Denmark and Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday, July 3, at Baku Olympic Stadium in the penultimate quarter-finals match of EURO 2020. It will mark the first time these two nations will clash since November 2016, when they parted ways with a 1-1 draw, marking the fourth match from their last five outings that ended without a winner.
Denmark vs Czech Republic
When: Saturday, July 3 – 20:00 AZT
Where: Baku Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan
Weather: Sunny, 30°C
Referee: Björn Kuipers (NED)
Denmark secured their spot in the final eight at EURO 2020 with a commanding 4-0 victory against Wales, adding yet another impressive win to their record. In the final match of the group stage, the Dynamite crushed Russia 4-1 after losing both of their previous two outings with Belgium (1-2) and Finland (0-1).
Czech Republic achieved the unthinkable on Sunday when they eliminated the Netherlands with 2-0. It marked their third victory across the last five fixtures and only their second of the tournament, following a 2-0 win against Scotland.
With both teams showing exceptional form at EURO 2020, we are in for an exciting evening of football, yet there can only be one winner at the end of the day.
The High-Flying Czech Republic
The Locomotive enter this bout off a victory against the Oranje and are expected to field the same starting XI, which earned them their first EURO quarter-finals appearance since 2012.
Jan Boril, who missed the last match will return after serving his suspension, strengthening the squad further as they look to defeat Denmark for the first time since EURO 2004. Since that 3-0 victory, the Czech failed to win a single head-to-head bout with the Dynamite.
During the stretch of six games, the Czech lost once (0-3 in 2013) and forced draws in the remaining five bouts. That includes a 1-1 draw from a friendly match in November 2016.
The Locomotive‘s victory against the Netherlands marked their best international result since October 2019, when they beat England 2-1. That adds to a solid 1-1 draw with Croatia in their second fixture of EURO 2020 groups.
Outside of that, the Czech have not been too impressive. It’s also important to note that the Czech Republic were aided by Matthijs de Ligt receiving a red card in 55′ last time out, which opened up the game enough for Thomas Holes and Patrick Shick to score goals in 68′ and 80′.
It was a solid showing from the Czech, but you have to wonder how that game would play out had the Netherlands not lost a key defender shortly into the second half.
Denmark Eyeing A Semi-Finals Appearance
Denmark might have had an easier road to the EURO quarter-finals, but that doesn’t take away from their impressive performances. The Dynamite crushed Russia in their final group stage match 4-1 and added another convincing win (4-0) against Wales last Saturday.
Heading into this match, Denmark will welcome back Simon Kjaer, Yussuf Poulsen, and Daniel Wass. The latter two missed the match against Wales and are expected to start the game. Outside of that, we don’t expect any significant changes to Denmark’s starting XI.
The Danes have been playing well so far this tournament, so it’s unlikely that Kasper Hjulmand will introduce anything special for this evening. This team is playing like a well-oiled machine and they have yet to show any major signs of weakness.
Their only two losses of the tournament came against Finland and Belgium. You can’t blame them for losing against Finland since it’s reasonable to say that the Danes were a bit distressed following the incident with Christian Eriksen’s. It’s also hard to be disappointed with the Danes for losing against Belgium – who they had on their toes for the first half of the game.
Czech Republic vs Denmark Betting Picks
The Locomotive deserve a lot of praise for their win against the Netherlands; however, it’s fair to say that the game would have ended differently had the Oranje not lost a player at the start of the second half.
If they can show the same fire this evening, the Czech will be competitive, but it’s easy to favour the Danes. Take the Dynamite to win!
Prediction: Denmark to win
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