Euro 2020 Odds: Group C Tips, Odds & Predictions

The Netherlands are back in a major competition for the first time since finishing third at the 2014 World Cup and despite being seeded in Pot Two, they managed to avoid all the major nations from the top seeds, drawing Ukraine, Austria and debutants, North Macedonia. They are the clear favourites to win the group at 2/5, but they have not shown consistent form like some of the other big nations have ahead of the tournament, but they do remain 1/50 to qualify.

Had it not been for a very late show against Northern Ireland in qualifying, the Green and White Army could have condemned the Dutch to a third consecutive absence from major tournaments. Since they confirmed that place at the Euro’s, however, their form has still been hit and miss.

The Dutch finished behind Italy in their Nations League group as the Azzurri convincingly beat them on their own patch and they recently lost 4-2 in Turkey in World Cup qualifying.

Not having any big names who can change a game in an instant at an international tournament, and no Virgil van Dijk to marshall the defence may not prove too costly in a group they should comfortably win, but beyond the group phase, they may run into trouble without him.

Ukraine were seeded in Pot One thanks to their superb qualifying campaign which saw them finish top of Group B ahead of a much-fancied Portugal outfit. However, their form since has been dreadful across all competitions. They were relegated from League A of the Nations League after losing four of their six matches, lost 7-1 to France in a friendly, and then drew at home with Finland and Kazakhstan in World Cup qualifying - they actually come into the summers as one of the least in-form nations.

Some of the Shakhtar Donetsk youngsters who were thrown in at the deep end and won away to Real Madrid earlier this season may make a breakthrough for Ukraine this summer, but many eyes will be on Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskiy and Dynamo Kyiv’s Viktor Tsygankov to see if they replicate their excellent club form from this season.

On the other hand, Austria come into the competition in better form in general, but their last fixture saw them go down 4-0 at home to Denmark. Promotion from Group B of the Nations League set them up well for the start of World Cup qualifying, but a draw in Glasgow and that hefty defeat to the Danes was not an ideal follow up.

The most likely top two from Group C will be the Dutch and Ukraine, as Holland to come first in that straight forecast is priced at 7/4, while Ukraine to do so is an interesting 6/1.

Frank de Boer could do without being yet another Dutch manager who has failed miserably at the helm like many who preceded him, and a favourable draw will help him in that regard, but the difference without the presence of van Dijk was evident when they shipped four to Turkey in March.

Premier League imports, Steven Bergwijn and Donny van de Beek, have had torrid season’s which could mean de Boer may need to look closer to home in the Eredivisie to make up much of their starting XI. Austria and Ukraine to finish as the top two above the Dutch is definitely not implausible here, at 9/1 with Sky Bet.

The upset that almost all of Europe is hoping for though, is to see debutants North Macedonia make an impression. They could not possibly have come into this tournament on the back of a better result than their 2-1 win away to Germany in March, a result which left the German camp reeling and in disarray. The underdogs will hope to inflict similar problems on the Dutch in Group C this summer.

They certainly have got the quality in their ranks to make a statement too, with Elif Elmas at Napoli and Enis Bardhi at Levante being two excellent playmakers, plus the veteran Goran Pandev has still been performing well in Serie A at the age of 37, and he got one of the goals in that win in Duisburg. With three sides potentially qualifying for the Last 16 from the group, odds of 5/2 for North Macedonia to qualify offer great value.

The Netherlands and Ukraine go head-to-head on the opening weekend, and a win for the Dutch at 4/7 will prove that they are worthy favourites to win the group, and if they are able to secure qualification before their final group game with North Macedonia, there is definite value in huge odds for the minnows at 20/1 as the Dutch may opt to rest a few players with an eye on a potential Last 16 clash.

Both Ukraine and Austria will hope to take three points from their ties with North Macedonia before they face off in the final match, a game in which a draw would take both sides through as four points will virtually guarantee a best third-place spot.

The odds reflect this as a win for either side is at identical odds of 17/10 with a draw priced at 21/10. A low-scoring draw may be a clever venture here, with a draw and under 2.5 goals available at odds of 3/1.