Euro, Copa América betting preview: ‘England always finds a way to disappoint’

England’s long national nightmare is closing in on 60 years. 

It was 1966 when Three Lions last won a major international tournament, claiming the World Cup that year.

The English are two wins away from ending that drought. However, BetMGM customers wagering on Euro 2024 odds aren’t exactly keen on England for Wednesday’s match vs. the Netherlands.

“For the entire tournament, bettors have flown the white flag, given the fact that England always finds a way to disappoint,” BetMGM senior trader Tristan Davis said Tuesday evening.

Davis provides his behind-the-counter insights on Euro 2024 and Copa América betting for Wednesday’s semifinal matches: Netherlands vs. England at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, and Colombia vs. Uruguay at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

Netherlands vs. England

England hasn’t exactly burnished its credentials as a major soccer power over the past three weeks of Euro 2024 action. Yes, to its credit, Three Lions have reached the semis in a 24-team tournament with several strong squads. But the English side could’ve easily lost a couple of matches. 

England tied Denmark 1-1 and Slovenia 0-0 in group play. Then, in the Round of 16, it took strikes by Harry Kane in the 90th minute and Jude Bellingham in injury time to beat Slovakia 2-1.

In Saturday’s quarterfinals, England fell behind Switzerland 1-0 in the 75th minute, tied it in the 80th minute, then got taken through overtime. 

England won on penalty kicks 5-3.

As Davis alluded to above, BetMGM wouldn’t mind England getting one step closer to an elusive major international title.

“Our book wants England,” Davis said, while noting he thinks bettors are correct to steer clear of the favorite. “They have played terrible football throughout this tournament. And I think [Wednesday] will be their highest hurdle that they don’t get over.”

BetMGM has England as a +165 favorite on the three-way moneyline, with the Netherlands +210 and Draw +180 on the Euro 2024 oddsboard. That means a $100 bet on England would profit $165 ($265 total payout) if England can win in 90 minutes plus injury time.

However, if England again gets dragged to overtime, then that three-way moneyline bet is a loser. If you’d rather avoid such a prospect, but still wish to bet on England — or the Netherlands, for that matter — then you might want to bet in the To Qualify/To Advance market instead.

England is -130 and the Netherlands even money to advance. The winner heads to Sunday’s final vs. Spain, which beat France 2-1 in the first semifinal Tuesday.

Colombia vs. Uruguay

In Tuesday’s first Copa semifinal, Argentina was a sizable favorite vs. Canada and it showed, as Lionel Messi & Co. won 2-0 to reach Sunday’s final, with Messi scoring the second goal.

But oddsmakers have Colombia and Uruguay rated almost even for Wednesday’s second semi. BetMGM has the three-way moneyline at Uruguay +175/Colombia +195/Draw +180. If you like Uruguay, then a $100 bet would profit $175 ($275 total payout).

Bettors seem to agree with oddsmakers: These two teams are evenly matched.

“It’s solid two-way action here, really a split decision. So, like most big soccer matches, we will be cheering for Draw in regulation,” Davis said.

Indeed, Draw is almost always the bookmaker’s best friend in soccer. So to reiterate what was noted above, if you want to avoid that fate, then wager in the To Qualify/To Advance market. Uruguay is -120 and Colombia -110 to advance.

Patrick Everson is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and senior reporter for VegasInsider.com. He is a distinguished journalist in the national sports betting space. He’s based in Las Vegas, where he enjoys golfing in 110-degree heat. Follow him on Twitter: @PatrickE_Vegas.

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