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Arun - May 29, 2024
The talk of the football world is currently UEFA Euro 2024, with the continental showdown barely a fortnight away. Hosts Germany will kick things off as they welcome Steve Clarke’s Scotland to the Allianz Arena, home of Bayern Munich. Over the next month, Europe’s finest will battle it out in the hopes of heading to Berlin on July 14th and contesting the final, and potentially emerging as European champions.
But while there is plenty of emphasis on the likes of England and France, there is a bucket load of underdogs that may turn a few heads throughout the summer. Here are two teams that we think you should keep an eye on.
Paddy Power has positioned the aforementioned Three Lions and Les Bleus as the early frontrunners for glory, with the former priced at 3/1 and the latter at 7/2 second favourite. Hungary meanwhile is a much more modest 125/1. Beyond outright betting, Paddy Power is offering a plethora of promotions throughout Euro 2024, with table classics like roulette and blackjack games if you fancy something beyond sports betting.
One team that won’t want to take any kind of break from the on-pitch action are the Magyars. Their football history is storied, with the golden era of the 1950s still resonating through the annals of Hungarian folklore. Recent decades have seen the national team striving to recapture past glories, and over the last two years, they have done exactly that.
Hungary was one of the show’s stars throughout the 2023/24 UEFA Nations League campaign, beating England home and away while almost making it to the finals. They continued their fine form throughout Euro 2024 qualifying, topping Group G without losing a single game. The emergence of talents like Dominik Szoboszlai has added a creative spark to a side that had been previously built on defensive resilience, with the Liverpool man’s passing range, and ability to score from set pieces make him a key player who can change the dynamics of a match.
They will meet Germany, Scotland and Switzerland in the group stage, hardly anything to be feared. The hosts will be expected to top the group, but Hungary will be eyeing up second place at the very least. Considering they hold numerous positive results against the Germans under their belt, they may not have given up hope of beating them on their patch to finish as group winners.
Albania’s footballing journey has been one of steady progress and ambition. After their historic qualification for Euro 2016, they are looking to make an even bigger impact in Euro 2024. However, any feel that they may well be the whipping boys of the tournament… We aren’t so sure.
Admittedly, many think they will struggle because they have been drawn into the group of death alongside Spain, Italy, and Croatia. But Los Rojas is a shadow of the team that won the tournament back-to-back in 2008 and 2012, while the Italians have done nothing but struggle three years on since emerging victorious. Croatia also has an agent squad, with their key man Luke Modric being 39 years of age.
The Albanians topped their group in qualifying, finishing ahead of both the Czech Republic and Poland. That kind of form will stand them in good stead at the Euros, and we fancy them to pick up the win and the draw required to secure progression to the last 16.
