Wales vs. Denmark Predictions: Wales to shock the Danes in Amsterdam
The Round of 16 games at Euro 2020 kick-off in Amsterdam as fan-favorites Denmark take on Wales. The Sportsbooks think Denmark roll but Neil Monnery isn't so sure...
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Date: Saturday, June 26
Kick Off Time: 12PM ET
TV: ESPN
99% of people watching this game on Saturday will be supporting the Danes. It was just a fortnight ago that the watching world saw Danish captain fighting for his life in front of TV cameras whilst his teammates attempted to form a human shield around him. The fact he was revived and is now doing well is the most important story but the team, the country, want to carry on flying the flag in his name.
Anyone who saw what happened couldn’t fail to have roared when Andreas Christensen's screamer flew into the net as the Danes went 3-1 up against Russia. I jumped up from my couch and just made some sort of loud noise with a mix of wonder and joy.
So I have no doubts it will be tough to write this preview without some sort of bias. Yet note this, I am also a quarter Welsh on my Mum’s side. So I have some sort of split loyalties so let’s just ignore what I might want/hope and go with some thoughts.
I’ll start with Wales. They were the revelation of Euro 2016 and once more they look primed to go deep into this competition. They have only two world-class players in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey but if they play near at or at the very top of their quality levels then they can mix it with anyone.
The dynamic duo were both outstanding when they defeated Turkey in the group stage and coach Robert Page will be hoping they keep up that form. A 1-0 reversal to Italy in Rome shouldn’t be a knock on them.
As for Denmark, I think this is all about heart and momentum. This game is the first game they’ve had to play away from Copenhagen and that emotional rollercoaster has to have a comedown at some point. It just has to.
That display against Russia was right up there with Germany’s win over Portugal for performance of the group stage. They were relentless coming forward but it was a horrendous mistake by Russian defender Daler Kuzyaev that slipped Yusuf Poulsen in to really take the game away.
Picks: Emotionally deep down I think we all want Denmark to win and they are odds on with the Sportsbooks but I’m going against conventional wisdom. I truly think that the Danish players will struggle to muster up that emotion away from their home stadium. Wales are +450 to win the game in 90 minutes with William Hill, Unibet and SugarHouse and I’m happy to play them at those odds.
Both Teams to Score is surprisingly +130 with Unibet and SugarHouse and positive odds everywhere. Sportsbooks clearly don’t think Wales score and I heavily disagree.
You can also get a whopping +700 for Aaron Ramsey to score anytime with BetMGM, Borgata, Resorts Casino and William Hill. That is too long for a player who could have scored a hat-trick against Turkey and will surely be one of Gareth Bale’s top targets for those through balls.
