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Edgar Chaput
Spain vs Georgia: Euro 2024 Round of 16 Odds, Prediction
The Georgia hype train just keeps moving along. The country had never partaken in a major tournament of this magnitude, yet they have made it to the Round of 16. What’s more, they punched their ticket to the knockout stages by defeating heavyweights Portugal 2-0 in their final group stage game. They will come face-to-face with Spain, another one of the tournament favourites. Spain won its group with a perfect 3-0-0 record.
Our Euro 2024 odds place Spain as a heavy -500 favourite. Georgia is +1350, and a draw (which would require extra time and possibly penalties) is +575.
Spain vs. Georgia Betting Odds
Spain and Georgia have not squared off many times in their histories, but all of their seven clashes have been in the past 12 years. What’s more, their four most recent tilts were either World Cup qualifiers in 2021, or Euro qualifiers in 2023. Spain won all four times, including a 7-1 demolition last September.
Las Rojas have not finished worse than a Round 16 elimination since 2004. They’re certainly among the more consistent squads in recent memory. Spain came achingly close to playing in its third final in four tries in 2020 but fell to Italy in the semi-final.
As previously stated, this is new territory for the Crusaders. Not only have they never set foot on the pitch for a quarter-final match in a European championship, 2024 is their debut at the competition.
Spain
The danger for Spain now is to think too highly of themselves following a group stage performance mostly devoid of drama.
Their only true test came in the sophomore contest versus fellow giants Italy. Granted, it ended 1-0 courtesy of an unfortunate Italian own goal, but Spain looked like the brighter side for much of the evening. So far most of the big stars have come out to shine at the tournament, with Alvaro Morata, Ferran Torres, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal all bagging a goal each. Keeper David Raya has also proven to be an excellent choice for guarding the net, as he’s excelled whenever called into action, such as the third game versus Albania.
The team has adopted a new style of play that emphasizes attacking rather than merely possession. It’s resulted in Spain having at least 10 shot attempts in each group stage match thus far. Spain has the defence, midfield, and striking force to make quick work of Georgia if they play up to their full capabilities.
Georgia
In the other corner is Georgia, a nation few even considered when pondering who might be playing at the 2024 Euros. Despite the odds and a slow start, here they are in the Round of 16, ready to cause more surprises.
Truth be told, they haven’t played poorly once so far. Even the 3-1 defeat to Turkey in the opening salvo was a tough pill to swallow. From there the side went from defeat to a draw versus Czechia, and from a draw to a brilliant 2-0 victory over Portugal to qualify for the knockout stage. One can always argue that the Portuguese had Group F wrapped up, but it doesn’t change the fact that they put some of the world’s best players on the pitch and the Georgians found a way to win.
The revelation of the tournament has been keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has been brilliant since the second group stage game. Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s play is excellent, Likewise, Goerges Mikautadze has amazed, netting thrice in three matches.
