Euro 2024 Daily Betting Briefing: Monday, June 17
Joint-favourites France are among six teams to kick off their Euro 2024 campaigns on Monday, with Group D and E taking centre stage.
Be sure to check out Odds Now's website and YouTube channel for all the latest betting tips and insights throughout the tournament.
Euro 2024 fixtures for June 17, 2024
2pm BST: Group E - Romania vs Ukraine (Allianz Arena, Munich)
5pm BST: Group E - Belgium vs Slovakia (Frankfurt Arena, Frankfurt)
8pm BST: Group D - Austria vs France (Dusseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf)
Betting Odds for Monday's Euro 2024 fixtures
Romania 31/10, Draw 28/11, Ukraine 21/20
Belgium 1/2, Draw 37/10, Slovakia 6/1
Austria 5/1, Draw 15/4, France 5/9
*UK best prices as of 10am on 16/06/2024
Odds Now's Betting Preview - Romania vs Ukraine
Above: Girona striker Artem Dovbyk has scored in three of his last five matches for Ukraine. (Photo by Alamy Images)
Team news
Romania have no injury concerns ahead of the encounter. Centre-back Radu Dragusin has been a mainstay at the heart of his nation's defence, starting their last 14 matches.
Ukraine left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko picked an ankle knock in their 4-0 win over Moldova on Monday, but should be fit in time for the opener.
The state of play
There will be plenty of optimism in the Romania camp after qualifying for their first tournament in eight years.
However, Edward Iordanescu's men are without a win in their last four, having played out two uninspiring 0-0 draws in their pre-tournament friendlies. Those results made it three clean sheets in their last five, though, having conceded just four goals in that time — three of which came in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Colombia back in March.
After a 0-0 draw with Germany and a 3-1 loss to Poland, Ukraine bounced back with a 4-0 win over Moldova in their final game before the tournament.
Serhiy Rebrov's men are strongly tipped to secure a top-two finish in Group E and wil be hoping for a strong start in their opening match.
Analysis and best bets for Romania vs Ukraine
Romania's main strength has been at the back. They conceded just five goals during qualifying, registering six clean sheets in the process.
However, the quality in the Ukraine ranks looks to be much stronger than their opposition during those matches. Finishing third in a challenging qualifying group which featured England and Italy, Rebrov's men secured a place in Germany through the play-offs.
They were forced to show their character in those games, relying on late winners in both the semi-final and final, but have tasted defeat only once in their last eight clashes.
Striker Artem Dovbyk has been in fine scoring form for club and country of late, netting three in his last five at international level.
We expect the 26-year-old to continue his run while contributing to an opening game victory for his country on Monday.
Odds Now's best bets - Artem Dovbyk Anytime Goalscorer - 1pt @ 39/20 (General) & Ukraine to win 2pts @ 21/20 (QuinnBet)
Odds Now's Betting Preview - Belgium vs Slovakia
Above: Belgium winger Leandro Trossard scored in both of his country's pre-tournament friendlies. (Photo by Alamy Images)
Team news
Belgium right-back Thomas Meunier is ruled out with a partial muscle tear sustained in their win over Luxembourg last weekend. Youri Tielemans, Jan Vertonghen and Arthur Theate were all unused substitutes in the match after missing the previous game against Montenegro.
Slovakia defender David Hancko played 71 minutes of the 4-0 win over Wales after sitting out his country's previous match versus San Marino.
The state of play
Domenico Tedesco's Belgium side come into the game in fine form. Unbeaten since the Qatar World Cup, the Red Devils netted five goals without reply across two recent friendles with Luxembourg and Montenegro.
They are hotly-tipped to finish first in Group E as they finally look to leave their mark on a major tournament after years of false dawns.
Slovakia also impressed in their warm-up matches, securing 4-0 wins over Wales and minnows San Marino. Striker Robert Bozenik netted his seventh goal in the Wales win and will need to be at his best if his nation are to stand any chance of progressing.
Analysis and best bets for Belgium vs Slovakia
Only three sides scored more than the 22 goals Belgium netted during qualifying. They also boast the highest-scorer during qualifying in striker Romelu Lukaku, who found the net on 14 occasions.
Lukaku has already scored 11 times at major tournaments heading into the opener, and will fancy his chances of adding to that tally on Monday.
While Slovakia conceded just 0.8 goals during qualifying, their level of opposition was significantly weaker than this prolific Belgium side. The Red Devils scored three or more goals in four of their eight games in qualifying, and also netted five in their warm-up matches.
We expect them to continue their impressive scoring run with a dominant showing here.
Odd sNow's Best Bet - Belgium to score 2.5+ goals - 1pt @ 15/8 (General)
Odds Now's Betting Preview - Austria vs France
Above: Centre-back William Saliba is set to start for France after a superb season with Arsenal at club level. (Photo by Alamy Images)
Team news
The losses of David Alaba and Xaver Schlager to long-term injuries will be big losses for Austria. However, all 26 players selected by manager Ralf Rangnick in his final squad will be available for the opener.
France will be without Lucas Hernandez, who sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury back in May.
The state of play
Austria come into the match as one of the tournament's in-form teams. Rangnick's have lost just once in their last sixteen, winning 12 in the process.
Despite that positive run, the Eagles still come in as outsiders to secure a top-two finish, though their prospects will improve significantly with a win on Monday.
Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps' France side are second favourites, behind England, to claim their third European Championships in Germany.
The French will be buoyed by the positive form of star man Kylian Mbappe, who has one goal and three assists in his last three outings for his country.
Analysis and best bets for Austria vs France
The volume of talent at Deschamps' disposal makes France clear favourites in this one. However, they have managed just three clean sheets in their last nine outings overall, and have also struggled keeping teams out at major tournaments.
Across their 11 matches at EURO 2020 and the Qatar World Cup, France kept just two shutouts.
Meanwhile, Austria come into the game having scored in every match since September 2022, a 2-0 defeat to France in the Nations League, and bagged five in four matches at Euro 2020.
WhileLes Bleus' added quality in forward areas should prove too hot to handle, we expect the Austrians to get their name on the scoresheet before ultimately coming up short in this one.
OddsNow's Best Bet - France to win & BTTS - 2pts @ 9/4 (General)
Odds Now's Euro 2024 Best Bets for Monday, June 17
Artem Dovbyk Anytime Goalscorer @ 39/20 (General) - 1pt
Ukraine to win @ 21/20 (QuinnBet) - 2pts
Belgium to score 2.5+ goals @ 15/8 (General) - 1pt
France to win & BTTS @ 9/4 (General) - 2pts
Total staked - 6pts