Euro 2016 kicks off later this week, and ahead of the start of the tournament, Microsoft’s Bing search engine is predicting that a suspect England side will make it all the way to the semi-finals – before enduring the requisite heartbreak against Spain.
According to the Bing algorithm, which takes into account social media sentiment, search volume, and team performances, the Three Lions will top their group (Group B) with seven points out of a possible nine, including a draw against British rivals Wales.
After that, it’s victory over Turkey in the first round of the knock-out stages, and revenge against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the quarter-finals.
The stage will then apparently be set for a crunch semi-final fixture against Spain. Roy Hodgson’s lads won’t quite be up to the task, though, with Spain advancing to face Germany in the final.
Germany, of course, will win.
Sound a bit far fetched? I’m sceptical that England has it in them to advance beyond the group stages, let alone make it all the way to the semi-finals, but consider this – in recent years, the Bing crystal ball has successfully predicted the result of the Scottish Referendum, FIFA World Cup, Oscars, and Cricket World Cup.
Maybe you don’t want to bet against it after all?
Microsoft’s data crunching echoes the findings of Yahoo and Tumblr, who also predict a July triumph for Joachim Löw‘s men.
Sadly, big data appears to have negated the need for clairvoyant octopuses…
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Will Bing be right? Is Germany going to win Euro 2016? Let us know your predictions in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.