Group Matches Euro 2008 – Wednesday/Thursday 11th-12th June
Czech Republic v Portugal
Both these teams got off to a winning start in their first game although it must be said that Portugal looked far more convincing in their win over Turkey than the Czech’s did in overcoming Switzerland.
Portugal are unbeaten in 12 consecutive competitive matches and they look likely to keep that run going tonight. They looked very good in spells against the Turks and with a win under their belt the pressure may be off them a little tonight and we expect a far better showing in this match.
The Czech Republic scored an early penalty against the Swiss, but never took control of the match and their attacking play was very poor. In the end they were holding on against a pretty ordinary Swiss side and were lucky winners in the end.
If the Czech’s play like that again tonight they will be no match for Portugal and even at odds of 4/1 (Coral) they don’t look too attractive a betting proposition to win the match.
A draw would suit both teams and the 47/20 (Bodog) on offer has to be worth considering.
We think at odds of 17/20 (VCbet) to win the match Portugal look decent value and that’s the bet we’re going for. We think it might be a 2-0 6/1 (Ladbrokes) win for Portugal and we’re taking Nuno Gomes 7/1 (Coral) to get the first goal.
Switzerland v Turkey
Despite playing quite well in their opening match we don’t think Switzerland are great value at 13/10 (Paddy Power) to beat Turkey. Switzerland have only beaten Turkey twice in eight matches and even with home advantage they may not be good enough to win here.
Turkey will put the shaky Swiss defence under a lot more pressure than the Czech Republic did in the first game and it looks unlikely they will keep a clean sheet.
With the draw 9/4 (Partybets) unlikely as both teams need to go for the three points, we’re going for Turkey to get the win 11/5 (Bodog).
There’s a history of bad blood between these teams and we could be in for quite a rough match tonight, and we think the odds for a red card in tonight’s game 5/2 (Betfair) could be worth backing.
Our prediction is a Turkey win with a 1-0 scoreline 6/1 (Skybet). A bet on Tuncay Sanli to get the goal at 9/1 (Coral) could be worth a small stake.
Croatia v Germany
Croatia sneaked a 1-0 win over Austria and definitely seemed to miss the services of striker Eduardo. They didn’t look too convincing in their first match but they did defend pretty well and Germany may find it tough to break them down. They are 4/1 (Partybets) to beat the Germans but they would have to considerably improve if they were to win.
Germany put in a pretty convincing performance against Poland, but they will find Croatia far tougher opponents and won’t get the same defensive mistakes they capitalised on in the Poland game. They’re 5/6 (PaddyPower) to win the match and we think their favouritism is well justified. The odds don’t look too cramped given how both teams played in their opening matches and we’re going for a German victory.
A draw 12/5 (Bet365) would probably suit both teams and it could be that Croatia will sit in and try and frustrate the Germans to get the point that would probably be enough to see them through to the next stage.
In what could be a very tight match we’re going for a 1-0 win to Germany 6/1 (Skybet) and think that Michael Ballack at 8/1 (Ladbrokes) could be the first goalscorer.
Austria v Poland
Austria surprised many people with their spirited play against Croatia, but their lack of creativity, and composure in front of goal was evident throughout the match. They’ve raised their game once, but can they do it again? It’s unlikely they will, and the 12/5 (Skybet) on them winning tonight looks too short in our opinion.
Poland played quite well in their opening game without troubling the Germans too much at the back. Austria’s defence will be far easier to penetrate and there were signs during the game against Germany that they were capable of creating chances.
The draw tonight is 12/5 (Bodog) but while that would be a good result for Austria we can’t see them keeping a clean sheet tonight and if they go behind we don’t see them coming back into the game.
We’re going for Poland to win at 5/4 (Bet365) and we think they could do it quite convincingly and are taking a chance on the 3-0 correct score 25/1 (Betfair). We also think the odds on offer for Ebi Smolarek to be the first goalscorer at 13/2 (Coral) are worth taking.