Euro 2020 Round of 16 Preview and Odds - 06/26/2021
by Big Al Staff
Saturday, Jun 26, 2021The knockout stage of the Euro 2020 begins on Saturday with two matches in the Round of 16.Denmark plays Wales on ESPN at noon ET at the Amsterdam Arena in Amsterdam. The Danes qualified for the knockout stage by defeating Russia, 4-1, on Monday to secure three points in the group stage. The Red and Whites needed the victory against the Bears to advance after losing their first two matches in Group B play. Denmark opened their Euro 2020 campaign with a 1-0 loss to Finland in a game obscured by Christian Eriksen’s medical emergency. The Danes then lost to one of the tournament favorites, Belgium, by a 2-1 score, although they had the lead in that game and generated superior underlying numbers. The Red and Whites have scored five games and conceded four goals. Their underlying metrics place them fourth in the tournament is expected goal differential. They play on without their best player in Eriksen, but Tottenham’s Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has stepped into his role as the primary facilitator in the midfield. Wales comes off a 1-0 loss to an Italian side that rested many of their starting XI. The Dragons clinched their participation in the knockout stage in their previous match with a 2-0 victory against Turkey. Wales opened their Euro 2020 with a 1-1 draw with Switzerland. The Dragons scored three times in the group stage and gave up two goals. Their win against Turkey was against a side that lost all three of their matches. They did pick up a point against the Swiss National Team that advanced to the Round of 16. With Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, the core remains from the group that made a surprise run to the semifinals in Euro 2016.BetOnline lists Denmark as a -0.5 goal line favorite with the total set at 2.Italy plays Austria on ABC at 3 PM ET at Wembley Stadium. The Italians have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament by winning all three of their matches in the group stage. They opened this event with a 2-0 victory against Turkey. The Azzuri followed that up with a 3-0 victory against Switzerland. Manager Roberto Mancini’s side concluded the group stage with a 1-0 win against Wales last Sunday using many of his bench players in the match. The Azzuri scored seven times in the group stage without conceding a goal. Their keeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma of AC Milan, was only asked to make two saves along the way. Italy has played more than 1000 minutes in international play without giving up a goal. Austria only needed a draw in their final group stage match against Ukraine yet played on their front foot against Ukraine to earn a 1-0 victory and demonstrate no fear to secure a date with the Italians on Monday. Das Team opened their tournament with a 3-1 win against North Macedonia. They followed that up with a 2-0 loss to the Netherlands on their home soil in Amsterdam. The Austrians scored four times while conceding three goals in the group stage. Led by David Alba, a recent transfer to Real Madrid, and a trio of midfielders who star in the Bundesliga in Marcel Sabitzer, Konrad Laimer, and Xaver Schlager, Das Team was second in the group stage with a 38% success rate in forcing turnovers from their pressing tactics. BetOnline lists Italy as a -1 goal line favorite with an over/under of 2.25.
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