Euro 2020 Group B Betting Guide: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Russia

Belgium - World's number one team

Will Fenwick of the Betfair trading team is expecting a big run from the world's no.1 ranked team...

Profile: Managed by former-Everton boss Roberto Martinez, and packed with Premier League talent past and present like Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, this Belgium team needs little introduction and should be one of the leading contenders to win Euro 2020.

How They Qualified: They won 10 out of 10 in qualifying and finished with a goal difference of +37. They conceded just four so they are solid at the back as well as ruthless up front.

The Manager: Martinez has been in charge for five years now. Way before that, he won the FA Cup with Wigan (and got relegated from the Premier League with them three days later). He subsequently did very well in his first season with Everton, before two years of mediocrity saw him sacked. If Belgium's results are anything to go by he's come on leaps and bounds since then. Either that or he's working with much better players.

The Squad: Belgium like to line up in a 3-4-2-1 with De Bruyne - likely to don a protective face mask if recovering from the sickening head injuries suffered in the Champions League final - and Dries Mertens lining up behind Lukaku. With FA Cup final hero Youri Tielemans and Leander Dendocker or Alex Witsel as the two holding players, and Thomas Meunier and Thorgan Hazard on the wings. No room for his brother Eden who's struggled for fitness and form over the last two years.

Key Man: Lukaku has enjoyed a brilliant season with Serie A winners Inter Milan and is his country's most important player. Belgium's other strikers - Michy Batshuayi, Divock Origi and Christian Benteke - just don't measure up whereas in other areas of the field they have quality replacements.

One To Watch: Jérémy Doku is a tricky winger at Rennes. The 18 year-old has greatly impressed in his four starts for Belgium and, at the time of writing, he's top of the Ligue 1 rankings for number of players dribbled past, ahead of names such as Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. Doku is an exciting player to watch, but much more of a creator than a scorer.

Tournament Prospects: None of the games will be played in Belgium during Euro 2020, which is why - despite being the number one ranked team in the world - they're only third favourites behind England and France. However their route to the final is relatively easy, as they'd face a third place team in the round of 16 if they won their group, a second placed team if they came second, and most likely either the Netherlands or Italy in the quarters.

How To Bet On Belgium: As already mentioned, Eden doesn't get into this team. De Bruyne and Mertens are first choice in the attacking midfield roles, and Carrasco is probably second choice after them. So Hazard might even struggle to get sub minutes. He is still the big name so take advantage of value on other players with the Real Madrid man taking up more of the market than he deserves.

Denmark - Their best chance since '92

A place in the quarter-finals is the barometer of success for a Denmark side attracting a fair bit of money, and Rob O'Brien of the Betfair trading team expects them to do that...

Profile: Denmark's finest hour came at Euro '92 when they were surprise entrants to replace Yugoslavia, and went on to win the whole thing. Since then, the best they've managed is a quarter-final in 2004, but they'll be fancied to at least match that this time around.

How They Qualified: Denmark qualified unbeaten and finished second in their qualifying group behind Switzerland.

The Manager: Kasper Hjulmand came into the role last year after qualifying. He led Nordsjælland to their first and only Danish league title in 2011/12 and got his big move to replace Thomas Tuchel at Bundesliga side Mainz, but his time there was short-lived. The Nations League last year was his first campaign in charge of Denmark and they finished second in their group behind Belgium, taking four points from England.

The Squad: Denmark will likely play a 4-2-3-1. In goal, Kasper Schmeichel will hope to emulate his father's heroics from '92, with a top-class centre-back partnership of Simon Kjær and Andreas Christensen in front of him. Holding pair of Thomas Delaney and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will give Christian Eriksen the freedom to roam. Martin Braithwaite and Yussuf Poulsen will be either side of the front man.

Key Man: Eriksen has played a key role in Inter's first Serie A title in 11 years and will be equally central to Denmark's hopes at Euro 2020. With Spurs Eriksen was playing 90 minutes most games, but at Inter he is generally the first man subbed after 60-odd minutes when they usually have a lead to hold on to. After such a packed season this could make a big difference in keeping Eriksen fresh, and Denmark could profit.

One To Watch: Poulsen arrives on the back of a relatively successful season with RB Leipzig. While his record of seven goals in 53 international appearances doesn't inspire awe, Poulsen has a habit of popping up with important goals, including one at the last World Cup.

Tournament Prospects: Reaching the quarter-finals will be the barometer of success. Looking to the knockouts path, a runner-up spot in the group sets up a potential reunion in the Last 16 with Switzerland (who they beat in qualifying), where the Danes would certainly fancy themselves to advance. Their most likely quarter-final opponents would be the Netherlands who will be missing Virgil Van Dijk.

