Competition: European Championships
Market: Belgium win
Odds: 7/10 @ 888sport
Looking to get this summer’s European Championships off to a flying start, Belgium will face off against Russia in St. Petersburg on Saturday night.
Starting with Belgium, while The Red Devils would have been disappointed to have had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Greece in their opening friendly contest, Roberto Martínez’s side managed to find some welcomed momentum last weekend. Eventually securing what was a deserved 1-0 victory against 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia, the one-time Everton boss finds his side tipped as one of the standout contenders this summer. Looking to lay down a real marker when they make the trip to St. Petersburg on Saturday night, it is well worth keeping an eye out for attacking talisman, Romelu Lukaku. Enjoying a stellar campaign as Inter Milan lifted the Serie A title this season, the former Manchester United striker once again bagged the winner against Croatia last weekend. In fact, the 28-year-old has remarkably recorded 49 goals in just his last 51 international contests.
As for Russia, while Stanislav Cherchesov’s men might open Saturday’s contest as the away team on paper, they will undoubtedly be backed by plenty of home support. However, while The Reds might open their European adventure this weekend with just a single defeat in any of their last five matchups across all formats, they have shown some continued inconsistencies over the past nine months. Enduring a torrid end to last year’s Nations League, including a 5-0 thumping at the hands of Serbia on the road, Russia also suffered a shock 2-1 defeat against Slovakia in their final World Cup qualifier back in March. Hit with back-to-back 4-1 and 3-1 defeats when they last faced off against Belgium back in 2019, it is hard to see anything other than a similar outcome here.
Bet: Belgium 7/10 to beat Russia in Saturday’s European Championship showdown @ 888sport
