Euro 2025 Day Six Tipsheet: Caldentey to shine again, Italy to win big | OneFootball

Spain v Belgium

Our tournament tip Spain made a terrific start to the tournament, as they swept aside Portugal 5-0, scoring their first four goals before half time. Teenager Vicky Lopez caught the eye, and Esther Gonzalez justified her selection as the central striker with a first-half brace. We backed Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey to score, but she delivered two assists instead in an impressive performance.

Belgium are still too reliant on talismanic striker Tessa Wullaert for their attacking spark, and against Italy they crafted some promising positions on the counter, only to continually fail with the final pass or the final choice. Italy were more clinical, securing a 1-0 victory that leaves Belgium staring down the barrel of an early exit.

It's hard to see how Belgium can slow Spain down here. Spain beat them 2-0 and 5-1 in the recent Nations League, and in the latter game Spain racked up an enormous 39 goal attempts, with ten on target.

I'm going back to the Caldentey well here, because the price on her to produce an assist at 11/10 is enticing. Against Portugal she delivered a wonderful low cross for Vicky Lopez to score, and she then fired a laser-guided long pass to set up Alexia Putellas. Spain will completely dominate this game, and Caldentey remains one of the key cogs in their attacking machine. If you'd prefer to back her to score, you can do that at 10/11.

Portugal v Italy

Monday 07 July, 20:00Live on ITV 1

Portugal's 5-0 hammering at the hands of Iberian neighbours Spain was tough for a variety of reasons. Not only did Francisco Neto's team collapse early on against the tournament favourites, but they had to deal with the tragic death of Portugal striker Diogo Jota, who had been such an ardent supporter of the women's team. Coach Neto admitted the loss of Jota and his brother Andre Silva had hit the team hard.

Portugal must somehow look to raise their game against an Italy side that has attracted a fair bit of hype. A 1-0 win over Belgium was a solid start, with midfield ace Arianna Caruso crowning an all-action display with the winner.

Bayern's Caruso is in some ways the heartbeat of the team, and has become a true leader. She has an impressive 17 goals in 60 caps, not a bad tally at all for a midfielder. In the most recent Serie A season for Juventus, Caruso delivered five goals and four assists in just 13 games before she made the switch to Munich.

Against Portugal (who have now lost five of their last six, conceding 25 goals in the process) I expect Caruso to get chances to shine, and while I was tempted to just back Italy -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at 2.34, I'll also get involved in backing Caruso to score or assist at 13/8.