SOC: 2020 European championship knockout stage odds, picks

The 2020-21 European championship knockout stage gets started on Saturday, June 26 with four consecutive days of elimination matches. Denmark and Wales get things started at noon, followed by unbeaten Italy versus Austria. Top-ranked Belgium takes the field against Portugal on Sunday afternoon, while 2018 World Cup champions France face Switzerland on Monday. England and Germany will close out the round on Tuesday. Check out our preview and picks below!
#1 Belgium (3-0-0) vs. #5 Portugal (1-1-1): Arguably the best matchup of the Round of 16 pits Portugal against Belgium in a match that could very well produce the eventual champion. Belgium ran through Group B, highlighted by a 3-0 beatdown over Russia in the opener. Romelu Lukaku (three goals) has been electric while Cristiano Ronaldo (five goals, one assist) leads the Golden Boot race. Kevin De Bruyne needs to be in top form for Belgium on Sunday, June 27 at 3:00 PM.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Belgium
Chinedum Wejinya: Belgium
Raven MartÃn: Belgium
#7 Italy (3-0-0) vs. #23 Austria (2-1-0): Italy takes on Austria with a chance to advance to the quarterfinals and they’ll continue to lean on Nicolo Barella and Manuel Locatelli after winning Group A. Austria comes in as underdogs (+186) after finishing second in Group B. Maybe David Alaba can work some magic and help pull off an upset for Austria but it’s more likely Italy keeps rolling into the quarterfinals. The match kicks off on Saturday, June 26 at 3:00 PM.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Italy
Chinedum Wejinya: Italy
Raven MartÃn: Italy
#6 Spain (1-0-2) vs. #14 Croatia (1-1-1): Spain bounced back from a couple of draws with a 5-0 defeat of Slovakia in the finale to finish second in Group E. Sergio Busquets and Alvaro Morata will be key while Luka Modric remains the guy to watch on Croatia, who finished in second in Group D with a 3-1 victory over Scotland. The pressure is certainly on Spain but Croatia wants to follow up their 2018 World Cup run with another strong showing here on Monday, June 28 at noon.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Spain
Chinedum Wejinya: Spain
Raven MartÃn: Croatia
#2 France (1-0-2) vs. #13 Switzerland (1-1-1): Even though France hasn’t played up to their full potential thus far, they won Group F after beating Germany 1-0 in the opener. Karim Benzema (two goals) and Paul Pogba have controlled the pace while Xherdan Shaqiri (two goals) has been the catalyst for Switzerland, finding the net twice in a 3-1 win over Turkey. According to the Action Network, France (+410) remains the favorite to win it all and they’ll look to advance on Monday, June 28.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: France
Chinedum Wejinya: France
Raven MartÃn: France

#4 England (2-0-1) vs. #12 Germany (1-1-1): Another early knockout match that feels like a semifinal bout includes England versus Germany. England topped Group B after defeating Croatia 1-0. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling headline the match alongside Joshua Kimmich and Serge Gnabry. Germany barely qualified for the Round of 16, scoring a late equalizer to eliminate Hungary. Their top performance was a 4-2 win over Portugal. The game will kick off on Tuesday, June 29 at 12:00 PM.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Germany
Chinedum Wejinya: Germany
Raven MartÃn: England
#18 Sweden (2-0-1) vs. #24 Ukraine (1-2-0): Sweden matches up with Ukraine on Tuesday, June 29 at 3:00 PM. Emil Forsberg (three goals) and Alexander Isak paced Sweden to a 1-0 win over Slovakia after an impressive draw with Spain. Ukraine finished third in Group C with an underwhelming 1-2-0 record. Their best showing was a 2-1 win over North Macedonia which doesn’t prove much. Roman Yaremchuk and Ukraine (+147) will hope to pull off an upset but it’s pretty unlikely.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Sweden
Chinedum Wejinya: Sweden
Raven MartÃn: Ukraine
#16 Netherlands (3-0-0) vs. #40 Czech Republic (1-1-1): Netherlands takes on Czech Republic in a sneaky good match, which will kick off on Sunday, June 27 at noon. The Dutch are a better team with Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum (three goals). Czech Republic will need Patrik Schik (three goals) to carry the load in order to pull off an upset. Netherlands topped Group C, blowing out North Macedonia 3-0 and finishing 3-0-0. Czech Republic slipped by Croatia 1-0.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Netherlands
Chinedum Wejinya: Netherlands
Raven MartÃn: Netherlands
#10 Denmark (1-1-1) vs. #17 Wales (1-1-1): Although neither Denmark or Wales are expected to make a deep run in the knockout stage, this match could come down to the final minutes. Both squads are evenly matched with the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey leading the way for Wales, who defeated Turkey 2-0. Denmark (-108) come in as slight favorites as they’ll lean on Yussuf Poulsen after finishing third in Group B. This is the Round of 16 opener on Saturday, June 26 at noon.
Staff Picks:
Charles Post: Denmark
Chinedum Wejinya: Wales
Raven MartÃn: Denmark
Championship Odds:
1. France (+410)
2. Italy (+650)
3. England (+700)
4. Germany (+700)
5. Spain (+800)
Odds per Action Network.
Rankings per Transfer Markt.
Photo Credit: Yahoo! Sports.
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