Scott Thornton's EURO 2024 Matchday 2
16/1 Goals Acca

Croatia looked lacklustre as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat against Spain in their first match. They had plenty of chances to get on the scoresheet but squandered them. This leaves them needing a result against Albania. Zlatko Dalic’s side scored an average of 1.62 goals in their qualifying game and the high-stakes nature of this clash should mean we see a frantic affair.

Albania took a shock lead before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against Italy in their opener. They will be hoping to have some success against what appears to be a fragile Croatian defence. The Albanians scored an average of 1.5 goals per game during qualifying.

Scotland were comfortably beaten 5-1 by Germany on the first night of the tournament. The occasion seemed to get to Steve Clarke’s side, but they have the chance to make amends against Switzerland. They scored an average of 3.12 goals per game during qualifying. However, they have conceded an average of 2.6 goals per game in their last 10 matches. The Scots cannot afford to lose this one and there will be a large Scottish contingent willing them on.

Switzerland’s 3-1 win over Hungary on Saturday was a thoroughly entertaining affair. They created plenty of chances and Breel Embolo looked dangerous when he came on. Their qualifiers saw an average of 3.3 goals per game, 2.2 of which were scored by the Swiss.

This game is likely to decide who will top Group B. Spain looked menacing against Croatia, creating four big chances and scoring three. However, they were fortunate not to concede, with their opponents finishing the game with an xG of 2.38. Unai Simon was forced into making five saves. Luis De La Fuentes’ side scored an average of 3.12 goals during qualifying and should find the net here.

Italy, on the other hand, scored an average of two goals per game during qualifying. They beat Albania 2-1 in their last game. Over 2.5 goals also won in their last two matches against Spain. This promises to be an enthralling clash between two giants of European football so expect goals.

We finish off with another titanic clash. France were second-favourites to lift the trophy ahead of the tournament and have the quality to hurt any opponents. At the time of writing, the French are yet to play their opening fixture but their clashes with the Netherlands are usually goal laden. There have been at least three goals in four of the last five head-to-heads with those matches seeing 3.2 goals on average. Didier Deschamps’ side scored an average of 3.62 goals per game during qualifying.

The Netherlands recorded a 2-1 victory in their opening match against Poland. There has been an average of 3.4 goals in their matches since Ronaldo Koeman returned to the managerial hot seat. This bet has won in their last six matches.