The domestic football season is over, but there are still high-profile games to enjoy during the break because the 2024 UEFA European Championships (Euro 2024) are here! Running from June 14 to July 14 across Germany, Euro 2024 sees 24 of Europe’s best national teams compete in a month-long tournament for the right to call themselves European champions.
All the sites at vegasbetting.com price England and France as the clear favorites to win Euro 2024, but only one can become champions of Europe.
If games go as they should on paper, these two footballing powerhouses will lock horns in the semi-finals, meaning only one will progress to the Euro 2024 final.
Both teams have talented squads, but which is best equipped to bring the trophy home?
Will Gareth Southgate Let His Young Lions Run Free?
England reached the final of Euro 2020, but they lost to Italy on penalties after the game ended 1-1 after extra time. It was the closest England had come to winning a major trophy since the 1966 World Cup-winning team. England fans are optimistic about their team’s chances of ending a 58-year trophy drought.
Still, any English success will depend on whether or not Gareth Southgate gives his players the freedom to express themselves, something he’s not done throughout his reign as manager.
The England squad is brimming with attacking talent that will cause problems for any opponents. Harry Kane, off the back of an incredible first season with Bayern Munich, will lead the line, and England usually rely on their captain to score goals. Kane has 63 goals in 91 appearances and is a good bet for the Euro 2024 Golden Boot.
Kane has Bukayo Sako and Phil Foden supplying him with ammunition, and both are capable of scoring goals, too. Jude Bellingham is the star man in midfield. The Real Madrid youngster could win the Balon d’Or before he’s 21 because he is that good. England also has Declan Rice pulling the strings in midfield, but that is where the positives stop.
Southgate’s England go into Euro 2024 with a central defensive partnership that has played fewer than five games together. One of those defenders, John Stones, is currently in isolation with a stomach illness. Luke Shaw is the only recognized left-back in the squad, and he hasn’t played since February 18.
Question Marks Remain Over England’s Youngsters
Although the England starting XI is strong, the squad lacks tried-and-tested international players waiting in the wings. Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo, Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze, and Cole Palmer are talented individuals, but they have only 15 caps between them. Question marks remain over whether they are of international quality.
Southgate’s reluctance to play attacking football despite the wealth of talent at his disposal holds the team back. Southgate’s teams have ground out results despite his tactics, not because of them.
His love of two holding midfielders limits England’s attacking threat, and his reluctance to play anyone not named Harry Kane up front means England’s two backup strikers have only played 15 games between them.
France Looking to Become Three-Time European Champions
France’s group may pose more of a challenge than England’s, with it containing Austria, Netherlands, and Poland, yet everyone expects them to finish top without breaking into a sweat. There is a superstar player or two in every position when you look at France’s 26-man squad.
Didier Deschamps has selected a squad with the perfect blend of youth and experience. Almost every player would get into the starting line-up of any of France’s rivals.
The French defense includes players like Benjamin Savard, William Saliba, and Theo Hernandez. Midfielders such as Aurelien Tchouameni, N’Golo Kante, and Eduardo Camavinga provide cover and assists for Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe. With Mbappe having ended speculation about his club career, he can focus on firing France to glory in Germany.
France goes into Euro 2024 without an elite-level goalkeeper. However, the French defense is so good that whoever is selected between the sticks will likely only face a few shots. The midfield lacks a goal threat, although Deschamps uses his midfielders to shield his defense, leaving the attacking players free to do their thing.
The French team is crammed full of pace and power, and it is challenging to see which of the other 23 teams would cause them any significant issues or prevent them from becoming three-time European Champions.
England or France: Who Will Win Euro 2024?
While the bookmakers have England as favorites for Euro 2024 glory, making a case against France is hard. If England wins their group, as expected, they will likely face the Czech Republic in the Round of 16, Italy in the quarter-finals, and France in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, France should battle against Turkey and Belgium and then take on England in the semis. In all of these games, you would expect Les Bleus to win. Everything points to France becoming European champions for a third time.
However, despite a lack of form over the past few years, it would be ludicrous to write off the chances of the host nation, Germany.
Although players like Manuel Neuer, Antonio Rudiger, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gundogan, and Thomas Mueller are in the twilight of their respective careers, Euro 2024 likely presents those superstars with a final chance to win some more silverware with their countries. With that in mind, expect Germany to give it their all throughout the competition.
The Germans lack an out-and-out goal threat, which works against them, but they are experts in knockout tournament football. The team has the talent and, indeed, the experience. Time will tell if Die Manschaft can navigate through a tough set of fixtures and capture its fourth European Championships title and first since 1996.
