Euro 2012 Final - Pirouhetting Pirlo can put Finishing Touches to Italian Campaign

Euro 2012 has been outstanding throughout & arguably the best international tournament of the last 20 or so years with plenty of teams being competitive & some star performances from individual players, the final is between reigning champions Spain & 1968 winners Italy. Both sides are worthy finalists & it's interesting to see how they'll matchup after having played each other in their Group C opener exactly 3 weeks ago.

(Andrea Pirlo (centre) can lead Italy to Euro glory)

In their group game it was Italy that at first looked outright more likely to score than Spain after Del Bosque decided to start with 6 in midfield & no striker, Spain looked a little toothless at times & it was Italy who made the breakthrough after the misfiring Balotelli was replaced by Di Natale who made a near instant impact with a goal. Spain bounced straight back that day with a typically incisive goal from the classy Cesc Fabregas & afterwards looked slightly the more likely team once Jesus Navas & Fernando Torres were on the pitch, fortunately for Italy, Torres was completely out of sorts in front of goal & missed or messed up several presentable chances.

A lack of goals & clear scoring opportunities is affecting Spain now they are without the first choice David Villa, Torres isn't half the player he once was & playing 6"5 striker Fernando Llorente appears to be anathema to boss Del Bosque, even though he's a very technically competent footballer. Down the right hand side of the Spain shape Xavi & David Silva haven't quite had the success you'd expect from such talented players although it looks like both will almost certainly retain their spots & are clearly capable of harming Italy if they play to their potential. Of course Spain don't need to be scoring by the bucketload to win as they have the meanest defence in football & the only goal they've conceded this tournament was that one from Di Natale, possession & retention of the ball helps & even when they lose it they have an outstanding keeper in Iker Cassilas who is protected by Ramos & Barcelona's bargain of the century Gerard Pique (re-signed from Man Utd for a measly £5m!).

(Spain's Gerard Pique & Iker Cassillas are just about the best stopper/defender combination around)

Italy haven't been setting the tournament alight with plenty of goals themselves, they have been able to create chances but Cassano & Balotelli (up to the last game at least) haven't always been clinical & certainly against England especially the whole team seemed to lack composure in front of goal. That being said they looked outstanding against Germany & completely outclassed England, even though they couldn't score, & the momentum looks to be with them especially as Spain just had to play the full 120 minutes against Portugal, somewhat offsetting their extra rest day advantage. The hope for Italy, & worry for Spain, is that now Balotelli has got himself fired up that he won't be missing some of the chances he was earlier in the tournament, hopefully he'll try to play on the defender's shoulder & stretch the field a little for Italy as that will mean Andrea Pirlo can do his inimitable thing.

Pirlo has been this tournament's standout star & with Cristiano Ronaldo failing to sparkle in the semi final he's now odds on to pick up the Player of the Tournament prize (tipped at 80/1 here), his passing & overall control of the game has been instrumental to Italy's progression but his fellow midfielders have been excellent too. Daniele de Rossi has shown some great movement & work rate & filled in ably at the back in the first two games,Claudio Marchisio has been consistently good all through the tournament & since coming into the side for the knockout games Riccardo Montolivo has added an extra element of trickery & pinpoint passing to the attack. Although Antonio Cassano hasn't, understandably, been able to last out a full 90 minutes in any game so far his movement, touch & general attacking intent have been crucial & he always seems to be available for a pass from his midfielders.

Italy haven't been bad at all at the back either with only 3 goals conceded, & even though he wasn't always conventional at times against Germany, Gianluigi Buffon showed why he, along with opposite number Cassilas, is still a significant step up from any of the up & coming young keepers. We really like Giorgio Chiellini & he was versatile to move out to left back in the last game & provide real threat going forwards against Spain, that moved Balzaretti to right back but he looked just as comfortable there & has been improving throughout the tournament & could give Jordi Alba some real problems if & when Italy break on Spain.

(Antonio Cassano overpriced at 12/1 to score first?)

We mentioned that the full back positions looked to be maybe Spain's one area of weakness before the Portugal game but they countered that against Ronaldo & co by playing pretty much a containing game throughout & Arbeloa & Alba weren't left exposed against the Portuguese pace too often. Arbeloa is surely the worst player in the Spain starting eleven by some way & although we know he's good we haven't always been totally convinced by Alba here, of course they've still played fine (as one goal conceded shows) but they maybe don't quite match up to the rest of Spain's high standards.

