For anyone with withdrawal symptoms after the club football season and champions league final, rest easy, there is still a whole month packed with football (and betting) to look forward to. Euro 2016 starts on 10th June 2016 when hosts France take on Romania at Stade de France in the opening game of the 2016 European Championships. Naturally this provides plenty of opportunities to place bets, with an incredible 51 games to bet on at Euro 2016. So what should you be betting on at Euro 2016? Which team should you be backing to win Euro 2016? And what bankers and long shots should you be betting on at Euro 2016? In this Euro 2016 betting preview I provide my views on what bets you should be placing right now for Euro 2016.
In this article I will concentrate on the outright betting markets at Euro 2016, and leave to one side the group matches. Howtobet4fre will cover group matches nearer to the respective match days.
To Qualify – Groups
The format for qualification from the group stage at Euro 2016 has been changed since the 2012 championships. Of the 24 teams at Euro 2016, only 8 teams will be going out at the group stage. As usual the top two teams from each group will qualify, with the four best 3rd place teams also qualifying for the round of 16. Clearly this has huge implications for bets placed on teams to qualify and win respective Euro 2016 groups, as well as the dynamic of the closing group games. You could have a situation whereby a team could qualify from the groups with as low as 2 points.
In theory the new format should make it easier to pick out a winner, and back a team to qualify from the group stage. In reality if a team manages to pick up four points at the group stage, it should virtually guarantee qualification to the next round. It’s quite likely even less points will be required for qualification.
Two group qualification bets standout for me, Wales at evens with Unibet in Group B (the same group as England) and Croatia at 9/10 with Unibet in Group D. This may be Wales’s first appearance at the European Championship, but Wales are a team with lots of confidence and of course the world class Gareth Bale. Wales have only lost one game in their last ten games, and have recorded an impressive win against highly rated Belgium during qualification. Wales kick off with a very winnable opening game against Slovakia on Saturday 11th June, before playing England and then Russia for their last game. Wales might well just shock a few people during the tournament, and at evens to qualify, it’s just too tempting not to back pre-tournament.
Continuing the Real Madrid connection, and turning to Luka Modric’s Croatia side, who at 9/10 to qualify with Unibet look outstanding value. Admittedly Croatia are in tough group with Spain, Turkey and Czech Republic, but the Croats possess a talented team which should do enough to guarantee qualification against rather average Turkey and Czech Republic sides. There a number of Croatian players under the radar, who now appear ready to announce themselves on to the international football scene, which together with the class of Rakitic and Modric should ensure Croatia qualify for the last 16.
To Qualify – What To Bet On At Euro 2016:
Bet on Wales at evens to qualify from Group B at Euro 2016 with Unibet!
Bet on Croatia at 9/10 to qualify from Group D at Euro 2016 with Unibet!
Top Goalscorer
The top goalscorer betting market is a very popular betting market at all major football tournaments, and at Euro 2016 much like the tournament, it’s completely wide open. The main issue for anyone considering to bet on the top goal scorer market at Euro 2016, is ensuring the respective country stays in the tournament long enough to give yourself a chance of winning the bet. The countries more heavily weighted to win the tournament, will naturally reflect in the odds for those players playing for the more fancied countries to win Euro 2016.
The three front runners, Thomas Muller (best odds 8/1 with Sky Bet), Cristiano Ronaldo (best odds 8/1 with Betfred) and Antoine Griezmann (best odds 10/1 with BetVictor) are fancied for a variety of reasons. Muller has great pedigree in international tournaments having scored 31 goals in 70 appearances, Ronaldo because he is Ronaldo, and Griezmann given France’s home advantage. Out of the top three favourites I wouldn’t feel comfortable backing Ronaldo as it’s unlikely Portugal will get through to the latter stages, so any Ronaldo backers are relying on Ronaldo to score quickly in the group games. Muller however, shouldn’t have that problem, with Germany likely candidates to reach the Semi Final as a minimum. Griezmann is still finding his form at international level, and has all the attributes to score heavily during Euro 2016, so would by my pick to bet on from the front three favourites for top goalscorer at Euro 2016.
I always like to back a few longer shots in excess of 10/1 and the following bets are along those lines. Alvaro Morata, who has had a ton of speculation with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, is likely to be Spain’s leading point of attack. His divided opinion recently as his goal scoring record has hardly been prolific for club and country. However Morata is available to bet on at 25/1 with Unibet to be top goalscorer at Euro 2016, which offers particularly good value for a player who might well come of age in this tournament and will be playing up top for a team who has every chance of going all the way at Euro 2016.
My next choice is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who would likely be in the top three favourites if he played for Spain, France, or Germany. Zlatan rarely doesn’t score, and even at the age of 34 is still a major presence up front. Zlatan scored nine goals in qualifying and has scored 62 goals in total for Sweden. At best odds of 33/1 with bet365 it’s a great value top goalscorer bet at Euro 2016, but the big concern for Zlatan backers is about Sweden’s ability to go beyond the group phase. If Sweden don’t get out of Group E, it makes it very hard to see Zlatan Ibrahimovic having enough game time to score sufficient goals.
My last choice (and longest shot of all) for top goalscorer at Euro 2016 is Eden Hazard, who is best odds of 50/1 with BetVictor. We all know Hazard had a horrendous domestic campaign, but there were signs towards the last few games of the season that Hazard was regaining his sharpness and might well have timed his form just right for Euro 2016. Belgium are likely to reach the latter stages of the tournament and given Hazard’s goal threat, 50/1 could look very good if Hazard starts well.
Top Goalscorer – What To Bet On At Euro 2016:
Bet on Antoine Griezmann at 10/1 to be Top Goalscorer at Euro 2016 with BetVictor!
