Fans of The Beautiful Game have all they can handle this week. A loaded FIFA EURO schedule offers plenty of world-class action with the soccer odds. Hard-core soccer sharps and plenty of casual fans will be betting every match. Of course, England is a natural draw at any betting window. This week the Three Lions have a critical matchup against the upstart Czech Republic. Yet another highly anticipated match is France and Portugal. Les Bleus are trying to build on their 2018 World Cup championship.
Match: Czech Republic vs. England
| Date and Time: | Tuesday, June 22, 2021, 3 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Wembley Stadium, London |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | -½ (-170) | 2 (-146) | -165 |  |
| Czech Republic | +½ (+150) | 2 (+126) | +701 | |
| England/Czech Republic Draw | – | – | +262 | |
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Thus far, England has a 1-0 win over Croatia followed by a 0-0 draw with Scotland. Harry Kane was ineffective and benched for the final 15 minutes in that snoozefest with the Scots. Scotland received praise for shutting down the Three Lions. England fans booed their team off the field after the game. Most important of all, England failed to deliver as heavy sportsbook favorites. Previously, Scotland lost to the Czech Republic 2-0. The Czechs played a 1-1 draw against Croatia in their second match.
Harry Kane is under fire for his scoring slump and poor play. Namely, England head coach Gareth Southgate was disgusted enough to pull the striker out of the Scotland match. Kane was politically correct after the debacle. He said Southgate had the right to make the changes he thinks are best for the team. Kane says he’ll be at his best in the knockout stages. Correlate his expectations of being in top form at that time as an excuse for now.
Kane is under full fire from the English media, which comes with the territory. He is already taking plenty of incoming for his desire to leave Tottenham Hotspur in his Premier League gig.
So too is Gareth Southgate under fire. Since taking over the national team in 2016, Southgate has been well regarded. He is only the third manager in England team history to lead the Three Lions to the World Cup semifinal. But the lackluster performance by England in the EURO has triggered frustrated fans and gamblers
Pick: Czech Republic
Match: Sweden vs. Poland
| Date and Time: | Wednesday, June 23, 2021, Noon ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN2 |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | PK (-117) | 2 (-143) | +165 | |
| Sweden | PK (+102) | 2 (+128) | +190 | |
| Poland/Sweden Draw | – | – | +235 | |
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Sweden and Spain played to a 0-0 draw in their opener. Accordingly, Sweden went on to beat Slovakia 1-0 in their second game. Poland lost their opener to Slovakia 2-1. The second game action saw the Poles play Spain to a 1-1 draw.
Pick: Sweden
Match: Germany vs. Hungary
| Date and Time: | Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 3 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Allianz Arena, Munich |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN2 |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hungary | +2 (-106) | 3½ (+116) | +1566 | |
| Germany | -2 (-109) | 3½ (-131) | -496 | |
| Hungary/Germany Draw | – | – | +664 | |
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Following a 1-0 loss to France in their opener, Germany blitzed Portugal 4-2. Hungary rebounded from a 0-3 loss to Portugal with a 1-1 draw against France.
Pick: Germany
Match: Portugal vs. France
| Date and Time: | Wednesday, June 23, 2021, 3 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| Location: | Puskas Arena, Budapest |
| TV Coverage: | ESPN |
| Team | Spread | Total | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | -½ (+128) | 2 (-138) | +131 | |
| Portugal | +½ (-143) | 2 (+123) | +305 | |
| France/Portugal Draw | – | – | +195 | |
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First game action saw France score a 1-0 win over rival Germany. France then played Hungary to a 1-1 draw in their second match. On the whole, it’s been a lackluster performance by Les Bleus on the Group stage. By contrast, Portugal powered to a 3-0 soccer betting odds payout over Hungary in their opener. But then Portugal suffered a 4-2 flop against Germany.
Picks: Portugal.