2024 European Championship Qualification Predictions > Mar 23rd - 28th

[StevieDay1983]

The 2024 European Championship qualifying process is set to start this week. The teams are spread across 10 groups with two nations automatically qualifying for next summer's tournament and the remaining four places in the finals will be up for grabs via the play-offs. These will be decided through a combination of where a team finishes in their qualification group and through their UEFA Nations League performance. Take a look at the odds for the games above and share your predictions for your home nation's team with us below.

As a Wales fan, I'm very concerned about how we will perform in this campaign. We've suffered the retirements of key players Gareth Bale and Joe Allen. The likes of Ben Davies and Brennan Johnson are also ruled out for these games with injuries. I have a feeling we'll struggle to get a result out in Croatia and even a home game against Latvia could see some teething problem as we are set to field a largely inexperienced side. Still, the good times were fun while they lasted!  

[Fader]

Two I like on the Thursday are Slovenia to beat Kazakhstan (10/11) and Bosnia (4/5) to beat Iceland. 

However, my 4-fold accy for the long weekend of International Football is 

BULGARIA to beat Montenegro
Bulgaria is the improved form under their new boss. Mladen Krstajic. Since his appointment, Bulgaria has won 3 and drawn their last 0-0. They beat Gibraltar 5-1 at home and then won two back-to-back away victories without conceding. Beating both North Macedonia and Cyprus. Montenegro, on the flip side, has not won in their last 4 matches. They didn't even score in 3 of those matches and drew 2-2 with Slovakia, at home. They actually drew with Bulgaria 0-0 at home but I think with Bulgaria now being the home team they're worth siding with.

AUSTRIA to beat Azerbaijan
Austria are unbeaten in 20 of their 23 matches in Euro Qualifiers whilst Azerbaijan have lost all of their last 5 away matches in Euro Qualifiers. They've also failed to score in their last 3 Euro matches. If they qualify here, like expected, then it will be the third time in a row.

FRANCE to beat Holland
The Netherlands now have Koeman back in charge, for his second reign. Whilst there hasn't been a great amount of time for him to stamp his authority on the team. With the players not really getting together since the World Cup. However, they did have a good World Cup and probably achieved above their expectation by making the Quarter Finals. Losing out to the eventual winners. However, Koeman has already spoken out that he will move back to a 4-3-3 and it makes you wonder if that uncertainty and the upheaval of a new manager and system is positive or negative.

CROATIA to beat Wales
Going into a bit of a transition now that Bale has gone into retirement, I think Croatia would be strong favourites even if Bale was playing here. Croatia surpassed any ambition at the World Cup and come out of that with a very solid third place. They've won 4 of their last 5 and I fancy them to come through this one.

4-fold 9/1 betfair

[StevieDay1983]

I'm telling you one thing, Croatia to beat Wales is a banker. I'd be surprised if we score. I'd back a Croatia win to nil. France beating Netherlands will be interesting. Not sure Ronald Koeman is a great appointment for the Dutch. They were knocked out in the last 16 by Czech Republic at the 2020 European Championship so interested to see how this second tenure goes. Nice picks there, @Fader!

[StefanBB]

Italy vs England

Italy will be looking for an improved result here following the 2-0 International Friendlies defeat in their last game at the hands of Austria. However, that game was played in November 2022, and now the Azzurri seek a new beginning after missing the World Cup. Roberto Mancini's Italy has scored eight times in their prior six outings. The number of goals that have been scored against them in those games stands at 8. Roberto Mancini has called up three uncapped players to the Italy squad, with Wladamir Falcone, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Mateo Retegui all hoping to feature in the upcoming fixtures. The return of Federico Chiesa from injury will be key, but Ciro Immobile and Federico Dimarco are still sidelined.

Since a losing effort in their last game against France in WC action, England and their fans will hope to get a better result this time. The Three Lions finished their World Cup journey in the quarter-finals, and they want a successful start here. In as many as 5 of the previous six games involving England, three or more goals have been struck. The overall average goals scored per game in that spell is 3.83, with the number of goals averaged by England equalling 2.67. However, we'll just have to find out if that pattern might be replicated in this next match. With a fully healthy squad available to choose from, the England boss Gareth Southgate doesn't have any fitness concerns at all before this clash. Gareth Southgate is likely to stick with a tried and tested formula on Thursday and will be able to welcome Reece James and Ben Chilwell back from injury. Ivan Toney has received a call-up but is unlikely to start, with Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi also named in the squad.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Italy must show its strength at home and with the support of a full stadium. In the first match in a difficult away game, England will try to shake the hosts with counterattacks. There will be a lot of tactical outwitting of both coaches, and the prediction for this match is a draw.

