Euro 2025 Day Four Tipsheet: Best bets as England and Wales kick off | OneFootball

France v England - Star strikers to sparkle

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England's title defence gets underway against quality opposition in Zurich, and with the Netherlands and Wales lurking in the group, an early slip-up could be costly. England may be favourites to win this fixture but they finished below France in qualifying, and lost 2-1 at home to Les Bleues in the process, although the Lionesses did win the return fixture.

It remains to be seen how much the damage the late withdrawals of Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright will have in terms of the loss of experience. Earps wouldn't have been the first choice keeper anyway, but Chelsea centre-back Bright has been a bedrock of the side, and Kirby has always had an ability to produce the unexpected.

There is still a huge amount of experience and knowhow in this squad though, with Leah Williamson and Alex Greenwood a technically-gifted and tough centre-back pairing, Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway an established midfield partnership, and Alessia Russo a Champions League-winning striker.

France have plenty of quality too, but coach Laurent Bonadei has made some huge calls, leaving out titans like Wendie Renard and Eugenie Le Sommer. Much will depend on the defensive leadership of Griedge Mbock and the midfield savvy of Grace Geyoro, but the front three is so exciting, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Kadidiatou Diani and Sandy Baltimore all potential match-winners.

I don't believe there's much to choose between these sides, as their recent qualifying clashes suggest. Therefore I'll simply back the starting strikers Russo and Katoto to have at least a shot on target each at 11/10 on the Sportsbook's Bet Builder. In the season just gone, Russo hit the target in 16 of her 21 WSL appearances for Arsenal, and seven of her 11 games in the Champions League. If you look at England's World Cup finals campaign, Russo had at least a shot on target in five of seven matches.

As for Katoto, she scored the winner against England in qualifying, she netted 12 times for PSG in the Premiere Ligue, and at the Paris Olympics she had eight shots on target across her four games. She has scored 38 goals in 55 caps.

Wales v Netherlands - Tournament newbies to dig in

Saturday 05 July, 17:00Live on BBC One

Wales have made history by qualifying for their first ever major tournament, and they made the finals the hard way. Having been unbeaten in the group stage, they then came through gruelling playoffs against Slovakia (after extra time) and the Republic of Ireland.

Although they have understandably had some hidings against the big hitters in the last few years, the 15-month reign of Rhian Wilkinson has seen Wales develop an ability to dig in and make the opposition really work for their goals. They lost 4-1 at home to Italy in the Nations League, but that was the first time they had lost by a multiple-goal margin since a 5-1 loss to Germany in 2023.

Wales can use the excitement of their first ever tournament game to their advantage, and their tactical nous can pose a few problems for a Netherlands side that has plenty of questions to answer. The Dutch were pretty underwhelming in the Nations League, losing 4-0 in Germany and winning just three of their six games. They were also disappointing in Euro 2025 qualfiying, winning just twice in six games and finishing second behind Italy.

With tests to come against England and France, the Dutch will be feeling the pressure here, and I'll give Wales a two-goal start on the Asian Handicap at 1.8. That bet would have yielded a winner in 19 of their last 20 internationals.