The second pass through the groups continues at EURO 2024 on June 21 with a trio of matches, each as important as the other. The third match of the day, Netherlands vs. France, rightly receives top billing, but the other two will be just as interesting with three teams hoping to salvage their tournament after opening day defeats and Slovakia looking to build on their big win.
The first week of the competition has been thrilling. 42 goals have been scored through the first 15 matches, 2.8 per game on average. Favourites have dominated and struggled in equal measure. The atmosphere at the matches has been stellar, and the drama is just getting started.
3:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Netherlands vs. France
| Netherlands Win | +250 | France Win | +125 | Draw | +235 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -105 | Under 2.5 Goals | -118 | Broadcast | TSN |
With both teams having secured victory in their opening matches, the high-profile Group D clash between the Netherlands and France in Leipzig will not be a desperate affair. Had either stumbled, this second match against the other favourite in the group would have taken on that air – no team with aspirations to go deep in EURO 2024 will want to sit on less than three points heading into the closing matches. Instead, this game will feature two sides looking to build momentum as the knockout rounds fast approach.
Both teams had scares in their openers. France needed an own goal to get past Austria 1-0 and exited with Kylian Mbappe’s inclusion a doubt after suffering a broken nose. The Netherlands saw Poland take an early lead through Adam Buksa but rallied, with Cody Gakpo and Wout Weghorst finding the back of the net in a 2-1 win. In the end, quality shone through, but neither will have been satisfied by the performances.
France were limited to just 48% of the possession against Austria, a game they would have expected to dominate. And though the French outshot their opponent 14-6, just three of those attempts troubled the Austrian goal. The Netherlands had a bit more joy against Poland with 66% possession, peppering the net with 21 shots, but they, too, were wasteful: just four of the Dutch attempts put the Polish goalkeeper to work. Neither will enjoy such advantages on the day, and the chances will be few and far between, making the need to be clinical much more important.
One week in, Les Bleus remain amongst the tournament favourites at +400. The Oranje at +1500 are long shots, but a win over the French could see them strengthen their case.
The two are intimately familiar with each other. Both came out of the same qualification group for EURO 2024, with France winning both matches. The French have dominated the recent history between the two, winning all but one of the last eight meetings, stretching back to 2014.
Game Bets To Consider
- France are slight favourites on the day at +125 to win, but for a little extra value, look to Game Result/Both Teams to Score: France/Yes bumps that up to +315. The French did shut out the Dutch in one of their recent meetings, a 4-0 victory early at home in March 2023, but were held to a 2-1 win in the return fixture. This match will feature two of the top five Shottakers through the first round of matches. Marcus Thuram of France and Cody Gakpo of the Netherlands had five shots in their tournament openers.
- A repetition of that feat would pay out handsomely (5+ shots: Thuram +640 and Gakpo +510), but even a more modest output has some value (3+ shots: Thuram +137 and Gakpo +105).
Bet on France vs. Netherlands
FRA +125
NED +250
Other EURO 2024 Games On June 21
Slovakia vs. Ukraine, 9:00 a.m. ET
The day’s opening match in Dusseldorf, while absent some of the star power of the headliner, will be just as interesting. The two teams come into the match with very different results.
Slovakia provided one of the shocks of the tournament, upsetting Belgium 1-0 with Ivan Schranz’s seventh-minute strike standing up to the Belgian assault, and provided the first look at some new technology with Romelu Lukaku’s equalizer ruled out when Lois Openda was penalized for a handball in the build-up with the assistance of an embedded microchip which captures every touch of the ball via motion-sensing. It was a dream start for the Falcons.
For Ukraine, however, it was a nightmare. The Blue and Yellow struggled in their first outing, losing 3-0 to a rampant Romania. It was not the start the Ukrainians would have hoped for, and with a match against Belgium as the group closer, it will be vital they make up some ground in Group E should they hope to move on to the Round of 16.
Game Bet To Consider: Through the first six days of action in Germany, there have been just two draws in the 15 matches on offer, and there has yet to be a scoreless one. The odds for a tie between these two are set at +235, and a correct score of 0-0 is at +670. Neither side looked particularly dangerous in their openers, both in the bottom five for xG created – Ukraine amassed just 0.7, Slovakia just 0.6 through their first 90 minutes at EURO 2024.
Poland vs. Austria, 12:00 p.m. ET
There will be a hint of desperation in the air when Poland and Austria meet in the other Group D match in Berlin. Both teams suffered losses in their opening fixtures and will not want to head into the third and final group stage matches without something to show for their efforts.
Poland took the lead against the Netherlands but were undone by Weghorst’s late winner, as their talisman Robert Lewandowski watched from the bench. The expectation is that he could factor against the Austrians. Austria was expected to turn some heads, and though they did impress against the French, losing by the narrowest of margins, those exertions were not rewarded.
This one will go a long way towards deciding which side can stake a claim on third place in the group and challenge their more heralded challengers for a top two spot.
Game Bet To Consider:
The two sides combined for nine corner kicks in their opening matches. Austria had six against France, and Poland three against the Netherlands. The line for Over/Under Corners is set at 8.5, and with both desperate for the result, there should be an equal mix of good attacking moments and no-nonsense defensive actions. Over pays out at -143.
| Away Team |  | Draw | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | +250 | +235 | +125 | France | 9:00 PM |
| Slovakia | +285 | +235 | +115 | Ukraine | 12:00 PM |
| Poland | +260 | +240 | +120 | Austria | 3:00 PM |
Latest EURO 2024 Futures Odds
Here are the latest EURO 2024 Futures odds, heading into the matches on June 21:
| Team | | Yesterday | Team | | Yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | +400 | +400 | Spain | +700 | +750 |
| Germany | +400 | +450 | Netherlands | +1500 | +1400 |
| England | +450 | +400 | Italy | +1700 | +1400 |
| Portugal | +550 | +550 | Belgium | +2900 | +1700 |
A second win on the trot for Germany saw their odds to win it all narrow, now level with France at +400 as the outright tournament favourites on home soil. The fallout from an underwhelming England result continues to ripple as they drop to +450.
Portugal, which needed a later winner to dispatch Czechia, held steady, while Spain stepped up a bit. The rest of the field—the Netherlands, Italy, and Belgium—all saw their odds lengthen. With five of the top eight teams in action over the next two match days, expect further movement to follow.
