The 2024 European Championship will be played between the 14th of June and 14th of July. The competition will be held in Germany and follows the same format as the previous tournament. There are four teams split into six groups and the top two teams plus the best four third-placed teams will advance to the round of 16. The tournament is pure knockout from that point onwards. Italy are the defending champions but do they have what it takes to successfully defend their title?
Italy in Group of Death
Every major international football competition has a ‘group of death’ and unfortunately for Italy, they have been placed in that group for Euro 2024. Italy have been drawn in Group B along with Spain, Croatia, and Albania. Spain are arguably the strongest team in the group but with a chance that three teams will progress from the group to the knockout stages, the Italians should feel confident about reaching the round of 16. Italy overcame Spain on penalties in the semi-finals at Euro 2020 but have lost 3 of their last 4 meetings with the Spanish. However, Italy should beat Albania and get at least a point from the game with Croatia, meaning they will qualify from the group. If you want to have a wager on the Italians to progress from the group, you can use a Fanduel Promo Code and claim bonus bets if your first bet wins.
Italy’s Form and Key Players
Italy failed to qualify for each of the last two World Cup tournaments, which is hugely disappointing for a team of their stature. However, despite failing to play in Russia and Qatar, they managed to win the 2020 European Championship in-between, so we cannot look at the World Cup failure as a strong guide to their performance in Germany. Italy finished second in their 2024 European Championship qualifying group behind England, losing 2 of their 8 fixtures, with both defeats coming against the English. There is a feeling the current squad of players do not have the quality to compete with the likes of England, France, Germany, Spain, and Portugal this summer. There are no real superstar players in the Italian squad, with Gianluigi Donnarumma, Nicolò Barella, and Federico Chiesa being the three key players.
Euro 2024 Favorites
With a favorable draw in the round of 16, there is a chance Italy could reach the quarterfinals of the tournament but as soon as they meet one of the leading nations, it could be game over. England are the favourites to win with the bookmakers and they have some incredible talent from which to choose, including Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, and Harry Kane. However, the French will also be challenging and any team that includes Kylian Mbappe has a chance. Portugal could be a team to watch, led by Cristiano Ronaldo and plenty of world class players, including Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Italy should progress from the group stage but there are other nations better equipped to go all the way this summer.
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