In terms of form it might just be Italy that have the edge, they totally outclassed England & only some desperate defending & woodwork stopped them scoring & then they were blistering against Germany with Mario Balotelli coming to life with two good goals. Spain didn't have to be anywhere near their best to beat a shambolic France team & then huffed & puffed against Portugal & you'd say were outplayed in the first half, Italy were better in that opener two, certainly in the first half & that will give a lot of confidence to the betting underdogs.

The problem with beating Spain is simply that they are the ultimate 'hard to beat' team, they control possession & concede so few goals that the best most sides can hope for is a draw, we know all of this yet still find ourselves believing that Italy are the ones to burst Spain's bubble & we reckon they can do it inside 90 minutes at odds of 29/10. Italy have played overall just a bit better than Spain going forward even though they've scored two less, they've hit the woodwork a couple of times & 4 of Spain's goals came against dire Ireland. All the talk will be of Balotelli & that means that we think a bit of value can be found with Antonio Cassano to be first scorer at 12/1, it would be a fairytale story after Cassano's serious health problems but is thoroughly possible & with so much defensive focus on 'Super' Mario he may be the one to find the chances. If Italy are to win the game, even in extra time or penalties, you'd have to make Andrea Pirlo a big favourite to be Man of the Match & odds of 5/1 look fair, it would be a fitting end to an outstanding display of technique & effectiveness throughout the tournament from Italy's Architect.

Selections:
Italy to beat Spain in 90 minutes at 29/10 (BetVictor)
Antonio Cassano to score first at 12/1 (BetVictor & William Hill)
Andrea Pirlo to be Man of the Match at 5/1 (Various)

Euro 2012 2nd Semi Final - Die Mannschaft to give Azzurri the Blues

The second semi final takes place at the National Stadium, Warsaw between our pre-tournament outright pick Germany and England's conquerors Italy. In their respective quarter finals the Germans easily overcame Greece 4-2 whilst Italy dominated an unambitious & technically deficient England side but could only muster victory via a penalty shootout.



(Mario Gomez could return to the starting lineup to feed off the excellent service of Mesut Ozil)

Coach Joachim Low guided his side to a record breaking 15th successive competitive win despite resting the attacking trio of Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez & Lukas Podolski in their quarter final match & gave exciting youngsters Andre Schurrle & Marco Reus and the evergreen Miroslav Klose game time after their limited involvement in the group phrase. Not only did it provide the usual starters a prolonged period of rest but the two youngsters were excellent & Klose popped up with a goal so provides Low with confident attacking options from the bench if needed. There are plenty of calls for all three quarter final attackers to keep their spots & we were hugely impressed with Reus especially - if he's equally effective on the left of attack he could easily nick Lukas Podolski's place in the starting eleven. If Reus does start we think he's a cracking bet to open the scoring at 9/1 & is worth a punt, if he doesn't start & there's a goal before he gets on the pitch you'll get your stake back anyway.

Italy dominated quarter finalists England in every department Sunday night but it doesn't hide the fact they didn't manage to find a breakthrough, they may have hit the woodwork twice & registered nearly twenty attempts on target but none were more than regulation saves for England keeper Joe Hart (who also pulled off one of his now trademark knockdowns straight to an attacker). It means that Italy have only scored one goal in ten games from open play & strikers Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano & Antonio Di Natale should find the chances much harder to come by against Germany.



(Stop Andrea Pirlo....... stop Italy?)

Italy do have one of the standout players of the tournament so far in playmaker Andrea Pirlo (tipped here at 80/1 for the player of the tournament title) - it seems unbelievable that Milan released him on a free transfer last summer; a decision which backfired when he guided rivals Juventus to the title last season & he's continued his fine form here. Pirlo has an intriguing battle ahead with the excellent combination of Sami Khedira & Bastian Schweinsteiger looking to stop him pulling the strings for the Italians - if they can, which will be far from easy, then you fear for the Italians in a creative sense & it could spell the end of their championship run.

A changed German side have had virtually a whole week off since their quarter final whilst Italy have had to contend with extra time & penalties two days later. Freshness is with the Germans & Italy also have to cope with a number of muscle injuries to defenders Ignazio Abate & Giorgio Chiellini and Roma's midfielder Daniele De Rossi - it remains to be seen which players recover in time for the game. Italy will also have wing back Christian Maggio suspended for the game which further limits their options, Germany's talisman Bastian Schweinsteiger is a slight injury worry again but he should be ready. Germany seem to have that bit more quality in terms of goal threats throughout the side so take advantage of the general 10/11 on offer for them to beat the Azzurri in 90 minutes & make the final.

