Euro 2020 Daily Report: Bale's Wales hope to stop Swiss roll

Wales need to discover a scoring formula

Wales may not be regular guests at a major tournament, but the Dragons have a perfect record of qualifying from their groups. They did so in the 1958 World Cup and at the Euros five years ago. An opening day win against Switzerland will set them up nicely to complete a hat-trick of appearances in the quarter-finals.

Preparations have not been smooth for the Welsh who will have Rob Page in charge of selecting the team and the first name on his team sheets will be Gareth Bale. Bale has scored in each of his last two games against the Swiss and this could be the perfect game for his country's all-time leading scorer to end his 11-game international goal drought.

Wales scored just 10 goals in qualifying which is the lowest of any of the 24 nations featuring in Euro 2020

Wales were the lowest scoring team to qualify for Euro 2020, and they will need their talisman to rediscover his scoring if they are to maintain their 100 per cent of being one of the last remaining eight teams. Wales can be backed at 4.77/2 on the exchange to reach the quarter-finals this summer while Bale is 11/2 to be the first goalscorer against Switzerland.

Switzerland have been on a roll recently with six successive wins and they are unbeaten in their last five matches at the Euros. Vladmir Petkovic's side are 6/5 to start their campaign with a win and 2/1 to pick up a point in Baku.

Finns look to Pukki to cause an upset

Welcome to 'finals football' Finland! What took them so long to qualify for a major tournament? Well, they didn't have Teemu Pukki rattling in goals left, right and centre, that's what. Pukki went from scoring 10 goals in his first 63 appearances for his country to scoring 20 in his next 27 including 10 in 10 in qualifying.

Pukki's shoulders better be strong as he will be expected to carry his country through their group games. And the same could apply to Denmark's Christian Eriksen. Eriksen is the only player in the Danish squad with 10 or more goals. Pukki and Eriksen to both score in their opening fixture pays out just over 109/1 on the sportsbook.

Denmark have not scored three or more goals in their last 10 Euro matches. Kasper Hjulmand's side are 13/5 to put that right against the Finns who are 17/2 to mark their tournament debut with a win.

Both teams to score failed to land in seven of Finland's 10 qualifiers while the Danes kept clean sheets in four of their last five qualifying games. Both teams not to score can be backed at 1.564/7 on the exchange.

Belgium look for Russian treble

Being ranked number one in FIFA's official rankings guarantees that team nothing. Belgium are top of the rankings ahead of Euro 2020 and they might see it as a target on their back, but France and Spain are two nations who did not allow their lofty ranking weight them down when winning the 2000 and 2012 Euros when ranked the best team in Europe.

15 different players scored Belgium's 40 goals in their 10 qualifying matches

Cruising through qualification with 10 wins from 10, including two wins against Russia, have helped the Red Devils become the top ranked nation in the world and Roberto Martinez watched his squad share the goals in qualification. Romelu Lukaku will of course be expected to score the goals this summer, but the Serie A champion knows his country do not rely on him as much as other nations, like Russia.

If Artem Dzyuba does not score, or create chances, then Russia struggle. Dzyuba was directly involved in 14 of his country's 33 goals, scoring nine and providing five assists. Harry Kane was the only player to have more goal involvements and Russia need Dzyuba to be at his creative best and he is 11/10 to be his country's leading scorer at Euro 2020.

Even if they are without midfield maestro Kevin de Bruyne, Belgium are expected to start their group games with a win at 9/10 while Lukaku can be backed at 4.57/2 to be the game's first scorer.

Clinical Italy stuff Turkey in Rome opener

Italy extended their unbeaten run to 28 with a comfortable 3-0 win over Turkey in Rome to get Euro 2020 under way. It was the Italians' ninth successive win without conceding a goal and the perfect start to their campaign.

Merih Demiral scored the first goal of the tournament, but unfortunately for the Turkish defender, it was in his own net to give Italy the advantage before two of their two forwards opened their accounts. Strikers don't want zeros next to their name in a tournament if they can help it, but Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne scored to secure victory for Roberto Mancini's side.

Immobile has jumped from 16/1 to 17/2 to finish the tournament as leading scorer while strike partner Insigne is 25/1. A double for Immobile to win the Golden Boot and Italy to win the Euros can be backed at 2120/1 on the exchange.

As for Turkey, they have to bounce back against Wales and Switzerland if they are to make it to the knockout stage. They can be backed at 1.758/11 to qualify from Group A, but their performance in Rome will have alerted more doubters who might be drawn to their odds of 2.0421/20 to lay.

England look to make historic fast start

When Michel Platini proposed the European Championships being played all over the continent to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the tournament, it meant there would be no 'host' nation as such. However, with the semi-finals and final being played at Wembley and all three of England's group games taking place at the home of football, England are hosts in all but name.

Can Gareth Southgate make the most of home advantage? Southgate has a chance to do what no other manager has managed to do and that is to guide England to an opening game win at the Euros. Five draws and four defeats is the story of the Three Lions at the start of the European Championships.

Standing in their way on Sunday, is the team that beat them to a place in the final of the 2018 World Cup when Croatia, unbeaten in their last five Euro openers, came from a goal down to win 2-1. Harry Kane claimed the Golden Boot award in Russia. Remember when he took corners at Euro 2016?

Harry Kane led the Premier League last season with 23 goals and 14 assists. He also led the Euro qualification with 12 goals and five assists

Kane, and England, have come a long way since those dark days following the defeat to Iceland in Nice. They dropped to 13th in the FIFA rankings in July 2016 but they enter this tournament fourth - their highest position since 1997. Kane to win the Golden Boot and England to win the Euros double is 18.017/1 on the exchange.

Croatia are 14th in the rankings and with Luka Modric pulling the strings in midfield, will present the biggest challenge to England in the first round. Croatia are 5/1 to win at Wembley and can be backed at 5.49/2 to win Group D.