Vincent Van Doornick/Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images. Pictured: Belgium star Romelu Lukaku celebrates a goal.
Things should continue to be filled with drama and excitement in the Euro 2020 knockout round Sunday, with two more matches taking center stage.
We begin the latest games at this soccer showcase with the Netherlands taking on Czech Republic. The nightcap features one of the biggest heavyweight battles of the tournament, with Belgium facing Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal. The winners move on to the quarterfinal round.
Our Action Network soccer analysts have you covered when it comes to your tournament needs, providing game previews, in-depth analysis and selections.
Handicappers BJ Cunningham and Jeremy Pond dish out their best bets for these confrontations, with picks coming from each matchup. Let’s take a look at their top selections and see where they’ve found value.
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Sunday’s Best Bets
| ANALYST | PICK | ODDS | BEST BOOK |
|---|---|---|
| BJ Cunningham | Czech Republic +0.5 (+130) | DraftKings |
| Jeremy Pond | Belgium To Advance (-145) | BetMGM |
Odds as of Saturday afternoon.
BJ Cunningham: Czech Republic +0.5 (+130) vs. Netherlands
- Odds available at DraftKings
The Dutch were awesome during the group stage and completely dominated all three games. The Netherlands averaged 2.98 xG per match, which is the second best average behind only Spain.
This Dutch side just doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. Memphis Depay has been awesome up top, recording two goals and two assists so far. They’re also fantastic in the midfield with Frenkie De Jong, Georginio Wijnaldum and Marten de Roon.
Defensively, the Netherlands has allowed only 0.93 expected goals per match, and with Matthijs de Ligt healthy, I think this going to be another game where it’s going to be control most of the possession and forcing Czech Republic to play deep.
The Czechs were very positive in the group stage. Their game plan of doing a low to middle-block press, then looking to counterattack worked against Croatia and Scotland.
Now, the path to victory is pretty clear for Czech Republic to drag this game out as long as it can, play solid defense and gradually look to push up field. When the nation did suffer a 1-0 loss to England, it only allowed its foe to create 1.13 xG and generate five total shots. So, I do think the Czech defense is capable of slowing down this Netherlands attack.
That said, I am going to go out on a limb and take the Czech Republic to cover the +0.5 spread line at +130 odds at my top selection.
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Jeremy Pond: Belgium To Advance (-145) vs. Portugal
- Odds available at BetMGM
Talk about some made-for-TV soccer on a Sunday at Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla in Spain. Belgium against Portugal fighting for a spot in the quarterfinal round? Sign me up please.
The Red Devils enter this match firing on all cylinders, having gone 3-0 in the group stage. Manager Roberto Martinez watched his side dismantle Russia via a 3-0 rout to open the show, then secure a come-from-behind 2-1 win over tournament darling Denmark, before a 2-0 shutout of Finland to close affairs.
Now, Romelu Lukaku and Belgium take on the Jekyll-and-Hyde Portuguese side that showed moments of brilliance and stretches of terrible form over the course of its opening-round games. The 2016 Euro champion was impressive in a 3-0 victory over Hungary before looking thoroughly outclassed against Germany in a 4-2 defeat.
Oddsmakers have listed Belgium as a slight +143 favorite in this match, which tells me they’re overvaluing Portugal. I have the Belgians close to +120 on the moneyline, so my feeling is the Portuguese are getting this kind of love due to the fact that arguably the greatest goal scorer in the sport’s history leads its line.
Despite my confidence in Belgium getting the job done in regulation, I’m going the safer route and will back Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and the nation to advance at -145 odds via BetMGM as my top pick.
