Sat 9th – Sun 17th: In the ‘group of death’, Group B, Germany (3/1 outright) and Netherlands are 11/4 (Ladbrokes) to finish one-two respectively.
GROUP B
GERMANYThree-times European champions Germany are almost always a threat when it comes to major tournaments and having qualified for this one by winning all ten of their matches, scoring an impressive 34 goals along the way, that’s the case again here. William Hill’s 3/1, second favourites, were runners-up four years ago and if anything they are a stronger team this time around while the side that beat them in the Euro 2008 final, Spain, are perhaps a touch weaker so the way is clear for Joachin Low’s men to lift the trophy. Admittedly, Group B isn’t the easiest, but the Germans have the firepower to get the better of their three strong opponents and in the prolific Miroslav Klose, 14/1 with Betfred to be top scorer, they have a man that knows exactly how to perform when it comes to tournament football; in what could be his final international competition he’ll be desperate to pick up a medal. The Germans are 6/5 (Boylesports) to top the group and it’s 11/4 at Ladbrokes for a Germany-Netherlands forecast.
Star Man: Miroslav Klose
Prediction: Winners
Fixtures:
June 9 – Portugal
June 13 – Netherlands
June 17 – Denmark
Odds: 3/1 (William Hill) outright, 6/5 (Boylesports) to win group.
Best Bet: Germany to win Euro 2012 – 3/1 (William Hill)
Runners-up to Spain in the World Cup two years ago and impressive qualifiers for this competition with nines victories in ten outings, the Dutch will rightly head to Poland and Ukraine in confident mood. Admittedly, Stan James’ 7/1 third favourites have been drawn in the ‘group of death’ but the Oranje have emerged from the group stage in the last six European Championship renewals while the reward if they sneak through on this occasion is a potentially straightforward quarter final contest and in any case Bert van Marwijk’s team should be too strong for Portugal and Denmark given the firepower they have at their disposal. They’re a confident selection then at 1/2 (Betfred) to qualify and indeed any team that looks to the likes of Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar for goals, from a supply line that includes Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart, has to be considered a major threat. They are 5/4 with bet365 to reach the semis on the back of a potentially simple quarter tie.
Star Man: Robin van Persie
Prediction: Semi-final
Fixtures:
June 9 – Denmark
June 13 – Germany
June 17 – Portugal
Odds: 7/1 (Stan James) outright, 2/1 (Coral) to win group.
Best Bet: Netherlands to reach the semi-final – 5/4 (bet365)
Opening their qualifying campaign with a draw against Cyprus and a defeat to Norway, Portugal looked set to miss out on the finals but after they replaced manager Carlos Queiroz with Paulo Bento, the 2004 runners-up looked a much more solid proposition and they recovered sufficiently to book their place in the tournament via a play-off against Bosnia. There’s little doubt that much of Portugal’s play centres around Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, the clear 15/8 fav to top score for them (Sportingbet), and on their day the Portuguese can be a match for anyone but they’ve been given a tough group and are 7/5 with Boylesports to reach the last eight as a result. A possible over reliance on their influential skipper could be their downfall while Germany and Netherlands look more likely to get through so it’s worth considering Paddy Power’s 4/6 for Portugal to miss out on the second phase.
Star Man: Cristiano Ronaldo
Prediction: Group stage
Fixtures:
June 9 – Germany
June 13 – Denmark
June 17 – Netherlands
Odds: 20/1 (William Hill) outright, 9/2 (Blue Square) to win group.
Best Bet: Portugal not to qualify – 4/6 (Paddy Power)
Denmark topped their qualifying group ahead of Portugal and will meet the same opponents in the group stage in the finals but sadly for Morten Olsen’s charges while another victory over Paulo Bento’s troops isn’t out of the question, getting the better of the Germans and the Dutch is another thing altogether, hence BetVictor’s quote of 20/1 for Denmark to win Group B. Nevertheless, the well-organised Danes certainly won’t disgrace themselves, especially if skipper, Liverpool’s Daniel Agger can hold them together at the back and young midfielder Christian Eriksen is a promising player to keep an eye on for the 1992 winners, who will be hard to break down. Bet365 rate Olsen’s men at 9/2 to get through to the last eight but that’s a big ask in the circumstances and they’re more likely to finish bottom of the pool.
Star Man: Daniel Agger
Prediction: Group stage
Fixtures:
June 9 – Netherlands
June 13 – Portugal
June 17 – Germany
Odds: 100/1 (Coral) outright, 18/1 (bodog) to win group.
Best Bet: Denmark to finish bottom of Group B – 4/6 (Stan James)
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