Euro 2024 outsiders: which surprise teams are your fun bets?
by Joseph King | by Joseph King
Euro 2024 could be a breakout tournament for the Magyars
Hungary to win Group A 9.00 (bet365)
Hungary have earned their label as dark horses for Euro 2024 thanks to a brilliant qualifying campaign and a lengthy unbeaten run. Despite finally losing in their most recent outing, a 2-1 defeat to Ireland, Hungary were previously the owners of the longest unbeaten run in Europe (second longest in the world) after avoiding defeat from September 2022 to June 2024.
Marco Rossi has worked wonders with this team, guiding the Maygars to 26th in the FIFA rankings - their highest placement since 2016 when they were ranked 18th. They topped their qualification group with five wins and three draws from their eight games, posting 18 total points on a +9 goal differential.
They’ll be in Group A with Germany, Switzerland and Scotland, and should feel confident of their chances. The star of the team is undoubtedly Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, who will play as part of a front three along with Roland Sallai and Barnabas Varga. Hungary also possess a solid rearguard with Leipzig duo Péter Gulácsi (goalkeeper) and Willi Orbán (centre back).
Germany are being touted as one of the favorites for this competition, with a big reason down to them being the host nation. Aside from that, Die Mannschaft haven’t done much in recent tournaments to earn their ‘favourites’ tag. Germany failed to make it out of the group stage in the last two World Cups and exited the 2020 Euros in the round of 16. They might improve as the tournament continues on but don’t be surprised if the Germans get off to a slow start.
This group appears to us to be closer than it may seem at first glance. At this price, we think there’s definite value in backing Hungary to finish top.
Check out the latest Euro 2024 odds!
Talented Ukraine can make waves at Euro 2024
Ukraine come into this tournament looking for a repeat performance of their quarter-finals run in the 2020 edition of the European Championship. Looking at the talent that the Yellow-Blues possess, we believe they have a decent chance to go even one step further.
Of course, it cannot be ignored what is happening on the world stage with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Players have spoken about the importance of this tournament, with midfielder Volodymyr Brazhko stating that this Euros will, “help the world not forget about Ukraine.” After an extremely tough qualification group which included the likes of England and Italy (let’s not forget, they also couldn’t play on home soil), the Ukrainians third-place finish ensured they would still get a shot at qualification through the play-offs.
As if there was any other proof needed as to the unity and fight that this Ukrainian team possesses, they pulled off two thrilling comebacks in both of their play-off games to book their spot in Germany.
Ukraine’s notable results (last 12 months):
- 0-0 vs Germany (3 June, 2024)
- 2-1 vs Iceland (26 March, 2024)
- 0-0 vs Italy (20 Nov, 2023)
- 1-1 vs England (9 Sep, 2023)
- 3-2 vs North Macedonia (16 June, 2023)
- 3-3 vs Germany (12 June, 2023)
There is no shortage of attacking weapons in this Ukraine team. The attack will be spearheaded by Girona’s breakout duo of winger Viktor Tysgankov and striker Artem Dovbyk (above), the latter of whom topped the LaLiga scoring charts with 24 goals in 36 games, as well as Chelsea’s Mykhailo Mudryk on the left side. The front three will be supported by talented 21-year-old Georgiy Sudakov, who is attracting attention from the Premier League. Arsenal’s Oleksandr Zinchenko will provide a calm presence in the midfield double pivot.
With Belgium’s performance in the 2022 World Cup potentially signaling the end of their “Golden Generation”, this group could be there for the taking for a Ukrainian side that is sure to have plenty of neutral support.
Other bets
Is Croatia being undervalued?
Croatia to win Euro 2024 - 41.00 (Vbet)
To wrap up, we want to focus on a Croatian team that is seemingly continually overlooked. However, they have proven in recent tournaments that they should be considered among the heavyweights in world football. A runners-up finish in the 2018 World Cup was followed up with a third-place finish in Qatar 2022. The only thing missing from this current generation's list of accolades is a deep run in the European Championship.
Luka Modric is likely participating in his last tournament but the 38-year-old is still putting in top-shelf performances for his national team, starting in all eight Euro 2024 qualifying matches, and recently signed a one-year extension at club team Real Madrid. Alongside Modric, this is a very strong Croatia team with a midfield that should be considered among the very best in the competition. With rising stars such as Gvardiol and Sutalo at the back, the Vatreni look a more complete and balanced side than ever.
Goals galore for Portugal
Portugal highest scoring team - 9.00 (bet365)
While certainly not an outsider, we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least mention Portugal here. They come into this Euros perhaps being somewhat overlooked by the massive shadows cast by England and France. However, this Portuguese squad is one of the most complete in the tournament. They’re brimming with quality in each position, which includes the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo who, at 39-years of age, is still considered as one of the favourites to win the golden boot.
Below: The highest ranking teams in terms of shots in Euro 2024 qualifying
| Country | Total Shots | Avg Shots / game | Shots on Target | Avg Shots on Target / game | Shots in Box | Avg Shots in Box / game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 173 | 19 | 73 | 8 | 123 | 14 |
| France | 158 | 20 | 62 | 8 | 107 | 13 |
| Switzerland | 157 | 16 | 59 | 6 | 105 | 11 |
| Israel | 148 | 15 | 46 | 5 | 85 | 9 |
| Denmark | 143 | 14 | 49 | 5 | 92 | 9 |
| Romania | 143 | 14 | 49 | 5 | 76 | 8 |
| Spain | 143 | 18 | 54 | 7 | 107 | 13 |
Despite being known as more of a defensive team under previous manager Fernando Santos (including their run to the 2016 championship in which they drew six of their seven total matches after 90 minutes), there is plenty of firepower in the Seleção das Quinas. With the much more offensive-minded manager Roberto Martinez at the helm (see the above attacking figures), Portugal have a chance to do some real damage in the group stage of this tournament. They have one of the easiest draws of the main contending teams as they face off against Czech Republic, Turkey and Georgia. Additionally, a look at Portugal's most recent results under Martinez gives us a hint as to how the group stage might play out. The 2016 champs have now scored 30 goals in their last eight appearances, including a 9-0 demolition of Luxembourg, a 5-2 win over Sweden and, most recently, a 4-2 victory over Finland.
Those are our Euro 2024 outsider bets, how about yours? Remember that you can follow along with every match of the tournament with our Euro 2024 Livescore, get the latest and best Euro 2024 odds from around the web with our odds comparator and see our experts' thoughts with our Euro 2024 predictions!
