This might be the last chance Belgium has to win a major international competition. Their most talented generation of stars are entering their prime years, but most of those players are on the wrong side of 30 or very close to it. Belgium finished in third place at the 2018 World Cup, but the Red Devils were stunned at the last Euros. They were expected to meet eventual champion Portugal in the semifinals after a 4-0 rout of Hungary in the Round of 16, but they blew a 1-0 lead to Wales and eventually lost 3-1. The Belgians are the clear favorites in this Group, and anything less than a first-place finish would be a disappointment.
EURO 2020 Group B Betting Odds at BookMaker.eu
Belgium -175
Denmark +260
Russia +470
Finland +1700
There is an incredible amount of talent in the midfield and up top for Belgium. Captain Eden Hazard can play as an attacking midfielder or a forward, and he is one of the most dangerous players on the team. He has 32 goals for Belgium, and Hazard is also coming off a fantastic year with Real Madrid. Romelu Lukaku is a superb No. 9 with 59 goals in 91 appearances, and Dries Mertens, Christian Benteke, and Michy Batshuayi give this unit excellent depth.
Kevin De Bruyne is one of the best two-way midfielders in the world. De Bruyne has been arguably the most important cog for Manchester City, as he can score goals and set up teammates with great looks. He has 21 goals for the national team to date, and he will surely net a few more at this tournament.
Axel Witsel is a veteran that is the second-most capped player on the team, while Yannick Carrasco, Youri Tielemans, and Thorgan Hazard can all play important roles in the midfield.
The back line is the question mark. Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, and Thomas Vermaelen are all extremely experienced and have combined for 312 caps. However, all three players are at least 32 years old. That could make Thomas Meunier the lynchpin of the unit as someone with experience and youth.
Denmark pulled off one of the greatest upsets ever at the 1992 Euros. The Danes beat the Netherlands in penalties in the semifinals before topping Germany 2-0 to win their first and only European Championship.
Since that improbable triumph, Denmark has not made it further than the quarterfinals at the Euros. The Red and White are unlikely to make it past that benchmark this summer either, as there isn’t a lot to be excited about on the roster.
Christian Eriksen is the talisman of this team and leads Denmark with 106 caps and 36 goals. He is still playing great football, and it will be up to him to provide the offense. Yussuf Poulsen and Martin Braithwaite have had moments up top but aren’t reliable options, but Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Delaney are solid in the midfield.
The Danes will defend like mad with Simon Kjaer and Andreas Christensen holding down the back line. Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel is still an elite goalkeeper too.
Russia has not looked good on the international stage over the last 10 months. The Russians have won just two of their eight matches and were blown out 5-0 by Serbia in their last match of 2020.
Captain Artem Dzyuba remains the main goal scoring threat, and Denis Cheryshev and Aleksandr Golovin are fine midfielders. The back line and defense are a question mark though, as there aren’t any elite players and long-time goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev retired from international play.
A result in any of their three games will be a victory for Finland. This is their first major international tournament, and they have some of the longest odds to win EURO 2020. Teemu Pukki and Fredrik Jensen could surprise some teams, but the defense is a major issue.
Prediction
Don’t be surprised if Belgium wins all three of their Group Stage matches and wins at least one of these games by a lopsided margin. Denmark should finish second in the group, while Finland could edge Russia for third place.
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