Russia Euro 2020: Team News, Odds & Predictions
Having failed to make it out of the group stage of the competition in both 2012 and 2016, Russia will be hoping to put in a better showing at Euro 2020. Stanislav Cherchesov’s team find themselves in Group B, alongside Belgium, Denmark and Finland. Not much is expected of Russia at Euro 2020, which could well work in their favour? Can the team known as “Our Guys” reach the latter stages of the tournament? Only time will tell. However, for those looking to place bets on the Russian team, let’s take a closer look at their history and key players.
Russia History
Since competing solely as Russia, the countries best showing at a major tournament came at Euro 2008. That year, Russia reached the semi-finals, before being knocked out by Spain. At Euro 2016, Russia failed to win a single match. In fact, the only point they collected came thanks to a last minute equaliser against England in their opening game. As the former Soviet Union, the team won the innagural European Championships in 1960.
How Russia Qualified for Euro 2020
Russia qualified for Euro 2020 relatively comfortably, with the national team having only dropped points against Belgium in Group I. Russia won eight of their 10 matches, including a 4-0 defeat of Scotland and a 9-0 success over minnows San Marino. Striker Artem Dzyuba scored a hat-trick that day, helping him to a total of 9 goals during qualifying, the most of any player in the group. However, Russia did lost 4-1 at home to Belgium, as well as 3-1 in the reverse tie, demonstrating that they still have some way to go to compete with the best teams.
Russia in Group B
Russia face an uphill struggle after being drawn against Belgium, Denmark and Finland in Group B. Russia know only too well how difficult Belgium are to play against, while they will not be 100% confident of claiming wins elsewhere. The following are the three Group B fixures involving Russia:
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- Live streaming service
Russia Euro 2020: Odds & Predictions
The Russian squad is perhaps as poor as it has been over recent decades. While a good amount of experience is available to head coach Cherchesov, there are very few standout players. As a result, not many are predicting Russia to achieve much of note at Euro 2020. This is demonstrated by the outright betting odds delivered by our favourite online bookmakers. Russia’s pre-tournament prices look like this:
| Bet365 | 66/1 | |
| Tonybet | 80/1 | |
| 888Sport | 70/1 | |
| SportNation | 100/1 | |
| Betfair | 75/1 | |
| NetBet | 80/1 | |
| William Hill | 100/1 | |
| Ladbrokes | 80/1 |
While a victory over Belgium in their opening Group B tie appears unlikely, it would come as no surprise should Russia defeat debutants Finland. Those predicting such a result should consider betting on Russia at odds of 8/13 with 888Sport. Elsewhere, Russia are 5/4 with Unibet to reach the Round of 16. Meanwhile, having been in red hot form during qualification for the tournament, striker Dzyuba is 100/1 with Bet365 to win the Golden Boot award this summer.
The Manager
57-year-old Stanislav Cherchesov has been in charge of the Russian national team since 2016. He helped the team in reaching the quarter finals of the World Cup for the first time in 2018, with his contract having since been extended until 2022. This will be extended to 2024 should Russia reach the Euro 2020 Round of 16. Cherchesov has managed the likes of Dynamo Moscow and Legia Warsaw in the past. He did the double in Poland with the latter during the 15/16 season.
Standout Players
Aleksandr Golovin rose to stardom during the 2018 World Cup, with his showings having led to a move to AS Monaco. While the midfielder has yet to show his full potential in Ligue 1, Golovin remains Russia’s most creative player. However, much of Russia’s game plan centres around 6ft 6” striker Dzyuba. The Zenit man has 29 international goals to his name to date. The vast majority of the Russian squad play domestically, however Atalanta midfielder Aleksei Miranchuk is one of the exceptions.
Russia’s Strengths & Weaknesses
Russia has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of its last five matches in all competitions, a run which has seen them concede 12 goals. Russia used to be viewed as a team that were difficult to break down, however this is now no longer such a concern for opponents. While defenders such as Andrei Semyonov and Georgi Dzhikiya are experienced, they are likely to struggle against the best strikers at Euro 2020.
However, Russia are a team that normally rises to the big occasion. As such, don’t be surprised if they perform better than expected. Striker Dzyuba is a handful for any defender given the right service. Meanwhile, Russia has a few young talents to look out for, including Maksim Mukhin and Arsen Zakharyan.
Our Prediction for Russia at Euro 2020
We see Russia struggling at Euro 2020. Their lack of quality is likely to be apparent from the off, with an opening match against Belgium being far from ideal. As a result, betting on Russia failing to make it out of Group B is an appealing option. This market is available at best odds of 7/4 with William Hill.
