Euro 2024: Gamesbelt’s Week 1 Recap

It has been a week since Euro 2024 began in Germany. Now that every team has played at least once, and we’re into week two of the European Championships, what’s happened? How have Gamesbelt’s predictions panned out, and are bookmakers on course to be correct? What kind of tips should you look to exploit when it comes to betting on the penultimate and final group stage games? Let’s find out.

Business As Usual

First, let’s look at the Euro 2024 standings and see whether things are a case of business as usual. In Group A, two matches have been played (at the time of writing), and Germany are clearly through. Switzerland also looks good value to make it through – again, as expected. 

In Group B, Spain and Italy are leading the way, just as expected. In Group C, England are two points clear, while Denmark and Slovenia are sharing the spoils. Again, this is exactly what we’d expect. There’s not much out of place in Group D either, with both the Netherlands and France right where they should be, despite French nerves almost coming undone against Austria. Finally, there are no real surprises in Group F, where Turkey and Portugal have three points apiece, which is, again, exactly what you’d expect.

Any Surprises?

There are a couple of surprises. Firstly, Albania’s win over Croatia has left the 2018 World Cup finalists on the verge of an early elimination from the tournament. Albania is clearly showing that they aren’t in this tournament merely to make up the numbers. At odds of 200:1 to 500:1, as we reported in our gambling news last week, they could be a decent bet to make it through in third place.

The other big shock is Belgium. The Belgians, much like Croatia, have seen the end of their “golden era”, and a surprise defeat to Romania sees them in trouble. They should still beat Slovakia, although Ukraine could prove a trickier customer. Our money is still on Belgium to qualify, but they aren’t making it easy on themselves, and one more shocker could cost them.

Are Bookies’ Euro 2024 Permutations on Course?

Thus far, we’d say that the bookies, and by extension, our own permutations, are on course for success. Admittedly, we didn’t expect Belgium to be defeated by Slovakia, nor did we expect Croatia to draw with Albania. However, the reality is that we did anticipate that both countries were at the end of their golden eras, so shock defeats aren’t necessarily surprising.

If things keep as they are during week two, there is every chance that we’re going to be talking about the usual suspects in the Round of 16. For those wondering right now about the third-place teams who can qualify, let’s end by touching on that. 

Who’s Up for a Third Place Spot?

As touched on, it isn’t just the top two sides who qualify from each group. Three of the six third-placed teams will also qualify. Right now, Slovenia is sitting pretty at the top. Albania and Scotland are sitting second and third, but you must remember that at the time of writing, they’ve played a match more than everyone else. Poland and the Czech Republic are just outside those two teams, while Belgium is currently propping up the third-place table. We’ll know a lot more about who’s in and who’s out next week, so check back for more Euro 2024 action from Gamesbelt.