Euro 2020 Match Previews and Picks for Wednesday, June 16

With Tuesday’s games at the 2020 Euros in the books, all 24 teams have now played their first of three matches during the Group Stage. Over those first 12 matches, we’ve seen both triumph and tragedy. It’s now time to start looking ahead to the second match of the Group Stage with Group A and Group B both in action on Wednesday.

Finland vs. Russia, Group B

While it happened under unusual circumstances, Finland got a win in its first match at a major tournament. Suddenly, the Fins look to be in good shape to reach the Knockout Stage. They can all but assure themselves of that with a win or draw against Russia. Of course, after a 3-0 loss to Belgium, the Russians are desperate for a win.

Russia might have played the worst game of any team during the first round of games. They looked poor at both ends of the field during their 3-0 loss to Belgium. They registered just one shot on goal and didn’t defend with much conviction either. The Belgium team they faced wasn’t even at full strength, which makes things even more concerning for the Russians. However, they will be playing at home in Saint Petersburg for the second straight match, which could give them a little bit of a lift. But the Russians will need to play with a lot more energy and urgency.

As for Finland, it’s tough to judge their performance against Denmark too much. The Fins did well to get a goal in the second half against a Danish team that was not fit to play emotionally. Nevertheless, it was surely a confidence boost for a team that hadn’t won a match since November of last year. But it’s impossible to ignore that Finland’s goal was their only shot of the game. They also produced no corner kicks in the game. On the other hand, the Fins held up defensively, in part thanks to a saved penalty kick, despite Denmark holding 63% of the possession.

Unfortunately for the Fins, playing without the ball and creating few scoring opportunities isn’t likely to work for a second straight game. In fairness, Finland will have a chance to see a little bit more of the ball against Russia. However, the Russians have a little more quality and should show a little more spirit, giving them three points.

Prediction: Russia 2-1

Turkey vs. Wales, Group A

Before the start of the Euros, both Turkey and Wales circled this game as being the game where both teams need to pick up three points. Turkey’s 3-0 loss to Italy in the opener and Wales settling for a 1-1 draw with Switzerland don’t change that expectation for either team. If either team expects to make it out of the Group Stage, both need to walk away with three points on Wednesday.

As expected, Wales looked dangerous on the attack during their opener against Switzerland. Keifer Moore used his size and aerial ability to score a goal while Daniel James looked dangerous with his speed. Of course, Gareth Bale is also a constant threat, especially on set-pieces. The caveat is that Wales wasn’t on the attack enough against Switzerland, owning just 38% of the possession. Midfielders like Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey were huge disappointments against Switzerland, putting the Wales backline under way too much pressure. The Welsh need better play from their midfield so that they have more opportunities to unleash their attacking players.

Meanwhile, Turkey wasn’t half-bad against Italy for a team that lost 3-0. They looked comfortable sitting back and defending for much of the first half, although the wheels came off after giving up an own goal in the 53rd minute. There should be more opportunities to get forward and create scoring chances against Wales after not registering a shot on goal against the Italians. While the Turks lack household names, they have a fair amount of skill in the midfield, which will help them to control the ball and not have to spend all game defending.

Even if we didn’t see a lot of attacking prowess from Turkey last week, that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. In their 12 matches leading up to the Euros, the Turks scored 26 goals. With Wales having so many problems in midfield against Switzerland, Turkey has a golden opportunity to get on the front foot in this game. The Welsh can’t rely on their opponent missing golden opportunities to score for a second straight match, leaving them on the short end of a must-win match.

Prediction: Turkey 2-1

Italy vs. Switzerland, Group A

Italy won the opening game of the Euros last Friday, looking quite impressive in the process. They will have a chance to clinch a spot in the Knockout Stage with a win over Switzerland, who will be a little disappointed to only get a point in their opener, making the Swiss a little more desperate for a result against the Italians.

There are so many reasons for the Swiss to be disappointed in their performance against Wales over the weekend. They didn’t finish their chances in the first half despite dominating possession. They only finished the game with one goal despite taking 18 shots. They also failed to maintain a 1-0 lead despite defensive organization being a common trait of the Switzerland team. The likes of Haris Seferovic and goal-scorer Breel Embolo both looked dangerous, although neither was clinical with their scoring chances. The failure to capitalize on their chances is something that must change for the Swiss moving forward.

In fairness, Italy didn’t exactly look sharp in the final third in their opening match. Attacking players like Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne are typically better when the game is open rather than when the Italians are pinning their opponents back, which was the case against Turkey. But the Italians eventually found their stride and found the back of the net three times with Immobile and Insigne both scoring. With Switzerland likely to remain compact and organized in the back, the onus will once again be on the Italians to be patient in trying to break down a team that’s defending in blocks.

While this figures to be the toughest game for the Italian during the Group Stage, they played too well in their opener to think that they’ll falter against the Swiss. Given what we saw from Seferovic and Embolo, as well as the magic that Xherdan Shaqiri can create, the Italian backline will receive more of a challenge than the team faced against Turkey. But the Swiss backline also looked a little too leaky during the opening match to keep the Italians under wraps for 90 minutes.

Prediction: Italy 2-1