A Guide to EURO 2024 Group B

The opening day of a major football tournament is always exciting. There’s an opening ceremony, and we get to watch the hosts in action. The second day is when the fun really begins, though, as we get three games per day for a solid week or so.

At EURO 2024, the second day, June 15th, takes on even more meaning, as it commences the tournament’s “Group of Death”. Group B contains two former world champions (Italy and Spain) that have five World Cups and five European Champions between them, as well as a team that finished third and second in the last two World Cups (Croatia), and one of the tournament’s most interesting dark horses (Albania).

Group B will undoubtedly see some of the most EURO 2024 group stage betting action. It could also be the hardest group to call.

Betting on EURO Group Matches: An Intro for Group B

Before we look at the team and possible bets for Group B, let’s address the strength of the group.

The European Championships establish groups using a seeding process. It helps to create balanced groups and ensures that the tournament’s top four teams are not bundled together in the same group. 

There were four pots in total for EURO 2024:

• Pot One: The hosts (Germany) and five top-ranked qualifiers
• Pot Two: The 6th to 10th-ranked qualifiers and the top-ranked runner-up
• Pot Three: Runners-up ranked 2nd to 7th.
• Pot Four: The remaining runners-up and the playoff winners.

The anomaly here was Italy. The Gli Azzurri struggled during their qualifying campaign and only earned an automatic qualifying spot thanks to their head-to-head results against third-placed Ukraine. They were seeded fourth.

Albania, surprisingly, earned the second seed spot thanks to an exceptional qualifying campaign that saw them top their group, while runners-up Croatia finished third.

Based on pre-draw seedings, it’s one of the toughest group scenarios that we could have seen, and thankfully for the neutrals, it’s the one that we got.

So, get your EURO betting strategies ready as we take a closer look at the group’s teams, their odds, and their journey to the EURO 2024 Finals.

Spain Betting Guide

The golden era of Spanish football was undoubtedly the late 2000s and early 2010s when they won three successive major international tournaments, with the 2010 World Cup sandwiched between two EUROs. Despite a semi-final appearance at the 2020 EUROs, they haven’t been the same since, but they have a young side that’s getting better every year and you shouldn’t write them off.

How They Got Here

Spain won 7 and lost 1 during their qualifying campaign, with that solitary defeat coming against Scotland. Other than that night in Hampden Park, they were very comfortable, scoring a total of 25 goals and conceding just five.

They also beat Italy in the 2023 Nations League Semi-Final and followed that with a victory against Croatia in the final. They’ll be hoping that history repeats itself here.

Players to Watch Out For

You only need to look at the prospective European Championship 2024 squads to understand why Spain have the shortest group stage odds. It’s a young squad, but it oozes talent in all areas of the park.

Arsenal’s David Raya has had an excellent season for Arsenal. There have been a few questionable moments, but he’s resigned Aaron Ramsdale to a regular seat on the bench, and that’s no mean feat. He will have to take the number one jersey from Unai Simon of Athletic Club, though, as he has been the go-to shot-stopper for a few years.

Villa’s Pau Torres should feature in defence, and we also have another chance to see Aymeric Laporte on European soil. The centre-back has been plying his trade in Saudi Arabia since August 2023, but he should still be one of the first names on the list.

Rodri will be as instrumental to Spain as he has been to Manchester City. He is one of the best defensive midfielders in the game and will allow attacking players like Ferran Torres and Iamine Yamal more freedom up front. Yamal is actually one of the most exciting young prospects in Europe right now, so if you’re looking for some long-term football tournament betting strategies, check him out on the outright player markets.

Spain EURO 2024 Odds

Spain kick off the group’s action with a game against Croatia. They are the favourites to win that one and also begin the tournament as the group favourites. That could change in an instant, though. A loss against Croatia will throw a spanner in the works, and even a draw will mean they have their work cut out. For that reason, Spain’s odds for winning Group B are the shortest of any group favourites.

They are the joint fourth favourites to win the whole tournament at the time of writing.

Betting on Spain in EURO 2024

This is a very young team that lacks the experience and depth we saw in Spanish squads a few tournaments back. They could turn on the style and cruise through the group with an air of invincibility, giving trusting backers and die hard patriots some winning EURO bets on the way. But they could just as easily falter at the first step, with Croatian experience beating Spanish youth and giving them a steep hill to climb.

Croatia Betting Guide

Croatia have been fairly consistent in recent FIFA World Cups, finishing second in 2018 and third in 2022, but the same can’t be said for the European Championships. They have never made it past the quarter finals and the last time they were there was in 2008.

How They Got Here

Croatia lost twice in qualifying and were forced to settle for a second place automatic spot. They were toppled by both Tükiye and Wales during a difficult 3-day-spell in October but were consistent besides that. They also made it to the Nations League Final and won the 2024 FIFA series in March, 2024, beating both Tunisia and Egypt.

Players to Watch Out For

Josip Stanisic and Josko Gvardiol of Bayer Leverkusen and Man City will be two of the players tasked with keeping those Spanish and Italian attackers at bay.

