Euro 2024 best bets: Masked Mbappe is the face of France vs. Netherlands

Let's forget about England for a moment and cast our eyes forward into June 21's suite of Euro games. We kick things off with Slovakia vs. Ukraine at 9 a.m. ET, in a game full of importance after Slovakia's unexpected opening victory over Belgium and Ukraine's unexpected hammering at the hands of Romania. Slovakia and Ukraine are old friends and allies; they've been partners in a group called the Little Entente in the early 1920s when both got spooked by Hungary's anger after it got carved up as a result of World War I. If Slovakia wins this match it will advance to the knockouts at the expense of its old friend Ukraine; if it draws or loses, it will help Ukraine fight for the Round of 16 berth that everyone on earth would love to see it clinch.

Next, we'll rock over to the capital for Poland vs. Austria at 12 p.m. ET. While Poland has the stronger pedigree in recent tournaments, Austria is the surprise package of these Euros — and will see this match against the Orly as an opportunity to prove it. Keep an eye on Austria's midfield maestro Marcel Sabitzer; he's primed to play a blinder against Poland's notoriously weak midfield.

Finally, we're off to Leipzig in the east for the headlining match of the day: France vs. the Netherlands at 3 p.m. ET. This should be a battle for first place in Group C, and while France is the stronger side by far, they may be without Kylian Mbappe after he broke his nose in the opening round. Mbappe has returned to training sporting a gloriously Gallic face mask, but he's clearly not quite fit and may sit this one out for his own health.

Where are the best bets in all of this? We think they're here:

Austria's winning mentality. The odds have started to catch up with Austria's strength, but they're not quite there yet. We're taking advantage of that dissonance and backing Austria to beat Poland outright at +115. Poland did manage to find a goal in its opening day rout against the Netherlands, though, so bettors looking for a slightly larger payout might want to consider choosing an Austria win with at least one Poland goal at +333 instead.

Cody Gakpo's firepower. Premier League fans will recall that Gakpo had an up-and-down season with Liverpool in 2023/4, but he's looked ferocious for the Dutch in all of his recent appearances and was their best player by a mild in their opening match against Poland. While the France-Netherlands game is a difficult one to call, we're backing Gakpo as an anytime goal scorer at +333 on the strength of those recent performances. This man is playing like he needs to score to live; you have to respect that kind of commitment.

Nathan Ake's defensive rigor. The Dutch defense is questionable, but Man City's Nathan Ake is one of its strongest spots. He was excellent against Poland in the opening game, and that bodes well for the Dutch: he should have his hands full against the fluid, attack-minded French. We're backing him to make greater than two tackles in this match at +115.