We’re getting to the final days of the EURO 2024 Group Stage, and that means a stretch of games where implications aren’t speculative, but very real. No one is feeling it more than Group E, where four teams all sit tied at three points on the final match day – and all play each other at the same time. Let’s look at their matches, and two others that will also provide some late-afternoon entertainment!
12:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Ukraine vs. Belgium
| Ukraine Win | +420 | Belgium Win | -139 | Draw | +305 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -125 | Under 2.5 Goals | +102 | Broadcast | TSN |
This is the first time these two nations have ever played against each other, and what a time to do it, as both could punch their ticket into the knockout stages with a win.
Both teams come in on winning form after losing their openers. For Ukraine, a possession-heavy effort against Romania didn’t go their way, as they were only able to put two of their 13 attempts on target while their opponents filled the goal three times. They managed to shake it off with an inspired comeback against Slovakia, going down in the 17th minute but responding with two second-half tallies.
Belgium, one of the second-layer contenders in this tournament, is looking to shake off concerns of underwhelming performance, losing in a shocker against Slovakia in their opener before controlling the pitch in a 2-0 win against Romania on Saturday.
No player on the continent has had worse luck than Romelu Lukaku, who had two goals disallowed for offside against Slovakia and one disallowed against Romania. If those go the other way, Belgium is already through to the knockouts and Lukaku leads the tournament in scoring. Instead, they’re fighting for their lives and he’s goalless.
Game Bets To Consider
- With the above in mind, I think Lukaku actually gets one on Wednesday. How long it takes him to celebrate it, obviously, is a different question. His line to score anytime is set at -118.
- Kevin De Bruyne took a more active role in the win against Romania, firing three shots on target. With that working for them, I could see him in the mix again. Either look to him to get over 0.5 shots on target at -213, or over 2.5 shots attempted at -139.
Bet on Ukraine vs. Belgium
UKR +420
BEL -139
12:00 p.m. ET Headliner: Slovakia vs. Romania
| Slovakia Win | +235 | Romania Win | +320 | Draw | +105 |
| Over 2.5 Goals | -167 | Under 2.5 Goals | +137 | Broadcast | TSN |
On the other side of Group E, we have another game where a win for either team would send them into the Round of 16.
As you would expect from the other headlining matchup, both teams are coming in trying to shake off second-day losses after first-day victories. With that said, both are about where they were expected to be at this point, seen to be the likely second and third seeds in this group.
In that sense, a loss for either wouldn’t be a disappointment in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn’t mean that either nation will be willing to accept it. Both teams are hard-working and tactically sound, with Slovakia relying a bit more on their forwards and Romania building from the back end.
Game Bets To Consider
- It’s tight, but look to the Slovaks to come out ahead in this one. Their upset against Belgium was a shocker but an earned one, and while they did drop points to Ukraine last Friday, they controlled play well against them. Romania did beat that same Ukraine squad, but the opportunistic nature wasn’t as convincing on the whole. I’d take Slovakia at +235.
- Betano is offering enhanced odds on Denis Alibec of Romania converting, at +385. The 33-year-old scored three goals in the qualifying stage, but is yet to convert in the group stage.
Bet on Slovakia vs. Romania
SLO +235
ROM +320
Other EURO 2024 Games On June 25
Czechia vs. Turkey, 12:00 p.m. ET
This is a must-win game for Czechia, and a game where a result of some sort would be fantastic for Turkey. The Czechs come in after conceding a loss to Portugal at the death, just barely unable to hold on to prevent an admittedly deserved result for their opponents, and drawing against Georgia in a game that they likely should’ve won, only scoring one goal on 12 shots on target.
For Turkey, they had better luck against the Georgians, converting three goals on eight shots, but were never really in it against Portugal. They did keep the flow of play fairly even, though some of that might be from over 60 minutes of trailing by two.
Game Bet To Consider: The Czechs are slightly favoured in this one, and they’re going to be aggressive from the onset. Betano has two enhanced bets that seem to suit the occasion – a goal in the first 15 minutes at +230 (up from +205), and Czechia to score in both halves at +280 (up from +250).
Georgia vs. Portugal, 12:00 p.m. ET
Normally, most Canadian eyes would be on a team like Portugal on Wednesday, but this match is extremely low stakes for them. Thanks to wins over Czechia and Turkey, they’ve already punched their ticket into the knockout round, unable to finish lower than second in Group F.
Georgia, on the other hand, does have a very limited pathway to advancing, needing a massive upset here and some favourable results in the other groups, but that outcome is extremely unlikely.
Game Bet To Consider: I’d monitor this based on who Portugal starts. If Cristiano Ronaldo draws in, it’s likely because he’s hungry to open his account in the tournament – in which case, a goal at -167 feels inevitable. If he and others look projected to sit, which I feel is more likely under 2.5 total goals at +135 seems like the play.
| Away Team |  | Draw | | Home Team | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovakia | +245 | -102 | +340 | Romania | 12:00 PM |
| Ukraine | +420 | +305 | -143 | Belgium | 12:00 PM |
| Czechia | +172 | +225 | +185 | Turkey | 3:00 PM |
| Georgia | +680 | +430 | -238 | Portugal | 3:00 PM |
Latest EURO 2024 Futures Odds
Here are the latest EURO 2024 tournament outright odds heading into the matches on June 25:
| Team | | Yesterday | Team | | Yesterday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | +375 | +400 | Portugal | +550 | +550 |
| Germany | +450 | +400 | Italy | +1400 | +1700 |
| Spain | +450 | +500 | Netherlands | +1900 | +1700 |
| England | +500 | +500 | Belgium | +2400 | +2400 |
Italy’s last-minute heroics against Croatia advance them into the knockout stages, and give them the healthiest bump on the list. France’s odds have shortened a little despite not playing until this afternoon, likely due to the confirmation that Kylian Mbappe is back in the mix. Spain also improves following a 1-0 win over Albania, while Germany and the Netherlands take slight tumbles.
