Euro 2024 has already seen some surprising results, particularly in Group E. BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton correctly predicted seven out of the first 12 group games, but was surprised by Slovakia’s win over Belgium and Romania’s victory over Ukraine. Only 16% of voters believed Romania would win, and just 4% supported Slovakia. However, Sutton and the fans did correctly predict the outcome of eight games.
Looking ahead to the upcoming group games, Sutton is making his predictions for the matches. In Group A, he initially picked Germany as winners and Hungary as runners-up. Switzerland was expected to finish third, with Scotland in fourth place. In the upcoming game between Germany and Hungary, Sutton anticipates another convincing victory for Germany, despite Hungary’s need for a win. For the match between Scotland and Switzerland, Sutton believes Scotland will need to improve their performance and make some key lineup changes to stand a chance against the Swiss team.
Moving on to Group B, Sutton’s pre-tournament picks were Spain as winners and Italy as runners-up. Croatia was expected to finish third, with Albania in fourth place. For the upcoming game between Croatia and Albania, Sutton predicts a draw, as both teams will be looking to secure their first win of the tournament. In the highly anticipated match between Spain and Italy, Sutton expects a close game but ultimately gives the edge to Spain due to Italy’s defensive vulnerabilities.
In Group C, Sutton initially predicted England as winners and Denmark as runners-up, with Serbia in third place and Slovenia in fourth. In the upcoming game between Slovenia and Serbia, Sutton foresees a cagey draw that will keep both teams in contention for the next round. For the match between Denmark and England, Sutton believes England will secure another win, dismissing the criticism surrounding the team’s performance in their opening game and highlighting the strong defensive display by Marc Guehi.
As for Group D, Sutton picked France as winners and the Netherlands as runners-up, with Austria in third place and Poland in fourth. In the upcoming game between Poland and Austria, Sutton expects a close match but gives the edge to Austria to secure a win. In the match between the Netherlands and France, Sutton anticipates a victory for France, citing their strong performance in the tournament so far.
Looking ahead to Group E, Sutton initially selected Belgium as winners and Slovakia as runners-up, with Ukraine in third place and Romania in fourth. For the upcoming game between Slovakia and Ukraine, Sutton praises Slovakia’s organization and predicts a draw, while in the match between Belgium and Romania, he expects Belgium to secure a much-needed win to stay in contention in the group.
Finally, in Group F, Sutton picked Portugal as winners and the Czech Republic as runners-up, with Turkey in third place and Georgia in fourth. For the upcoming game between Georgia and the Czech Republic, Sutton predicts a narrow win for the Czech team. In the match between Turkey and Portugal, Sutton expects Portugal to come out on top due to their quality players and potential to win the tournament.
As Euro 2024 continues, fans and experts alike will be eager to see if Sutton’s predictions come true and how the teams will fare in the upcoming group games.