How To Bet On Denmark: There's not much value to be had in backing Denmark to reach the last 16. While I wouldn't rule out the Danes winning the group, the market makes second place the most likely result and should that be the case, the draw has been relatively kind. Their likely opponents in round two are one of Switzerland, Turkey or Wales, and Denmark would arguably be favourites. I fancy them to at least match their best Euros performance since 1992. Back Denmark to reach the quarter-finals at 11/10.

Finland - Pukki could power them into last 16

With 16 teams progressing from the 24 involved in the group stages, Finland have an opportunity to make the knockout stages. Rob O'Brien of the Betfair trading team thinks they are value to do that...

Profile: Euro 2020 will be Finland's first ever major tournament. They'll take heart from the fact that debuting nations have done well at the Euros in recent years, with four of the five at 2016 making it through the groups.

How They Qualified: Finland qualified relatively comfortably as third seeds in a group also containing Italy and Bosnia & Herzegovina. They won four of their five home games, a narrow 2-1 defeat to Italy the only black mark on their record.

The Manager: Markku Kanerva took over in December 2016 having been involved with Finland youth squads and senior backroom setups as far back as 2004. He has the highest win percentage of any Finland manager ever (57.6%) and is undoubtedly a national hero for having got them here.

The Squad: Having stuck with a tried and tested 4-4-2 all the way through qualifying, Kanerva opted for a 3-5-2 in their last three competitive games. There won't be many household names in this squad, with most of the players plying their trade either in Scandinavia or other mid-tier European leagues, but they are a prime example of a team being greater than the sum of its parts.

Key Man: Norwich striker Teemu Pukki is without a doubt the most important player to Finland's hopes, and they will be crossing their fingers that he's fit for the finals. He scored 10 of Finland's 16 goals in qualifying and now has 15 in his last 18 competitive internationals.

One to Watch: Rangers' Glen Kamara is generally a holding midfield player but can pick his moment to storm through the middle and cause havoc. He'll be vital to Finland's chances of breaking down attacks against superior sides.

Tournament Prospects: With four of the best third-place sides advancing, there is an opportunity here for Finland. If the Finns were to succeed in that they could face a last-16 tie against either Spain (assuming they win Group E) or the winners of Group F.

How To Bet On Finland: They are obviously underdogs but with four out of six third-place sides qualifying, one win could be enough for the Finns. I think they're well capable of beating Russia and even nicking a point elsewhere, which would almost certainly be enough. Playing Belgium last, when the group favourites will possibly be already qualified and happy to rest players for the knockout round, could be an advantage for Finland. Back them to qualify from Group B at 5/2.

Russia - Home advantage is a massive boost

Russia will be targetting a defeat of Finland in their opening game to set up a run to the knockout stages and Will Fenwick fancies them to do that...

Profile: Russia reached the quarter-finals as hosts of the World Cup thee years ago and, at Euro 2020, they will play two of their Group B games at home in front of 50% capacity crowds - the largest crowds that will be allowed at the tournament. That's a massive advantage but how they will fare is hard to predict.

How They Qualified: Russia qualified as runners-up to Belgium, winning all of their matches apart from those against the Belgians, and achieving a goal difference of +25.

The Manager: Stanislav Cherchesov was goalkeeper for the Russian national team between 1990 and 2000. Cherchesov made the switch to management after retirement and enjoyed a decade of success with clubs in Austria, Russia and Poland before taking the top job back home.

The Squad: Playing mostly in a 4-2-3-1 with Denis Cheryshev and Aleksei Ionov on the wings, Monaco's Aleksandr Golovin playing as a number 10. Artem Dzyuba is focal point of the attack. With over 100 russian caps, 37-year-old Yuri Zhirkov is is still first choice at left back, and Brazilian born Mario Fernandes is most often on the other side of the defence.

Key Man: Dzyuba captains his country and Zenit St Petersburg who he recently lead to their third Russian Premier League title in a row. The 6ft 6in target man scored nine goals in qualifying but he creates as much as he scores. Although he was recently dropped for an off-field scandal, it appears that he was the victim of a blackmail attempt and all has been forgiven.

One To Watch: Aleksandr Golovin is a dead ball specialist and creator, but also a hard worker off the ball, who defends high up the pitch. He's struggled with injuries this season but has looked excellent when he's been on the pitch for Monaco. If he can keep himself fit, he'll be a creative force for Russia this summer.

Tournament Prospects: Russia will be relying heavily on their home advantage against Belgium and Finland, but they'll be playing in Copenhagen for their final group game against a strong Denmark side. Russia are most likely to finish third in the group, and may be able to qualify that way.

How to Back Them: Russia's second game is at home to Finland, they'll be playing in front of at least 30,000 Russian fans in a must win game. If Pukki is struggling with his ankle injury, the crowd could cheer Russia on to a big win. In those circumstances back Russia -1 to beat Finland at 15/8.