Midfield is where Croatia shines, with the vastly experienced trio of Modric, Brozovic, and Kovacic serving as the spine of this team. The ever-present Ivan Perisic may be key again for Croatia, but the goals are more likely to come from Andrej Kramaric, a marksman with over 100 goals for Hoffenheim.

Croatia EURO 2024 Odds

If you’re looking for value when betting on EURO 2024, look no further than Croatia. The outright odds are very high considering how consistent Croatia have been and accounting for the experience and quality they have in their squad.

They are the third favourites for the group and the 9th favourites overall, joint with Denmark.

Betting on Croatia in EURO 2024

The sheer quality of Group B means Croatia will have to start fast and lean heavily on their experienced players if they stand a chance of making it to the knockout rounds. You could be forgiven for thinking that they lack the energy and stamina needed for a schedule-heavy tournament like this, especially as key man Modric is now 38 and other stars aren’t far behind. But Modric and Co. still play at the highest level domestically and Croatia are the masters at taking games deep.

In their last four knockout games, Croatia went to a penalty shootout twice and won in extra time on the other occasion. They also took their only knockout game in EURO 2020 to extra time (eventually losing to Spain) and repeated the feat with two penalty shootouts in the 2022 World Cup.

Italy Betting Guide

Despite a lack-lustre qualifying campaign and some questions about consistency, Italy still go into this group as the second favourites and will no doubt feature prominently in a few EURO 2024 final betting predictions.

But do they have what it takes?

How They Got Here

Italy were far from convincing in qualifying for the European Championships in 2024. They made it into the automatic qualification spots by the skin of their teeth, losing both of their games against England and picking up draws against both Ukraine and North Macedonia. They also have recent experience against Spain, as they lost a Nations League semi-final to them a year-to-the-day that they’ll kick off their EURO 2024 campaign.

Players to Watch Out For

Gigi Donnarumma is still Italy’s number 1, as well as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. We’re still waiting on the squads to be confirmed, but barring injury, he will surely be the first name on the list.

In fact, Italy are heavily reliant on Donnarumma. In tournaments past, they have always had a list of quality ‘keepers to rely on, but this time their options are few and far between. There is some talent waiting in the wings, including Napoli’s Meret and Vicario from Tottenham, but they only have a few international caps between them.

The Italians have always been strong in defence and this tournament will be no exception. There is a lot of quality there, but if you’re playing the long game and betting on EURO knockout rounds, it might concern you that most of them play in the Italian league. It’s a strong league, but as we’ve seen with international teams like Brazil, France, and Argentina, variety and multi-league experience is often key. They won’t be familiar with many of the top strikers and play styles that they could face on route to the final.

The same is true for their attack, and this is where the current Italy team looks the weakest. Federico Chiesa should feature and will be key for the Italians if he does. We may also see Zaniolo, one of the only squad players who doesn’t play in Serie A.

Galatasaray’s Zaniolo is a tall and strong attacking midfielder who could give the Italians a little extra something in attack. But he has failed to live up to his boundless potential and hasn’t exactly set the Premier League alight this season.

Italy EURO 2024 Odds

Unsurprisingly, Italy are the second favourites to win the group, with must oddsmakers and pundits expecting them to qualify in second. They are the 6th favourite for the competition, joint with Belgium and ahead of the Netherlands, but they have the worst possible start in the toughest group of them all.

They may take solace in the fact that they play the group’s outsiders first, with Italy vs Albania scheduled for the evening of June 15th. Italy are heavy favourites for that and are expected to win. It won’t be easy for them, though, and it will hurt their tournament chances if they don’t pick up all three points.

Betting on Italy in EURO 2024

Italy are currently 9th in the FIFA World Rankings. Coincidentally, that means they are sandwiched between Spain in 8th and Croatia in 10th. It’s shockingly low when you consider they are the reigning European champions, but it speaks volumes for their inconsistency.

Despite their win at EURO 2020, they failed to qualify for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. It’s worth remembering that EURO 2020 was delayed by a year, which means the European champions didn’t qualify for a World Cup that began just a year after they lifted the EURO trophy.

Historically, they have built their teams from the back and have relied on great goalkeepers, solid defenders, and good holding midfielders, along with a good striker. But they have yet to find the sort of prolific goal scorers gifted to other major European nations.

Their top active all-time goal scorer, Ciro Immobile, has just 17 goals, and his recent poor performances mean he likely won’t make the cut. Compare this to Kane (England) who has over 60 or Morata (Spain) with more than 30. In fact, there are three players in the Croatia squad with more international goals and one of them, Perišić, has enough to be on par with Italy’s second all-time goal scorer, a man who retired in 1939.

They certainly have the experience and defensive ability to go all the way, but there are clear questions about their ability in front of goal.

