Denmark will play host to the Eagle Owls on Saturday, June 12, at Parken Stadium in their EURO 2020 opener. The Danes have yet to lose against Finland since their first meeting in 1986, and they’ll look to keep that streak going. However, with the improvement the Finns have been showing over the last four years, this bout might turn out to be much closer than expected.
Denmark vs Finland
Where: Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark
When: Saturday, June 12 – 18:00 CEST
Weather: Partly Sunny, 18°C
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Denmark will open their EURO 2020 campaign at home, at Parken Stadium, where they’ll host Finland for the first time since November 2011.
The Danes have yet to lose against the Eagle Owls in their history and while keeping their streak going seems likely, it’s hard to look past the improvement the Finnish side have been showing over the years.
Denmark Counting on a Strong Start
Denmark’s chances to progress through the group and into the knockout stage will heavily depend on how they do against Finland and Russia since they know that beating the Red Devils won’t come easy. Hence grabbing all three points this evening will be on the top of their priority list before Matchday 2 bout with Belgium.
The Danes must feel confident about their chances to succeed today, given their strong head-to-head record against the Finnish side. What’s more, they will also enjoy the luxury of playing at home, which is an added bonus.
The Red and White enter EURO 2020 with only one loss in their last 10 outings, which came against Belgium (2-4) in the UEFA Nations League match back in November. The Danes have since picked up wins against Israel (2-0), Moldova (8-0), Austria (0-4), and Bosnia & Herzegovina (2-0), and added a 1-1 draw against Germany at the start of June.
While solid numbers, we don’t believe the Danes are as good as they’re portrayed to be.
It’s easy to get blinded by their high-profile names in Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Andreas Christensen, just to name a few. However, the Danes still look a bit overpriced by the bookmakers.
Finland Aren’t that Bad
Finland lost three in a row ahead of the EURO 2020. However, we wouldn’t overreact to those results since they were all friendlies. Comparing Finnish’ results in friendlies to games that actually mean something is like night and day.
The Finns beat the likes of Bulgaria, Ireland and even put up a very impressive fight against no.7 team in the world, Italy (1-2), which is nothing to sneeze at.
Finland might lack superstar names, yet they still field the likes of Teemu Pukki, Tim Sparv, Joel Pohjanpalo, Joona Toivio, and Glen Kamara, who have all had great seasons. Pukki has notched in 26 goals for Norwich this term, which was good for to end the season as the third-best scorer.
It’s also fair to mention Finland’s progress over the last four years. They have hit an all-time low ranking of 110th back in 2017 but have since risen to 54th.
Their improvement has earned the nation’s first-ever major tournament appearance, which should serve as an added motivation to help them raise their game, and possibly outperform everyone’s expectations.
Denmark vs Finland Betting Picks
Denmark have proven to be the better of the two teams over the years. The hosts are 4-1-0 in the head-to-head with the Eagle Owls, which would suggest they’re set for another straightforward victory this evening.
That said, these two last met way back in 2011, and the Finns have looked much improved since. Their record heading into EURO 2020 might not be too exciting, but their results look much cleaner if we ignore their friendlies.
The Danes might still come out ahead, but we don’t believe we’re in for a one-sided match. The Finns haven’t lost to their southern neighbors by more than a goal once in their six meetings, and we don’t believe that will change here.
Prediction: Finland +1.5 Asian Handicap – 1.85 at SBOBET
We ended the first day of EURO 2020 with a marginal profit of 0.3 units, predicting over 2.5 goals in the match between Italy and Turkey. Today, we’re back with three betting tips for the second day of the European championship, which you can find for free on our website.
If you want to start betting with us, check out our premium membership, where you can find a special EURO 2020 offer.
