June 28, 2024
We have reached the knockout stages of the Euro 2024 and now, more than ever, big stars like Cristiano Ronaldo are expected to step up their game and lead their nations to the trophy in July...
Who will go the distance and win the tournament? Ronaldo and Portugal's performances so far suggest he's in with a very real chance. And can he complete the dream tournament and scoop the Golden Boot award? How far will England get and will their latest penalty defeat be different to the last?
Whilst we can't predict the future and answer any of those questions for you (apart from the last one: no it will be just like all the others) we can give you some much needed information, so that you can make an informed bet on those particular questions.
Read on to find out our Euro 2024 betting tips.
Cristiano Ronaldo - Who will win the Euro 2024:
Here's something you might not know about betting odds. The favourite isn't always decided by their chances of success, sometimes (in fact more often than not) favourites are favourites because everyone is betting on them.
An example would be if everyone in the United Kingdom (all 66.97 million of them) bet £5 on Georgia to win the Euros. That would leave the bookmakers liable to pay out, take a deep breath, one hundred sixty-seven billion five hundred million in winnings if the Georgians lifted the trophy.
To reduce that liability the bookmakers would, after 1,000 or so bets reduce Georgia's odds from 500-1 to 300-1. Then after 10,000 bets the Georgian’s would be backed at about 100-1 until eventually they were installed as evens favourites.
None of that would affect Georgia's chances on the pitch but it would make every broadcaster on the planet have to refer to them as the "favourites". What, in a roundabout way, we’re trying to get at is that England's position at the top of the betting odds for Euro 2024 is a fallacy.
They are not the best team at the tournament. They do not have the best manager at the tournament and their defence isn't even in the top 5 of defences at the tournament, so why would you bet on them?
Unless you actively want to lose money, bet on someone else to win Euro 2024 like say France. The team with undoubtedly the best squad at the tournament and recent experience of dominating international tournaments.
Or Germany, the team with the head and shoulders best manager at the tournament and a more than handy squad. Or even Portugal, a team with one of the absolute best starting XI's not just in Europe but in the world, with the man who loves the big occasion – Ronaldo himself.
France's opponents in the Round of 16 are Belgium, against those opponents Kylian Mbappe will absolutely clean up in front of goal. Add into that the fact that he takes penalties and the mere question of who will finish as top goal scorer at this tournament begins to look foolish.
Realistically you have to say that England are the favourites (both sporting and betting wise) to top Group C. Serbia are no great shakes, Denmark aren't in as good form as they were last time round and Slovenia should be beatable.
That would leave Gareth Southgate's men with a Round of 16 clash against Poland most likely. Whilst they would be a tricky opponent you would expect England to come out victorious in that clash which would leave them with a quarter-final clash against Croatia.
Judging by England's recent form, the imbalance that they currently have in midfield and the absolute dearth of defensive quality we wouldn’t be too surprised at all to see England exit a major tournament at the hands of Croatia once again.
If somehow they managed to overcome those shortcomings France would be lying in wait in the semi-finals and just the thought of Kylian Mbappe running at Kieran Trippier is enough to send shudders down the spine of every Englishman.
So, in summary? Quarter-finals most likely and the semi-finals at a push.
If you have any predictions of your own or disagree with something we've said, be sure to let us know about it in the comments section below...
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Portugal is on July 1, against Slovenia for the EURO 2024. You can watch Portugal vs Slovenia, Paraguay vs Brazil, Spain vs Georgia, England vs Slovakia, Switzerland vs Italy and Germany vs Denmark, all matches provided from our streaming football game pages.
Portugal next game:
Georgia vs Portugal kick-off time (22-06-2024):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 03:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 00:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 22:00
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+2: 21:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-3: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-6: 13:00
Sources: ronaldo7.net / nytimes.com / bettorinsider.com
