Euro 2024 predictions, best bets: Romania vs. Netherlands, Austria vs. Turkey

The Round of 16 at Euro 2024 concludes Tuesday with a pair of matches that could be box office.First up is an encounter between one of the surprise outfits, Romania, and the Netherlands, which has a ton of pressure on its shoulders after getting a huge break with the draw.Anything short of a trip to the semifinals would be a disappointment for the Dutch.And while the second match of the afternoon may not feature any traditional soccer powerhouses, Austria and Turkey were two of the most entertaining teams at Germany 2024 through the group stage and both will recognize this as a massive opportunity to make a historic run at a major tournament. It should be a terrific afternoon of footy.

Let’s get to some bets.(12 p.m., ET)One of the surprise outfits of the tournament, Romania is playing with house money after it won its group ahead of Slovakia, Belgium and Ukraine.That said, the Romanians will fancy this opportunity as the Netherlands isn’t exactly firing right now and could be vulnerable to an upset. What’s more, Romania’s blueprint for success in the group stage could absolutely work in the knockout rounds.

Romania was a decided underdog against Ukraine in the opening match but it sat deep, protected the house and looked for every and any opportunity to counter against a vulnerable transition defense. The Netherlands is certainly in a different tier compared to Ukraine, but Romania’s organized defense and deadly counterattack led by Nicole Stanciu has a chance to punish Clockwork Oranje in this contest.Expecting the Romanians to deploy this strategy, it would not shock me to see the Dutch take a measured approach when they are in possession in order to not get caught going the other way. This will be a chess match and that should keep the draw in play throughout the 90 minutes. Recommendation: 90-minute draw (+350, BetMGM).(3 p.m., ET)These two teams thrive in chaos and there’s no reason to believe they’ll change their ways for this matchup.Ral...