Bet on Alvaro Morata at 25/1 to be Top Goalscorer at Euro 2016 with Unibet!
Bet on Zlatan Ibrahimovic at 33/1 to be Top Goalscorer at Euro 2016 with bet365!
Bet on Eden Hazard at 50/1 to be Top Goalscorer at Euro 2016 with BetVictor!
New betting account for Euro 2016? Bet £10 on Euro 2016 get £30 in FREE bets with BetfairSportsbook for Euro 2016!
Highest Scoring Team & Highest Scoring Group
If your struggling to decide what to bet on Euro 2016, the betting markets for highest scoring team and highest scoring group are a great bet to retain interest throughout the tournament. In respect of the highest scoring team, similarly with the top goalscorer, you need the respective team to get through to the latter stages of the tournament to have a realistic chance of winning your bet.
For goal scoring markets I think statistics (like the image above) can provide useful help to pick out a winner. For example in qualification for Euro 2016, Poland scored an average of 3.3 goals per game, and England an average of 3.1 goals per game. Albania scored the lowest average number of goals, at 1 goal per game, with Portugal, Romania, Hungary and Wales all just behind, scoring 1.1 goals per game in qualifying. Particularly large wins can have an overly significant effect, as well as the impact of tight qualifying groups. Also the dynamic of the three game groups is very different to a group with five games home and away, however generally qualification statistics do provide a fairly good indicator of the goal scoring appetite of a team. I would bet on Germany to be the highest scoring team at Euro 2016 at 16/5 with Paddy Power, and a small wager on England at 10/1 with Ladbrokes.
Turning next to the highest scoring group at Euro 2016, I would have fancied betting on Germany’s group looking at all Euro 2016 groups on paper. Based on the statistics I would be pretty confident of Group C delivering plenty of goals. Both Germany (average of 3.3 goals per game in qualifying) and Poland (average of 4.3 goals per game in qualifying) delivered lots of goals and the average for Group C is easily the highest out, at 2.95 goals per game, of all the groups. Group C is vying with Group A in the betting markets for favourite status, for the highest scoring group at Euro 2016. At best odds of 7/2 with Boylesports I don’t think you can go too far wrong betting on Group C to be the highest scoring group at Euro 2016. In fact if you have only one bet during Euro 2016, make sure it’s to bet on Group C to be the highest scoring group at Euro 2016.
Highest Scoring Team – What To Bet On At Euro 2016:
Bet on Germany at 16/5 to be the Highest Scoring Team at Euro 2016 with Paddy Power!
Bet on England at 10/1 to be the Highest Scoring Team at Euro 2016 with Ladbrokes!
Highest Scoring Group – What To Bet On At Euro 2016:
Bet on Group C at 7/2 to be the Highest Scoring Group at Euro 2016 with Boylesports!
Bet365 Euro 2016 Offer - £200 matched bonus for Euro 2016!
Outright Winner - Euro 2016
Most people will focus on betting on the outright winner of Euro 2016, as it generally provides longevity over a tournament. The outright winner market is naturally favoured towards the host’s, France, with Paddy Power offering 10/3 on France winning Euro 2016. France odds have been bolstered with home advantage and a squad that boasts the likes of Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Kingsley Coman, Antoine Griezmann, Anthony Martial and Dimitri Payet. In my view 10/3 is prohibitively low odds to back pre tournament, when only 8 teams are eliminated following the group stages. I wouldn’t expect the odds to change too much before the knock out phases, so it may make sense to wait until then before placing any serious bets on the outright winner market at Euro 2016.
Having tipped Germany to be the highest goal scoring team, naturally I would be inclined to also choose to bet on Germany to win Euro 2016. Coral are currently best priced at 4/1 for Germany to win Euro 2016. The German’s haven’t looked flawless by any means, with defeats to Poland and Ireland in qualification, and a defeat in a friendly to Slovakia this weekend. That will all count for little come the start of Euro 2016, and as we all know Germany have a regular habit of peaking just at the right time to win an international tournament. With the likes of Neuer, Kroos, Reus, Ozil and Muller in the ranks, Germany possesses a highly talented group which are almost inevitably going to make the latter stages. Ignoring the odds, Germany would be the team I would be backing to win Euro 2016, so at this stage I don’t see much reason to bet against them.
My other longer shot selections would be on England at 9/1 with Betfred, Austria at 40/1 with bet365 and Poland at 50/1 with bet365. The England football team are again exciting to watch, and while it may be one tournament too early, it’s difficult not to feel a lot more optimistic for this team. There is a freshness and aggression in their play which has been lacking for the best part of a decade. Given the extended format of Euro 2016 it gives the players an extra game to get into the tournament, which I reckon will help England to grow into Euro 2016. Austria and Poland are dangerous dark horses, and while I would be genuinely shocked to see either team win the competition, both teams could trouble the more established guard and get to the latter stages. Both teams have power and pace and a number of top quality players. A lot will depend on how the draw opens up, but don’t be surprised to see either or even both in the quarter finals.
Outright Winner - Euro2016 – What To Bet On At Euro 2016:
Bet on Germany at 4/1 to win Euro 2016 with Coral!
Bet on England at 9/1 to win Euro 2016 with Betfred!
Bet on Austria at 40/1 to win Euro 2016 with bet365!
Bet on Poland at 50/1 to win Euro 2016 with bet365!
I hope the above preview has given you some ideas on who and what to bet on at Euro 2016. Be sure to check our dedicated Euro 2016 page for regular betting tips and previews in the run up to the tournament.
Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply
Click to ClaimFrancois is one of Howtobet4free’s co-founders and has written many of Howtobet4free’s popular Betting Guides. Francois also helps run the @howtobet4free_ Twitter account
