European powerhouses will be in action today and tomorrow, June 22, in Euro 2024 action, as Netherlands and France collide in a blockbuster clash today, then on Saturday Turkey will take on one of the tournaments favourites, Portugal, in another mouth-watering encounter.

Event # 1 — Euro 2024 – Netherlands vs France — 2:00 PM

Both Netherlands and France made winning starts to their Euro 2024 campaigns, but based on their performances, there was little to suggest in either games that these two teams are at the elite level that fans have talked them up to be prior to the start of the campaign. Indeed, Netherlands struggled to create any clear-cut chances against Poland and had to rely on a late goal to secure a 2-1 win, while France weren’t much better and needed an own goal from the Austrians to secure the win. Despite their win in their opening game, the Netherlands will be wary that they will have to improve if they are to go far in the tournament, and the memories of their shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech at Euro 2020 in the round of 16 will be still fresh in their minds. They will be keen to maintain the momentum they have from their opening win, but against the French it will take a total team effort to secure a win that would see them advancing to the next round.

France superstar Kylian Mbappe broke his nose in their opening game and might be a doubt for this blockbuster clash. However, even without their star man, France will be confident that they can still get the job done, having kept three clean sheets in a row and boasting plenty of attacking talents, even in Mbappe’s absence. With that said, seen as the pre-tournament favourites by many, France have a lot to live up to, and with their style of play being built on their formidable defence and lightning quick counter-attacking threat, which has worked for them in recent times, they will be confident of securing a result against the Netherlands, who weren’t overly impressive in their opening match.

Key Stats

• Netherlands — The Netherlands have won seven of their last eight matches, with six of those wins coming without them conceding a goal.

• France — France have won three and drawn one of their last four matches in all competitions and have not conceded a goal in their last three matches.

• Both sides — The Netherlands have lost their last two matches against France. Conceding six goals in their two losses, both coming in the Euro 2024 qualifiers

The betting Tip. Draw.

Event # 2 Euro 2024 — Turkey vs Portugal — 11:00 AM

Similar to Netherlands and France, who both secured wins in their opening games of the Euro 2024, Turkey and Portugal both got their respective campaigns off to winning starts. Turkey defeated Georgia 3-1, while Portugal defeated a plucky Czech Republic side 2-1 with a late goal. A win for Turkey against their more-fancied rivals would guarantee them a place in the round of 16 as group winners, but they will have to be at their very best to beat this star-studded Portuguese side, as their form ahead of this clash doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence, having won just one, drawn one, and lost three of their last five matches. That win over Georgia ended a winless streak of four games for the Turks and should lift their confidence heading into what is probably their most difficult game in the group.

Having dominated the Czech Republic in their opening game, the Portuguese team will be aiming to build on that performance and secure that vital win to advance to the round of 16. However, Portugal, having been knocked out in the round of 16 by Belgium in Euro 2021, will be looking to go deep in the tournament with a view of adding to the one Euro title they won in 2016. In their last five matches, Portugal have won three times and drawn two, which, by their standards and the array of stars they have at their disposal, wasn’t the kind of results they would have expected. Their mixed run of results started with a 2-1 loss to Slovenia, followed by a 4-2 win over Finland. They were then surprised 2-1 by Croatia on home soil but rebounded with a dominant 3-0 win over the Republic of Ireland in their final warm-up game ahead of the Euros, and they maintained that momentum by winning their opening game of the campaign.

Key Stats

• Turkey — Turkey have lost three of their last five matches to teams ranked in top 10 by FIFA — Portugal is ranked sixth.

• Portugal — Portugal have won their last 11 competitive matches and went unbeaten in their Euro qualifiers, winning all 10 matches played and scored the most goals also.

• Both sides — This will be the tenth meeting between both sides, with six of those being competitive games, including three in European championships. Portugal have held the upper hand with seven wins and two losses, with the other ending in a draw.

The betting Tip. Portugal win.