Goals Market Prediction

Both teams have talented offenses, and we expect the hosts to attack and forget about the disappointment of missing the World Cup. Therefore, we think neither team will keep a clean sheet in this encounter.

Draw @ 3.20

BTTS Yes @ 2.00

Correct score 1:1 @ 6.10

[harry_rag]

Might as well have the tenner allowed on England to score at evens with Hills. I’m agnostic about the bet at around 1.5 on the exchange but I think it offers value at evens.

[harry_rag]

Can't resist Kane to score at 3.65 on BF. Best priced 15/8 with the bookies, the spread prices suggest around 9/4. I'm not convinced this will be a goalfest but I'm not sure our 'Arry should be quite that big a price.

[harry_rag]

Ronaldo's goal minutes at 94 to sell or 93 to buy anybody? 

That would normally be a clear sell for me but Ronnie for the National side has been on my very short "never sell" blacklist for a while. I'm tempted to conclude he's not the threat he was now but he could still obviously put on a show against this calibre of opponent. Luckily it's an automatic "no bet" for me with there being an arb, which spares me any soul searching.

[StefanBB]

France vs Netherlands

France enters this fixture after a 3-3 WC drawn match against Argentina. It was an epic match in which Les Bleus managed to get back after trailing 2-0, but they lost the title after a penalty shootout. It's been seldom in recent games where France has kept a clean sheet. The facts show that France has failed to prevent opponents from scoring in 5 of their previous six clashes, letting in 7 goals along the way. Let's find out if that trend will be continued here. Deschamps' plans have been disrupted by issues in defense, with William Saliba forced to pull out due to injury and Raphael Varane retiring from international football at the start of 2023. Mike Maignan will replace former captain Hugo Lloris in goal, but the majority of France's key names have been called up.

In their previous game, the Netherlands drew 2-2 in the WC tie with Argentina. Like their opponents, Oranje also went to a penalty shootout, but they were not clinical enough. A run of hard-working performances from the Netherlands defenders has seen their' goals against' tally standing at four from their last six outings combined. During the same time, their forwards have managed to score 11. Koeman has confirmed his plan to revert to a traditional Dutch 4-3-3 system in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, which will begin in Paris. However, several important players will miss this encounter since they caught a virus.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

The atmosphere in the French team has been heated up in the previous months, which might impact their performances. On the other hand, the Netherlands will have severe issues with players sidelined due to a virus. That's the only reason why we will back the hosts in this match.

Goals Market Prediction

Both teams have an attacking approach, and that shouldn't change in this clash. It should be an entertaining encounter in which both teams should be able to find the back of the opponent's net.

France to Win @ 1.75

BTTS Yes @ 1.85

Correct score 2:1 @ 8.30

[Fader]

On 3/22/2023 at 3:35 PM, Fader said:

Two I like on the Thursday are Slovenia to beat Kazakhstan (10/11) and Bosnia (4/5) to beat Iceland. 

However, my 4-fold accy for the long weekend of International Football is 

BULGARIA to beat Montenegro
Bulgaria is the improved form under their new boss. Mladen Krstajic. Since his appointment, Bulgaria has won 3 and drawn their last 0-0. They beat Gibraltar 5-1 at home and then won two back-to-back away victories without conceding. Beating both North Macedonia and Cyprus. Montenegro, on the flip side, has not won in their last 4 matches. They didn't even score in 3 of those matches and drew 2-2 with Slovakia, at home. They actually drew with Bulgaria 0-0 at home but I think with Bulgaria now being the home team they're worth siding with.

AUSTRIA to beat Azerbaijan
Austria are unbeaten in 20 of their 23 matches in Euro Qualifiers whilst Azerbaijan have lost all of their last 5 away matches in Euro Qualifiers. They've also failed to score in their last 3 Euro matches. If they qualify here, like expected, then it will be the third time in a row.

