Soccer AM: Euro Favorites England Have Scoring Firepower But Defensive Absences

Poland not to score (-105 at Caesars)
The Dutch team’s real strength at this tournament is at the back. Micky van de Ven had a huge season at Tottenham Hotspur and announced himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League. Alongside him are Nathan Ake, who just won the title at Man City, and Virgil van Dijk, who is arguably the best defender on the planet on his day. That Dutch defense is scary, but Poland’s task of scoring against them has been made even tougher thanks to the injury to Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker has a minor hamstring tear and has been ruled out, with Krzysztof Piatek taking his place. Piatek has had a good season in Turkey but he’s not at the level of Lewandwoski, and there’s a real lack of goal threat in the Polish lineup.

Xavi Simons to score or assist (+120 at Bet365)
The Dutch hopes are built on a strong defense, but they’ll need goals if they’re going to progress in the Euros. The front three will be made up of Memphis Depay, who is set to leave Atletico Madrid this summer after a poor spell there, Cody Gakpo, who has had a mediocre season at Liverpool, and 21-year-old Xavi Simons. Simons spent the season on loan in Germany at RB Leipzig, and he’s been one of their best players, if not their best. In 32 Bundesliga games he scored eight times and set up another 11. He’s a talented player and with Memphis and Gakpo both out of form, it’s essential that he steps up and creates a goal.

Benjamin Sesko to score (+390 at FanDuel)
Denmark are favorites over Slovenia for a reason: They’ve got more experience in both international tournaments and at the top level of the club game. However, there’s one thing that Slovenia have that Denmark don’t, and that’s a striker who is arguably one of the best in the world aged 21 or under. Yes, Rasmus Hojlund is in a good place, but he’s no match for Benjamin Sesko. Sesko arrived at RB Leipzig last summer and spent the majority of the first half of the season on the bench thanks to the form of others, allowing him to get used to that level. Then after Christmas he exploded and finished with 14 goals despite starting just 17 league games. He’s quick yet very tall. He’s still raw but has everything to his game and at just under 4/1, he’s a great shout to score against this Danish team.

England to win and both teams to score (+250 at Bet365)
England come into the Euros as favorites, largely due to the incredible talents they have in attack. They have Europe’s best goalscorer this season, Harry Kane, the Premier League’s Player of the Season in Phil Foden, and Jude Bellingham, who just won the Champions League with Real Madrid. They should beat Serbia, the question is whether Serbia can score. The Serbs will likely start with Aleksandar Mitrovic up top and Dusan Vlahovic on the bench, but that duo, regardless of who plays, are dangerous. Not only that, but England’s defense aren’t as strong as usual with Harry Maguire at home through injury, Luke Shaw missing this first game with an injury, and John Stones a fitness doubt. This is a defense who aren’t that familiar with each other, and that gives Serbia a real chance to score — although it’s unlikely to be enough to get them anything from the game.

Bukayo Saka to score or assist (+110 at Bet365)
As mentioned above, it’s been an incredible season for English attackers, with Foden, Kane, and Bellingham all getting plaudits, and Cole Palmer breaking through for Chelsea and developing into a superstar. All that talk of other attacking talents and an injury at the end of the season has allowed Bukayo Saka to go under the radar. Saka is a supreme talent and somebody who Gareth Southgate views as essential to his attack. He’s really developed as a player this season, adding goals to his game and finishing with 16 goals and nine assists in 35 Premier League games for Arsenal. He has pace and smart movement, which can put him in dangerous positions, and he could be key to England getting a result against Serbia.