Summer soccer continues to heat up this week in Germany, and the Sports Gambling Podcast Network previews the action with our Euro 2024 Semifinals best bets.
There will be a semifinal each day, starting on Tuesday, with Spain and France. This is a matchup of the Spanish kids against the veteran French side that just finds a way to survive.
Meanwhile, England and the Netherlands meet in Dortmund on Wednesday. Neither nation has won a major tournament in over 30 years, and they are both one step away from the final.
As we saw in the last round, these matches are cagey and decided by fine margins. So, let’s break down the two games and give our Euro 2024 Semifinals best bets.
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Euro 2024 Semifinals Best Bets
Spain vs France – France to Advance (+104) FanDuel
Date: Tuesday, July 9
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Network: FOX
Coming into this tournament, nobody would have imagined that Spain would be the favorite if these two countries collided. I know this Spanish side has played well, but the odds have shifted too far here.
One of the key reasons to back France is how tough Didier Deschamps’s team is to beat. In fact, this French squad has not lost in regulation in the knockout rounds of a major tournament since the 2014 World Cup.
Les Bleus also does not give up any quality chances to opponents. Only Germany and England have a better expected goals allowed average than France (0.85), according to fbref.com.
Another key issue with Spain in this game is the fact that multiple starters will be out. Defenders Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal are suspended, while Pedri is sidelined with an injury.
I just don’t believe that a full France team should be an underdog on a neutral against a Spanish side missing key players. So, I like Deschamps to lead his team to another final here.
England vs Netherlands – England +0.5 & U2.5 (-106) FanDuel
Date: Wednesday, July 10
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Network: FOX
Of the four teams remaining, the Dutch have had the easiest path in the knockout rounds by defeating Romania and Turkey. However, we have seen the Oranje step up in class in this tournament against France.
In that match against the French, the Netherlands generated just 0.47 xG and eight shots in a 0-0 draw. This came after France won both games against manager Ronald Koeman’s team in qualifying.
Meanwhile, England’s defense is right on par with Les Bleus. For the tournament, Gareth Southgate’s squad has held opponents to just 0.84 expected goals and 8.82 shots per match.
This has led to every match for the Three Lions being very low scoring, with this same bet cashing in all of their matches. Southgate even added an extra defender in the most recent lineup.
I also don’t trust England’s offense to finally arrive at this competition. So, I’ll just continue to ride the defense that will carry the Three Lions to the final.
