Soccer AM: Lamine Yamal Could be Breakout Star for Spain in First Match of Euros

Hungary to win and under 3.5 goals (+333 at Bet365)
The Swiss are heavily favored with the sportsbooks, but given their record since the Qatar World Cup that feels like a reach. They won just four of their 10 games in qualifying, finishing second in their group behind a poor Romania team, and their best players are either aging, or in Breel Embolo’s case, not fully healthy. Meanwhile Hungary have lost just once in 16 games, and that was a friendly defeat. They have Dominik Szoboszlai, who is exceptional for them and plays at a level that he rarely reached for Liverpool this season. What’s more important is that they play as a cohesive team unit. They should win and do it with under 3.5 goals against a mediocre Swiss team.

Spain to win (-104 at Bet365)
For the past couple of tournaments, Croatia have felt like they’re past their best, yet they still find ways to progress and do well. They reached the semis of the World Cup just 18 months ago. However, age has finally caught up with them and their greatest-ever player, Luka Modric, is now 38-years-old and not what he was in his pomp. The team has good players and they do always work well together, but this Spanish team are better than people think and legitimate contenders in this tournament. They blend experience with Champions League winners like Dani Carvajal and Rodri with some exciting young talent. They’re at nearly even money to win here, which feels absolutely huge.

Lamine Yamal to score or assist (+137 at Bet365)
We talked above about Spain’s blend of experience and youth, and one such example of the next generation of Spanish talent is Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona youngster only turns 17 the day before the Euro 2024 final next month. He’s the next name off the Barcelona pipeline and has everything to be a top player. His dribbling is great, he’s quick and his passing is fantastic. Yamal is likely to start on the right flank for Spain and could be their X-factor in this tournament. He’s direct and could cause Croatia real problems. He had five goals and five assists in La Liga this season, and if he’s unleashed here there’s a great chance he could have an instant impact and add to the two goals he’s scored in his seven caps for Spain — or set up somebody else.

Italy vs Albania under 2.5 goals (-125 at Bet365)
It’s important that Italy get off to a quick start over Albania, who are expected to be the whipping boys of Group B. Italy have been hugely underwhelming since winning Euro 2020. They failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar and finished second behind England in qualifying, who beat them home and away. Italy scored just one goal in their two warmup games against Bosnia and Turkey, and with Gianluca Scamacca leading the line you can understand why. He’s not of the standard that Italian strikers have been historically and this team isn’t blessed with goalscorers. Albania won their qualifying group but scored just 12 goals in eight games and again, aren’t blessed with great attacking talent, so this match should be low scoring. 

Albania under 0.5 goals (-135 at Caesars)
As mentioned above, the Albanians won their qualifying group despite scoring just 12 goals, the lowest total of any group winner. That’s going to be an issue against an Italian team that might not be the best but still have some good players in defensive positions. Gianluigi Donnarumma is an excellent goalkeeper and will believe that he can keep the Albanians out. The Albanian attack will see Armando Broja lead the line. The 22-year-old had a poor season with just 13 appearances for Chelsea, of which most were from the bench, and eight sub appearances for Fulham — all of which totaled one goal. They aren’t stacked in attacking players and will struggle to score here.