Euro 2024 qualifiers takes centre stage this weekend with some mouth-watering clashes to look forward to today, Friday, October 13, as two former European champions — the Netherlands and France — will engage in a battle royale, with France on the verge of securing their Euro ticket to Germany, and Portugal, needing one more win to secure their ticket, will welcome a tough Slovakian side at the feared Estadio do Dragao stadium.

Event # 1 – EURO – Netherlands vs France – 1:45 PM

Requiring just one more win to secure their Euro 2024 ticket to Germany, with two games to spare, France travel to Amsterdam to face the Netherlands in an expected thrilling encounter. The Netherlands have played one game less than France owing to their participation in the Nations League finals — where losses to Croatia and Italy made it four defeats from their last five matches in all competitions that left them six points off their next opponents, France, in their qualifying group. But following their below-par performances in the Nations League, the Netherlands reignited their bid for a second-placed finish in the Euro qualifiers with back-to-back wins over Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Indeed, victory over France today and another win over Greece next Monday would be enough to see the Netherlands booking their ticket to the championship to be held in Germany next year.

Meanwhile, France have blown the competition out of the water so far, securing 15 points from a possible 15, having won all five matches played and are yet to concede a goal. Qualification for the finals to be held in Germany looks a certainty as France began their campaign with a dominating 4-0 thrashing over the Netherlands at home. Since then they have beaten Ireland, Gibraltar, and Greece, all with clean sheets. However, the French did lose an away friendly match against Germany in their last match, but in European qualifiers, France have been exceptional. Since losing in Turkey four years ago, France are unbeaten in 12 European qualifiers, winning 11 of them.

Key Stats

• The Netherlands – The Netherlands have lost two of their last three matches and have conceded seven goals in their last three matches.

• France – France won the reverse fixture 4-0 earlier this year and have won 11 of their last 12 European qualifiers.

• Both sides – France have lost only one of their last seven meetings against the Netherlands in all competitions.

The betting Tip. France win & both teams to score.

Event # 2 EURO – Portugal vs Slovakia – 1:45 PM

Portugal will welcome Slovakia today knowing that a win would be enough to secure their spot in next summer’s European championship finals with three games to spare. An impressive campaign so far has seen Portugal at the top of the group with 18 points, having won all six matches played so far. The Portuguese are five points ahead of second-placed Slovakia and another win on home turf would guarantee their spot to Germany. The impressive Portuguese head into this clash off the back of a stunning 9-0 win over Luxembourg last month. Indeed, Portugal are unbeaten since their infamous 1-0 loss to Morocco in the quarter-final of the 2022 World Cup, and they are well placed to secure their spot in next year’s finals, where they will be aiming for a repeat of their 2016 triumph.

Slovakia are well placed to qualify from the group as the second-placed side, having won four times, one draw and one defeat to date, while only conceding twice. The Slovakians drew their opening home match against Luxembourg, which was a surprise, but bounced back with three straight wins before losing at home 1-0 to Portugal back on September 8. Defeat against Portugal today could make things a little tricky for Slovakia as they are just three points ahead of Luxembourg, who they visit next Monday in a match that will decide who finishes second in the group. With that said, Slovakia have won four of their last five qualifying games since the draw with Luxembourg, but defeating a high-flying Portuguese side in their back yard might be a tough task for them to achieve.

Key Stats

• Portugal – Portugal have the best attacking record in the Euro qualifiers scoring 24 goals in six matches, with 16 of them coming at home.

• Slovakia – Slovakia have won both of their away matches in the qualifying campaign so far, scoring three times and conceding just once.

• Both sides – Portugal have never lost to Slovakia, winning four of the last five meetings between the two nations, including a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture last month.

The betting Tip. Portugal win.