IT's crunch time at Euro 2024 with the knockout stages getting underway. So let's explore the best matches to place HT-FT bets on, using key trends and recent results to beat the bookies.
Why the Euro 2024 HT-FT betting market is worth exploring?
Betting on the HT-FT markets boosts the odds in games where's there's a clear favourite and that will be the case in plenty of the last-16 ties at Euro 2024.
While tipping a heavy favourite to be winning at half-time and full-time probably still won't get you much above evens, you can get decent odds if the team you fancy is only a slight favourite.
Backing a team to win after a level first-half usually gets you a good price and the odds are even bigger if you can pick a team likely to turn things around after going in behind at the break.
So there's lots of value to be found if you can dig deep and find some patterns that suggest teams are fast or slow starters.
Which Euro 2024 games could be of interest here?
Austria v Turkey
Few sides have impressed more than Austria at Euro 2024 with Ralf Rangnick's men playing front-foot, aggressive football as they won Group D ahead of France and the Netherlands.
Early goals have been a feature of their play so far, with first-half strikes against both Poland and the Dutch. Turkey's defence hasn't impressed me much and they conceded five times in Group F.
Even a 10-man Czech side managed to score against Vincenzo Montella's men so I've a feeling the Austrians will be too strong for them. Backing Austria to be winning at half-time and full-time could pay off here.
England v Slovakia
While Austria's games were a must-watch for neutrals during the group stage, the same couldn't be said of England as the Three Lions bored their way into the last 16.
Gareth Southgate's side managed to score just twice across three games and couldn't find a way past Slovenia in their final Group C outing.
Slovakia will present a similar challenge to the Slovenians and have some top-class operators in defence. That makes me think England could struggle to break them down so I wouldn't be surprised if this game was level at half-time, something that has occurred in the last two games for Southgate's side.
Backing England to win after a level first half could be the best option, although I wouldn't be surprised to see this go to extra-time and penalties if Southgate's side continue to toil in attack,
Germany v Denmark
After sweeping Scotland side 5-1 in the tournament opener, hosts Germany haven't quite managed to play with the same kind of fluidity. They were somewhat fortunate to beat Hungary by two goals then needed a last-gasp leveller to avoid defeat against the Swiss.
Home advantage will make them favourites in the last 16 against Denmark but Kasper Hjulmand has his side well drilled and the Danes won't be pushovers.
All three of Denmark's group games ended in draws and they only conceded twice so the Germans might have to show some patience. Backing Julian Nagelsmann's men to get the job done after a half-time stalemate could be the shrewd move.
I'm a sports journalist, football tipster and author from Dundee, who is now working in Glasgow. I've covered games at every level, from Junior football to internationals, and still love football even though it has clearly sold its soul. I've been in football tipping since 2018 with the MFT site.
