UEFA Euro 2020 opening weekend parlay

The sun is shining, the beers are cold, and the biggest European part of the summer is underway. Finally, after months of anticipation, Euro 2020 has arrived. The best players on the continent are set to go head-to-head over the next four weeks to not only become European Champions, but also gain the adoration of an entire nation. No pressure then.

This weekend we have a slate of six games from groups A, B, C, and D and here are the four best bets that make up a +1400 parlay.

Belgium to beat Russia

Belgium are one of the favorites for the entire tournament and it should be no surprise given the quality that runs through the team. They won all 10 of their matches in qualifying for the Euros, scored more than anyone else with 40 goals, and only conceded three times. They won five of their six games in the Nations League, with the only blemish being a 2-1 defeat to England at Wembley.

Romelu Lukaku has had a record-breaking goal-scoring season for Inter Milan, while Kevin De Bruyne once again had pundits falling over themselves with praise as he guided Man City to a Premier League title and final of the Champions League. Plus, we all know about Eden Hazard and the quality he possesses.

Russia lost 4-1 at home to Belgium and 3-1 away to them in qualifying, and it should be a similar story here in Saint Petersburg. They have quality going forward, scoring in every qualifying game and averaging 3.3 goals per match, but the Red Devils will be too strong for them.

Denmark to beat Finland

Elsewhere in Belgium’s group you should be confident of Denmark getting off to a strong start. The shock 1992 European Champions were unbeaten in qualifying, despite only getting through as runners-up behind Switzerland. They should have got through with more ease and showed even more quality in the Nations League as they beat England in Wembley, drew with them in Copenhagen, and took six points off Iceland.

Finland have qualified for their first European Championship finals, and while that is great news for the nation, the buzz won’t last long. They came through a weak qualifying group as runners-up to Italy, but quite easily could have finished below Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece. They only scored 16 goals in their 10 qualifying games, and 63% of them were scored by Teemu Pukki.

The Norwich striker damaged ankle ligaments at the end of the season, and while Finland are confident he will play, he may not be 100%. Denmark have home advantage and a squad packed full of quality, so you should back them accordingly.

Austria to beat North Macedonia

Group C is one of the most interesting groups at the Euros. Although the Netherlands are favored to top the group, they are not the same Netherlands of old, and are missing some key players including Virgil Van Dijk. The Ukraine aren’t as convincing as their qualification makes out, and that gives Austria a great chance of getting to the knock-out stage if they can beat North Macedonia in the opener.

Austria beat North Macedonia 2-1 at home and 4-1 away in qualifying as they finished runners-up to Poland. They also gained promotion from group B1 in the Nations League as they picked up 13 points from a possible 18.

North Macedonia, on the other hand, are only here after qualifying through the back door of the Nations League as they beat Kosovo 2-1 and then Georgia 1-0. That level of form won’t stand up on the big stage, and Austria will get off to a perfect start.

England and Croatia to draw

World Cup semi-finalists England and Croatia renew their rivalry at the European Championships, and it would be no surprise to see both teams settle for a point in this one. With games against Scotland and the Czech Republic to come, both sides will be confident of qualifying, but neither will want to risk losing the first game.

Croatia battled through qualifying while England sauntered through, winning seven of their eight games, and scoring 37 goals in a much weaker group. The Croatians had a disastrous Nations League campaign as they lost home and away to both Portugal and France, while England didn’t fare much better losing to Belgium and dropping four points to Denmark.

The World Cup semi-final ended 1-1 and a similar result here wouldn’t be a disaster for either manager. While England have bags of attacking talent in the squad, they are vulnerable defensively and a score draw here looks like a wise play.