning start but possibly reaching the final. For that reason, most bettors will back France in a “France vs anyone” matchup. The Austrians have grown in confidence over the years. At the last Euros, they won two of their three group stage games, making it to the knockout round for the first time in their history. Under Ralf Rangnick’s guidance, they've qualified for the Euros again—marking their third appearance in the last four editions after failing to qualify for the previous 12. They've also won 6 of their last 7 games heading into this tournament, drawing one. Unfortunately, team captain David Alaba will miss the tournament as he continues to recover from an injury. His absence, we believe, will be the difference in this game, which is why we have France getting the win here.
**Portugal vs. Czech Republic** The last game of Matchday 1 will see Portugal and the Czech Republic face off at the Red Bull Arena. Let's be honest, it'll take a herculean effort for the Czechs to avoid defeat here. Portugal is the only team at the Euros with a 100% winning record from the qualifiers, boasting 10 wins in 10 matches and a 32-2 goal aggregate. In their five friendlies since then, they suffered two defeats while picking up three wins, so they're not exactly indestructible. However, with the array of talent they have, it's tough to see this going any other way. Bruno Fernandes topped the qualifiers' assist chart with 7 assists and is likely to be their most important player in this tournament. Meanwhile, 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo scored 10 goals in the qualifiers and netted a second-half brace in their 3-0 win over Ireland on Tuesday, bringing his international tally to 130 goals in 207 games—a phenomenal achievement. We believe he’ll get on the scoresheet once more, and we have the best odds for that.
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