Italy is the team to beat in Group A. The Azzurri are looking to make amends after failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. It was only the second time that Italy failed to qualify for this tournament since their first World Cup win back in 1934. They have only won one European Championship in their history, but they are among the favorites to win the title this year. No other team in this group has won a Euro or even made it to the finals of a Euro.
EURO 2020 Group A Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Italy -175
Switzerland +445
Turkey +475
Wales +750
The Azzurri have been clinical since Roberto Mancini took over. He gutted the team of most of its veterans and went with a youth movement that has paid off handsomely. Italy hasn’t lost an international match since September 2018, posting a 21-5-0 record in that stretch. Their defense has been unbreakable once more, as the Italians haven’t conceded more than one goal in a game since their 3-1 loss to France in June 2018.
Italy is on a seven-match winning streak in all international games. They have defeated each of their five opponents in either the UEFA Nations League or World Cup qualifying by a score of 2-0, and they defeated Estonia and San Marino in international friendlies by a combined margin of 11-0.
Juventus teammates Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci will lead the defense, and these are the most experienced players on the roster by a mile. Both Chiellini and Bonucci have at least 100 caps, while no other player has more than 45 caps for the national team.
Jorginho showed he was one of the best two-way midfielders in the world in the Champions League Final, and Marco Verratti, Nicolo Barella, and Lorenzo Pellegrini are all very talented. There are three solid scoring options up top too in Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, and Andrea Belotti.
It won’t be easy for any other team to topple Italy in this group, but Switzerland and Turkey have a puncher’s chance. The Swiss have made it to the knockout rounds of the Euros in four of the last six competitions, and they have a handful of very good players. Switzerland plays a very defensive game with captain Granit Xhaka in the middle and Xherdan Shaqiri looking to break out on the counter. Haris Seferovic is a quality forward that can bag a goal or two, and Yann Sommer might be the best goalkeeper in this group.
Turkey have looked surprisingly sharp at times, but they are inconsistent. The Crescent-Stars blasted the Netherlands 4-2 in a World Cup qualifying match in March, and they followed that up with a 3-0 road win over Norway. However, the national team has also had to settle for home draws against Latvia and Guinea in the last couple months.
Hakan Calhanoglu is a brilliant offensive weapon that is the key to everything for Turkey. Captain Burak Yilmaz has bagged 28 goals for the national team and netted a hat trick against the Dutch, and Cengiz Under is solid too. The back line will make or break Turkey’s chances of advancing though.
Wales made an incredible run to the semifinals in their debut appearance at the Euros in 2016. However, the oddsmakers aren’t giving them much of a chance this summer. Captain Gareth Bale has always been at his best playing for the Dragons though, and the midfield has a lot of potential with Aaron Ramsey acting as the leader. Ethan Ampadu, Daniel James, and Matthew Smith might be able to take this team to the knockout rounds.
Prediction
Italy will record a result in all three of its Group Stage matches and cruise to qualification. It’s worth taking a flyer on Wales to finish runner-up though. The Welsh face the Italians in the last match, and the Azzurri might not have anything to play for in their last match.
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