FRANCE to beat Holland
The Netherlands now have Koeman back in charge, for his second reign. Whilst there hasn't been a great amount of time for him to stamp his authority on the team. With the players not really getting together since the World Cup. However, they did have a good World Cup and probably achieved above their expectation by making the Quarter Finals. Losing out to the eventual winners. However, Koeman has already spoken out that he will move back to a 4-3-3 and it makes you wonder if that uncertainty and the upheaval of a new manager and system is positive or negative.

CROATIA to beat Wales
Going into a bit of a transition now that Bale has gone into retirement, I think Croatia would be strong favourites even if Bale was playing here. Croatia surpassed any ambition at the World Cup and come out of that with a very solid third place. They've won 4 of their last 5 and I fancy them to come through this one.

4-fold 9/1 betfair

Well Slovenia and Kazakhstan win so that's a good omen, hopefully.

Have noticed that pp are boosting Austria, France and Belgium to 4/1 if anybody is interested

[StevieDay1983]

10 minutes ago, Fader said:

Well Slovenia and Kazakhstan win so that's a good omen, hopefully.

Have noticed that pp are boosting Austria, France and Belgium to 4/1 if anybody is interested

That's a very tempting price for those three. As your accumulator showed, there's every chance these three will win. I'm very interested to see how Domenico Tedesco does as Belgium head coach. I think they've made a great appointment there. However, there is the big question of whether a talented club manager can make the transition to international management.

[Fader]

that's the treble in but as usual the 4-fold is gonna lose by one and my btts accy has just lost because Holland missed a last minute penalty. ARGHHHH!!

[StefanBB]

Spain vs Norway

Spain heads into this fixture after a 0-0 WC drawn result vs Morocco, after which they got knocked out after a penalty shootout. It was another unsuccessful campaign for La Furia Roja, and they made heavy changes to their national team. Their more recent scorelines show that there has been much resilience in the Spain defense. Spain has been mean at the back, resulting in the tally of goals that have gone past their goalkeeper over the course of their past six matches, standing at 4. Regardless, time will tell if the trend will be replicated in this upcoming game or not. Luis de la Fuente has not been afraid to upset the big names. There is no Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alaba, or Sergio Busquets in his first squad – and he has also had to replace the injured Pedri and Gerard Moreno. Borja Iglesias could come in upfront, along with the popular Iago Aspas. Kepa Arrizabalaga could get a surprise start, while Barca defender Alejandro Balde may begin at left-back.

In their previous game, Norway drew 1-1 in the International Friendlies tie with Finland. After missing the World Cup action, they want to secure qualification in this campaign. The stats don't lie, and Norway has been scored against in 5 of their last six games, letting opponents get eight goals in all. In defense, Norway has some weaknesses to address. The big news for Ståle Solbakken is that he will have to make do without Erling Haaland up front. The Manchester City striker has been enjoying an incredible season and could have made this one a much tougher game to call. Now Real Sociedad's Alexander Sørloth will be looked to for goals, with Mohamed Elyounoussi also asked to provide an attacking thrust.

Full-Time Winner Odds & Prediction                                                                            

Spain has rejuvenated the team, and we are keen to see whether those changes will bring improvements in their game. We think the hosts are set for a confident start, and they will open this campaign with a victory.

Goals Market Prediction

Norway has quite a talented squad, but we don't think they will enjoy much of a game in Malaga. Therefore, Spain might keep a clean sheet in this encounter.

Spain AH -1 @ 1.58

BTTS No @ 1.62

Correct score 2:0 @ 5.50

[StevieDay1983]

Here are the odds for the next couple of days of matches in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers. I'm still in shock at Wales absolutely sh*thousing our way to a 1-1 draw out in Croatia. I'm happy to admit we did not deserve that point but got to take those results when they come around! I'm hopeful we can see off Latvia but Rob Page is notoriously over-cautious when playing teams when we are the favourites. You only need to look at us struggling to beat Belarus twice and being held by Estonia in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. I wouldn't be surprised if we labour to a win but I also wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get the win! Life of a Wales fan! 

[harry_rag]

Mbappe was a best price of evens to score earlier which felt a bit skinny, perhaps about fair. Hills out to 6/5 now which feels like a bet to me.