Debutants will be well represented in the knockout stage of the European championship. That includes Wales and Northern Ireland, who face off in a Round of 16 matchup Saturday with Gareth Bale and company pegged as strong +104 betting favorites on the three-way line at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Dragons exceeded expectations during group stage action, posting a pair of impressive victories over Slovakia and Russia to claim first place in Group B and lift them to an intriguing +2,500 on the Euro 2016 futures ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Northern Ireland vs. Wales betting matchup at Parc des Princes.
Northern Ireland also has impressed in its Euro debut, sandwiching a convincing 2-0 win over Ukraine between a pair of disappointing 1-0 losses to Poland and Germany to sneak into the knockout stage as the fourth-ranked third-place team. However, it trails badly on the Euro 2016 odds as a +20,000 longshot.
Perhaps the most surprising performance among this year’s tournament debutants comes from Iceland, who locked up a second-place finish in Group E and a knockout stage matchup with England on Monday with Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Austria.
Iceland is an enormous +765 underdog against the Three Lions in three-way betting, but is likely to attract attention from rabid supporters as a +15,000 bet to claim the tournament.
Slovakia also has advanced to the knockout stage in its first Euro appearance and sits alongside Iceland with +15,000 odds ahead of its date with Germany on Sunday afternoon.
The Falcons topped the list of third-place squads with a scoreless draw against England in their final group stage outing but trail badly on the three-way odds as big +982 underdogs against the Germans.
Croatia has emerged as the biggest mover on the Euro 2016 odds entering the knockout stage, listed at +900 ahead of its meeting with Portugal on Saturday after opening the tournament at a middling +2,500.
Conversely, both Spain and England have seen their odds slip slightly since the tournament kicked off. The defending champs have fallen back to +550 after opening at +500, while the English now join Croatia at +900 after opening the tournament on the rise at +800.
France maintains its perch atop the Euro 2016 odds as +400 favorites, just ahead of the Germans, who maintain +450 odds. Belgium joins Spain at +550, followed by Portugal at +1000, Italy at +1600, and Poland, knotted with Wales at +2,500, while Switzerland trails at +40,00, ahead of surprising Hungary, which sports +10,000 odds.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
