Gareth Southgate should lead England into the later stages of Euro 24 (Picture: Getty Images)
Every international manager needs a healthy dash of luck if he is to be successful at a major competition and Gareth Southgate certainly got the rub of the green when the Euro 24 draw was made in Hamburg on Saturday.
England avoided all the big guns as they landed in Group C with Denmark, Slovenia and Serbia and should cruise into the knockout stages with ease.
They are no better than 1/2 ON with Unibet, BetUK and BetMGM to finish at the top of the section and just 1/7 with the same firms to qualify for the next stage of the summer tournament in Germany.
The Three Lions, who lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley in the final of the last European Championship, are 7/2 favourites across the board to win the tournament and the draw lifts some of the gloom following underwhelming November qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Danish duo Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund could face England (Picture: Getty Images)
Serbia have qualified for the finals for the first time since 2006 and, despite having attacking options including Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic and Dusan Tadic, they were fortunate to advance as runners-up in one of the weakest qualifying groups.
Slovenia reached the finals for only the second time when they finished second to Denmark despite scoring more and conceding less than the Danes, losing out in their head-to-head record following a 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen and their best players include RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko, who scored five times in qualifying, and Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Former winners Denmark have improved since a dismal World Cup in Qatar where they scored just once before a flight home.
They have Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund as their prime threat but they scraped into the finals despite topping their soft group as a final match defeat against Northern Ireland, a 2-1 win over San Marino and a 3-2 defeat to Kazakhstan testifies.
Next summer’s Group of Death is the one that features Spain, Italy, Croatia and Albania but in truth it looks like being a stroll for the Spaniards, who should be backed at 4/5 with Sky Bet to top their section.
• Scotland are 5/4 with BetMGM, BetUK and Unibet to qualify from Group A where they have been drawn with hosts Germany, Hungary and Switzerland.
• Travis Etienne Jr has scored seven touchdowns to help the Jacksonville Jaguars to an 8-3 record this season. The running back is 5/1 with William Hill to score the first TD when the Jags entertain the 5-6 Cincinnati Bengals in Jacksonville’s first appearance on the NFL’s showcase Monday Night Football in 12 years.
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England should cruise through their group at Euro 2024.