England 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
It’s rare that England lives up to the hype at international competitions. However, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about English fortunes at EURO 2020. The Three Lions will play all three of their Group Stage games at Wembley, and they will also play in London for their Round of 16 game if they win Group D. That’s part of the reason why oddsmakers have them pegged as one of the overall favorites to win this competition, but everyone is excited about what Gareth Southgate can do with more time after he led England to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup.
Their nemesis from that tournament is their biggest challenge in Group D. Croatia bounced England in the semifinals thanks to an added time goal from Mario Mandzukic, depriving the Three Lions of a chance to win their first World Cup since 1966.
England Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +450
Coach: Gareth Southgate
FIFA Ranking: 4
Best Finish: Semifinals (1968, 1996)
Group: D ( Croatia, Czech Republic and Scotland )
How They Got Here
England was not tested in Group A of qualifying. The Three Lions’ toughest competition was the Czech Republic, and their 5-0 thrashing of the Czechs at Wembley in March 2019 bodes well for them since they were placed in the same group again. England went 7-0-1 in qualifying with the lone loss being a 2-1 defeat in Prague.
Team Preview
Southgate has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to the attack. England’s forwards and attacking midfielders are right on par with Belgium and France as the best in the world. Captain Harry Kane leads the way with an incredible 34 goals in just 53 appearances, but Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford aren’t far behind the skipper. Youngster Jadon Sancho could have a breakout performance too if he sees some time on the pitch.
Jordan Henderson is the lynchpin of the midfield. Henderson is superb in defense and does well to get his team on the break. However, there are questions elsewhere in the midfield.
Jack Grealish never lived up to the hype, and Jesse Lingard is the next most experienced player on the roster. There are young, talented options like Mason Mount, Declan Rice, and Phil Foden, but none of them are proven commodities.
The back line is pretty strong, so don’t expect England to concede a lot of goals. Harry Maguire and John Stones stand tall in center defense, and Ben Chilwell is a nice option too. Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier can play the flanks, and both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Eric Dier are likely to get some run as well.
Goalkeeping was the big concern heading into the 2018 World Cup, but Jordan Pickford allayed everyone’s fears with a strong showing throughout the tournament. Pickford has proven to be excellent at stopping penalties, and that’s great news considering England’s brutal legacy in penalty kicks.
England Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Sunday June 13
England vs. Croatia (London; 9 a.m. ET, 3 p.m.)
Friday June 18
England vs. Scotland (London; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Tuesday June 22
Czech Republic vs. England (London; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
England’s History at the European Championships
England has yet to win a European Championship. The Three Lions have yet to even make a final, as their best finish was third place at the 1968 Euros. Their only other trip to the semifinals of this competition came in 1996 when they hosted the event.
The Three Lions failed to make it out of the Group Stage in four of their first six appearances at the Euros. They were bounced in penalties by Portugal in the quarterfinals of the 2004 Euros, and they failed to qualify for this competition in 2008.
We saw England look strong and win its group at the 2012 Euros only for penalties to do them in again in the quarterfinals. However, it wasn’t penalties that were the death of England in 2016.
England looked shaky from the outset in France. They drew with Russia in their first match and then needed an injury time goal from Daniel Sturridge to beat Wales. The Three Lions settled for a scoreless draw against Slovakia to advance to the knockout round where they faced debutante Iceland. The English were installed as heavy favorites and looked to be on the right track after a 4th minute penalty conversion from Wayne Rooney, but Iceland scored twice in the next 15 minutes and then held on the rest of the way to send England crashing out.
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