Euro 2024 has been defined by close matches, late goals and young players emerging on one of the biggest stages in world soccer. The tournament is down from 24 teams to eight quarterfinalists that will play Friday and Saturday across Germany.
Here are my preview and pick for Saturday’s quarterfinal between England and Switzerland in Dusseldorf.
The pick — Switzerland tie no bet (+174, FanDuel)
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Last Saturday, Switzerland kicked off the round of 16 with a resounding 2-0 win over defending champion Italy in Berlin, and England advanced a day later when they needed late heroics to get past Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen.
The Swiss are typically considered a dark horse in major tournaments, but they have a strong track record of getting to at least the knockout stage. Now they have an opportunity to make their first-ever semifinal in a Euro or World Cup.
England are on the favorable side of the competition’s bracket, but overall, the Three Lions have had a disappointing Euros. They beat an underachieving Serbia 1-0 in their opening match before concluding group play with draws against Denmark (1-1) and Slovenia (0-0).
In the round of 16, England were minutes away from getting knocked out of the competition by Slovakia, a country known more for ice hockey than soccer, but 21-year-old Jude Bellingham saved Gareth Southgate’s team with a bicycle kick goal in second-half stoppage time. Harry Kane then scored early in extra time to send the Three Lions into the last eight.
Despite their struggles, England are +120 (BetMGM and DraftKings) to win this match within the 90 minutes, and I want to bet against them at the current prices. If your book allows you to bet Switzerland +0.25 on a handicap, I would take that. But since only a few do, I’ll go with Switzerland draw no bet as my official wager.