The first round of the EURO 2024 group stages is done. There weren’t many surprising results, with the best teams in their respective group stages taking all three points (with the exception of Belgium’s loss over Slovenia). However, things are now getting interesting, with the second phase of the group stages having started on Wednesday, June 19. Plenty of action remains for this week, with arguably the best matches yet to be played. Here are the best matches still to come this week, which you can stream right at home or from your phone.
The best EURO 2024 group stage games to watch this week
Spain vs Italy
On Thursday, June 20, the leaders of group B will go head-to-head at 5:00 am AEST. Luis de la Fuente’s Spain beat Croatia with an impressive 3-0 win, setting themselves as one of the strongest competitors early in the tournament. Luciano Spaletti’s Italy also beat their opponents, Albania, in a physical 2-1 match. This match promises to be a very technical and tactical one, and one to not miss. The winners will likely end up first in their group, so both nations will be hoping to go all out.
Netherlands vs France
This Friday, June 21, at 5:00 am AEST, another clash of the titans match will take place between 2022 World Cup finalists France and current leaders of Group D, the Netherlands. France scraped by a win against Austria thanks to a freak own goal and also got their star player, Mbappe, injured with a fractured nose in the process (he should still play against the Dutch). The Netherlands managed to steal all three points from Poland thanks to a late winner from the ex-Man United striker Weghorst, who came from the bench. Regardless of their current form, both of these giants will surely put on a show.
Switzerland vs Germany
To tie off a weekend jam-packed with European action is Switzerland versus Germany, with the last match of the week on Sunday, June 23, at 5:00 am AEST. This will be the first match of the tournament, with an overlapping match happening at the same time (Scotland vs. Hungary), but all eyes will surely be on the current leaders of Group A. If they weren’t before, the host nation of Germany is the clear favourite of the tournament now, after an amazing opening 5-1 display against Scotland that felt more like an exhibition match for the Germans. Switzerland also put on a strong first performance by beating Hungary 3-1. It’ll be a surprise if the Swiss beat the Germans, but the A-Team Nati will surely make Germany work hard to get the three points.
Where to stream the EURO 2024 group stages
As we touched on in our guide to the EURO Cup for 2024, the competition (and its group stage games) is being aired on Optus Sport in Australia. While you can likely catch some games at your local sports bar, chances are you’ll need to sign up for a subscription for this one.
Certain Optus customers can access a subscription for only $6.99 per month, but others will need to fork out $24.99 per month or $199 for an annual plan.
Lead Image Credit: Photo by Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images and Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
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