Albania Betting Guide

Albania have only made one previous appearance at the Euros, which came back in 2016 when they didn’t make it out of the group stage. They have yet to appear at the FIFA World Cup, either. But this is one of the best squads that the Black and Reds have fielded in a while and they won’t roll over and become the Group of Death’s obligatory “whipping boys”.

How They Got Here

Albania qualified at the top of their qualifying group, finishing ahead of Czechia and Poland. They lost only 1 game, falling to a 1-0 defeat away to Poland, and comfortably beat both Poland and Czechia at home, 2-0 and 3-0 respectively. They conceded just 4 goals during that campaign, but in their March 2024 friendlies, they lost against both Chile and Sweden. With upcoming friendlies against Liechtenstein and Azerbaijan, they won’t be properly tested until they start their Euros campaign against Italy on June 15th.

Players to Watch Out For

Followers of European club football probably won’t recognise too many names in the Albania line-up. Fulham’s Broja could feature up front but will likely play a secondary role to Sokol Cikalleshi of Konyaspor (on loan to Al-Khaleej in Saudi Arabia) if he does. Cikalleshi is one of their all-time top goal scorers and although he only has 13 goals at the time of writing, it’s enough to make him the highest-scoring active player.

Balliu of Rayo Vallecano and Hysaj of Lazio should also feature in defence. Brentford fans may get to see reserve goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha at the tournament, but experienced Empoli shot-stopper Etrit Berisha will likely be the preferred number 1.

Albania EURO 2024 Odds

If you focused purely on the odds, you’d think that Albania had no chance and that qualification was a fluke. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. As noted at the top of this EURO 2024 betting guide, they were actually seeded in the second pot and had a fantastic qualification period. The issue is that they were drawn the short straw when the groups were made and they found themselves with a near-impossible task.

As a result, the odds for Albania winning the group are on par with the odds you can get for Slovenia making it to the semi-final, while the odds for Albania lifting the trophy are the joint-highest in the tournament, along with Georgia and Slovakia.

Betting on Albania in EURO 2024

In our main EURO 2024 betting guide, we said that anything but the wooden spoon would be an achievement for Albania. It seems like a harsh statement to make about a second-seeded team that has put in so many good performances over the last couple of years, but this is a tough group. They would have stood a great chance of qualifying as a third-place finisher in any other group, but they will be up against it in this one.

The Red and Blacks have by far the lowest “Win” and “Qualify” group stage odds in the tournament. They are also one of the rank outsiders for the whole thing. For many people betting on EURO 2024, Albania represent little more than a wild, long-shot wager. A shot in the dark. But of course, it's football, and anything can happen. We also expect that Albania will have the support of many neutrals, and if they have a little momentum and luck behind them, who knows?

Group B Group Stage Odds

In Spain, Italy, and Croatia, Group B has three of the nine favourites to win the whole tournament. Croatia are the outsiders among that group, which is to be expected considering they’ll be relying on a team with a high average age.

Spain have the shortest odds, and if they are able to top the group as many predict, their EURO knockout stage odds will drop. After all, it’s going to take some defensive resilience and attacking prowess to win this one.

Remember the third-place finishers rule when betting on EURO 2024, especially where this Group of Death is concerned. Four of the best third-placed teams from the six groups will progress, so even if one of the big boys slips up, they could still progress by beating Albania and snatching a draw elsewhere. They definitely won’t be happy with that option, though, as it could cause them problems during the knockout stages.

The team that finishes third in Group B will face the winner of either Group E (Belgium, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine) or Group F (Tükiye, Georgia, Portugal, Czechia) while the winners are guaranteed a match-up with a third-place finisher and the runners-up play the runners-up of Group A.

It could make a massive difference to the chances of progression. It also potentially gives the group winners a chance to take it easier, which could be vital after such a tough group. As an example, let’s use the current EURO 2024 group stage betting odds to run some scenarios for finishing places in Group B vs potential opponents in the Round of 16:*

• Group Winner plays Hungary, Austria, Romania, or Czechia
• Runner-up plays Switzerland
• One of the third-place finishers play Belgium or Portugal

*These are not our knockout betting tips or predictions. Opponents were pulled based purely on their respective group stage odds.

Summary: The Best Odds When Betting on EURO Group Matches

For the best EURO 2024 group stage betting odds, stick with Casumo! We’re following this tournament every step of the way, with competitive outright odds and final match odds, as well as promotions, guides, and analysis for key stages of the competition. So, whether you’re getting your outright odds in early and watching the action unfold, waiting for those late final match odds and taking it game by game, or just betting on the EURO final, make sure you stick with Casumo.

Remember to always stick within your budget, gamble responsibly, and seek help if you need it.

Index: The Euro 2024 Betting Guide

1. EURO 2024 Betting Guide
2. The Stages of EURO 2024 Explained
3. EURO 2024: Strategies and Tips
4. The Groups: Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E and Group F
5. EURO 2024 Betting Guide: Round of 16
6. EURO 2024 Betting Guide: Quarter-Finals
7. EURO 2024 Betting Guide: Semi-Finals