Georgia v Czech Republic is the first of Saturday's matches in Euro 2024 and following that Turkey take on Portugal and Belgium clash with Romania
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Georgia 39/10 Draw 11/4 Czech Republic 8/11
Georgia's debut in a major tournament ended in a 3-1 defeat to Turkey. They fell behind after 25 minutes but Georges Mikautadze made history just 7 minutes later with the equalizer. It was 1-1 at the break but Turkey regained the lead midway through the second half. Georgia pushed for an equalizer and hit the woodwork but Turkey sealed victory with a third goal deep into added time.
Czech Republic threatened a surprise in their first match against Portugal. They spent much of the game on the back foot but Lukas Provod gave them a 62 minute lead. Unfortunately for the Czech's a really unfortunate own goal from Robin Hranac squared things up and they conceded again in stoppage time as Portugal ran out 2-1 winners.
The Verdict:
The Czech's should see a lot more of the ball than they did against Portugal but they come up against a Georgia side who were full of spirit despite despite losing their first match on the big stage. Defeat for either side could spell the end of the road.
I'm not at all sure what to expect in terms of the outcome of the game but there has to be scope for goals given both sides are playing catch up. Tomas Soucek came up with some important goals for the Czech's in qualifying and he gets the vote to pop up anytime here.
Bets: Anytime goalscorer Tomas Soucek at 42/10 with BoyleSports
Turkey 46/10 Draw 34/10 Portugal 11/20
A cracking goal from Mert Muldur put Turkey in front against Georgia who levelled before half time. Real Madrid's Arda Guler put Turkey back in front and after riding their luck Kerem Akturkoglu capitalized on Georgia pushing everyone forward to make the final score 3-1.
Substitute Francisco Conceicao scored Portugal's injury time winner in the 2-1 victory over Turkey. They dominated possession (73%), shots on target (8 to 1) and corners (13-0) but needed a freak own goal to level matters after the Czech's took a shock lead.
The last time the teams met Portugal won a World Cup qualification play off 3-1 on home soil in March 2022.
The Verdict:
Any winner here qualifies and as the betting suggests Portugal look the more likely. Turkey had a degree of fortune against Georgia and arguably the 3-1 scoreline flattered them but they rarely fail to find the net.
I'll side with Portugal to win but with Turkey contributing to the scoring.
Bets: Match result and both teams to score, Portugal (away team) and yes at 2.45/1 with BoyleSports
Belgium 9/20 Draw 36/10 Romania 6/1
Belgium are playing catch up after finding themselves on the wrong end of a shock result in their opening match against Slovakia. They lost the game 1-0 and will be cursing their luck with a number of chances created and missed and Lukaku had 2 goals chalked off by VAR.
Romania were very much the underdogs for their opening match against Ukraine but they also sprang a surprise and ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. Nicolae Stanciu punished Ukraine for a defensive mistake in the first half and Razvan Marin tried his luck from distance in the second to make it 2-0. Romania didn't stop there and Denis Dragus added the third just before the hour mark.
The Verdict:
I expect Belgium to bounce back here and will side with them to win a match of 3 goals or more in total.
Bets: 3 Way & total goals Belgium (home team) and over 2,5 goals at 5/4 with BoyleSports
Note, odds are correct at the time of writing but are subject to change
Note, we also have a dedicated Euro 2024 thread on our discussion forum where knowledgeable football punters from our community post their own tips and we will add anything we like in selected matches. If you would like to join in you can register for an account here
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