Is it coming home? Your betting guide ahead of Euro 2020 final
Football is on the verge of coming home ahead of England’s highly-anticipated Euro 2020 final against Italy on Sunday night.
Gareth Southgate’s team edged past Denmark in a tense, nervy semi-final at Wembley, setting up a first major tournament final appearance since 1966.
The anticipation and excitement in the leadup to the match is palpable, with fans starting to believe in the possibility of lifting the trophy on home soil.
Read more: England perfect the art of timing to arrive at Euro 2020 final against Italy in peak condition
But Italy will have different ideas having impressed on their way to the final, beating the likes of Belgium and Spain and extending their unbeaten run to 33 games.
Still, the Three Lions are 9/5 favourites with SBK sportsbook to bring football home, while Italy can be backed at 2/1. For those expecting the final to go to extra-time and perhaps beyond, odds of a draw are 5/2.
Match results
England to win in 90 minutes 9/5
Italy to win in 90 minutes 2/1
Draw 5/2
The final will, of course, be played at Wembley once again, with over 60,000 fans in attendance.
That is likely to give England a significant advantage, particularly given the way the supporters buoyed the team after they fell a goal behind against Denmark.
England are now 9/10 favourites with SBK to win the tournament, while Harry Kane is 9/2 to score the two goals needed to finish as the Golden Boot winner.
Raheem Sterling, meanwhile, is the 2/1 frontrunner to win the Best Player of the Tournament award.
Kane is 4/1 to be the first goalscorer and 6/4 to score anytime, while Sterling 18/5 to net at any point during the game. Italy’s biggest goal threat is Ciro Immobile, who is 9/2 to score first and 11/5 to bag any time.
Speaking to SBK Sportsbook ahead of the final, former England and Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips said: “I’ve been massively impressed with Raheem Sterling. Going into it a lot of people didn’t see him starting and he’s answered all the critics. He’s put on a show, scored and created goals and worked hard.
“He’s also helped Harry Kane get his goalscoring form back right at the perfect time. He should be a contender for player of the tournament.
“England played defensively in the groups and got through with 1-0 wins and at that time he was the person carrying the group, as well as the defence. But for me he carried our attack.
“Winning the Euros would be a massive achievement and something the country’s been waiting for since 1966. That says it all.
“There’ve been some great squads in the past that have just never done it, and now here we are with another great squad, with a chance to actually bring something back, to hold a trophy we’ve been going for for so long. Winning it at Wembley would just be the icing on the cake.”
Off the pitch, the final of Euro 2020 is just 2/1 with SBK to become the most watched UK TV event of all time – which would beat the 1966 World Cup final broadcast.
When England played Germany 55 years ago, it drew the biggest British TV audience of all time of 32.3million people which to this day has been unsurpassed.
The semi-final against Denmark earlier this week was confirmed as the 8th largest viewing event of all time, with 27.6m viewers – and bets are being placed on this to be broken this weekend.
Odds correct at the time of writing. Visit SBK for the latest Euros odds. 18+. Please gamble responsibly.