Denmark look to prevent elimination against Belgium in Euro 2020

Denmark Aim To Prevent Early Elimination, Belgium Seek Qualification

The No. 1-ranked team in the world, Belgium (11-0-0, 8-3 ATS) begin as slight favorites on Thursday evening in their matchup against a Denmark team that will be desperate to ensure their Euro 2020 campaign doesn’t end early. Belgium will confirm qualification into the Round of 16 with a win against Denmark in Copenhagen.

Denmark vs Belgium
  • Date/Time: June 17, 12 p.m. ET
  • Stadium: Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
  • Sportsbook Odds: Denmark +240, Belgium +110, Draw +240
  • Denmark vs Belgium Matchup Report

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The odds for this match have swung a fair bit, but mostly for Denmark. Belgium started as +110 favorites to win this game, and are now +100 to beat Denmark. The draw’s price has stayed around Sportsbook (+240). The price is now +215. Denmark, who opened at odds of +240 to beat Belgium, are now +325 after their Sportsbook defeat.

Denmark News & Notes

The scenes in Copenhagen were glum as Christian Eriksen collapsed toward the end of the first half in the Sportsbook match against Finland. A medical team swung into action rapidly, performing emergency CPR on the pitch to resuscitate Eriksen. It was later confirmed that he had suffered a cardiac arrest. Thankfully, he is now stable in a hospital in Denmark. During that ordeal, captain Simon Kjaer and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel had to console Eriksen’s wife on the sidelines with plenty of uncertainty still around.

If you’re unaware of that story, you can imagine the toll that an incident like that would take on a team as a colleague and friend suffers a frightening, horrifying ordeal. Denmark came back to the pitch a few hours later and just couldn’t find their feet as they eventually suffered a crucial 1-0 loss to Finland.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, usually unflappable from the penalty spot, took a limp spot kick as Lukas Hradecky’s save ensured no points from a dreadful day for Denmark. Suddenly, a loss on Thursday against one of the title contenders, Belgium, could spell the end of the tournament for Denmark.

Mathias Jensen could replace Eriksen in Denmark’s starting XI for this match. Eriksen’s absence is Denmark’s only unavailability concern for this match. If the morale and confidence of the team is upbeat, then Denmark certainly won’t be pushed over, even by the No. 1-ranked team in the world.

Belgium News & Notes

There is a bit of traveling for Belgium in this group stage of Euro 2020. At least, the early performance on the pitch was fantastic. Belgium eased past Russia 3-0 in St. Petersburg in their Sportsbook encounter to ensure there should be no hassles in qualifying for the Round of 16. Romelu Lukaku scored a brace and a close-distance goal from Thomas Meunier ensured a straightforward win for Belgium in their opener.

“In terms of logistics, it’s probably the hardest we could’ve had, playing Russia in Saint Petersburg in the first game and then Denmark in the second in Copenhagen, and then going back to Saint Petersburg,” coach Roberto Martinez said. “We need to adjust our preparation and we’ll make sure that the logistics are just right.”

From a personnel perspective, there are a few concerns for Martinez. Timothy Castagne will play no further part in this tournament after a head collision with Daler Kuzyaev in the match against Russia. Jan Vertonghen might also not make the starting XI with an ankle worry.

Kevin De Bruyne’s recovery has been on schedule although a timeline on his return is uncertain. Even if he recovers in time for the group stage, he will not be rushed back into the squad considering there was a facial fracture not too long ago. Axel Witsel has also recovered to make the squad, further bolstering a strong defensive line. Belgium will have a fantastic opportunity to confirm qualification into the Round of 16 with a win against a desperate Denmark team on Thursday.

Betting Pick 1: Belgium +100

If there was a bit more certainty around the mental state of Denmark’s players, this would have been a much closer decision. Denmark could still certainly come out with plenty of determination and grit to ensure they extract at least a point from this fixture. But without knowing that for sure, Belgium would be a safer, more reliable bet. Belgium are one of the best teams in this competition and showed that with a high-quality win against Russia.

Betting Pick 2: OVER 2.5 goals (+100)

I wouldn’t expect Belgium to change their style too much. There is plenty of dynamism and creativity in that Belgium squad, which will continue even against Denmark in Copenhagen. They scored three without much fuss against Russia, and should score at least two here as well. Denmark will likely score their first goal of the competition to take the total OVER 2.5 goals.

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Shark Bites
  • Belgium’s recent record is 11-0-0.
  • Belgium has an 8-3 ATS record.
  • Belgium’s OVER/UNDER record is 6-4-1.
Belgium’s recent record is 11-0-0.home Belgium has an 8-3 ATS record.home Belgium’s OVER/UNDER record is 6-4-1. home
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