Selections:

Germany to beat Italy at 10/11 (various)
Marco Reus to score first at9/1 (Bet365, BetVictor & Stan James)

1st Euro 2012 Semi Final - Primed Portugal can Spank Spain

We'll get to see a real clash of styles on Wednesday night as Portugal's lightning quick, direct & attacking team come up against the last half a decade's dominant football force of the 'Barcelona style' of patient, possession football played by Spain. It should be a really fascinating game & it remains to be seen whether Spain's Iberian rivals are the ones to eventually topple them & stop them winning their third major tournament in a row.

(Portugal can gain some success against Spain starting building with their classy central defenders)

Neither side had tough quarter fnals, with Portugal outclassing the Czech Republic & eventually breaking through late on after numerous near misses earlier in the game. Spain meanwhile could hardly have had an easier game against France with the French seemingly having imploded again before the game & giving a listless display - it was disappointing as Spain don't quite looked to have hit their usual heights & a fully firing France should have given them at least something to think about.

For all their quality Spain really haven't created too many clear cut chances in their games but because they are defensively sound & control the ball so well they don't need to score many as it's difficult to see them conceding often. If you were to pinpoint a defensive weakness it would be Alvaro Arbeloa at right back though & that just happens to be the key position when trying to stop the unstoppable Cristiano Ronaldo - he has been quite brilliant in the last two games & will have plenty of happy thoughts lining up against Spanish players - after all he finds it pretty easy to score against them in his day job at Real Madrid. Ronaldo may be arrogant & seem selfish but you can tell that he really does inspire his team mates around him & there is an awful lot of quality throughout the Portugal team other than their traditional problem position at striker. Portugal have struggled at point ever since record scorer Pauleta retired in 2006, Hugo Almeida will likely play up front but his role will be to hold the ball up & bring others into play more than trying to score himself. If Spain do concentrate on trying to stop Ronaldo specifically (which they may not as they could simply stick to their ideals) they could allow quality passers Meireles & Moutinho to pick out some killer balls.

(Manchester City's golden boy David Silva hasn't fully impressed us this tournament)

Portugal have looked good defensively & the goals they've conceded aren't the kind of ones they should worry about doing so again with the way Spain play,  the two against Denmark were down to not being able to deal with Nicklas Bendtner & the goal against Germany was similar in not coping with Gomez's presence whilst Van der Vaart's goal for Holland was a stunning strike. Other than in the air Portugal have looked slightly weak with balls in behind as Bruno Alves has looked sluggish & the keeper Patricio while competent is certainly the weakest starting keeper left in the competition by a very long way.

We all know Spain's strengths, they play the ultimate team game as they don't rely on any one position or player & don't seem to need everyone to be on their game to be able to pull off the results but we weren't impressed with them against the Italians in the first game or going forwards against Croatia in the last group game. France were so bad it was embarrassing & Vicente del Bosque's men will need to step up to justify their current odds on price to win in 90 minutes especially as his sdie have had two less rest days than Portugal. We prefer the look of Portugal at decent odds & we think they can get off to a flying start with their explosive game, odds of 17/2 for Portugal to be winning at half time & full time are pretty generous & don't require a big outlay for a sizeable return. The Man of the Match market also offers a little value because if Portugal can win Ronaldo seems locked in for the prize & backing him at 6/1 is better than Portugal at 7/2 - he could even get it if the game ends up going to extra time so looks a real value bet.

Selections:
Portugal to beat Spain at half time & full time at 17/2 (BetVictor & 188Bet)
Cristiano Ronaldo to be Man of the Match at 6/1 (Various)

Quarter Final Four - Insert Lazy Italian Job Headline here

England & Italy meet in the last of the quarter finals fighting it out for the 'privilege' of facing Germany in the semi final, neither side will have given that match too much thought yet as their concentration will be solely on this game & it looks like being a difficult one to call either way.

(Mario Balotelli - when he's good he's very very good but when he's bad he is horrid!)

England have seemingly already exceeded expectations at home by qualifying at the top of their group ahead of France & although they haven't looked technically great they have looked well disciplined & resolute & have been succeeding with a real team effort. Steven Gerrard has to be considered the standout performer in the tournament for England going forwards with some outstanding deliveries & he seems to relish his role as captain, he's certainly the type of player that others can rally around & arguably should have had the captaincy before now. At the back although Chelsea performers John Terry & Ashley Cole have been receiving the plaudits (Terry does play with a certain exuberance with goal line clearances etc.) we think that Joleon Lescott has been rocksteady, just like he was for Man City all year, & it's that base that they can work with for some real solidity.

Italy have been pretty solid at the back themselves, conceding just twice in 1-1 draws with Spain & Croatia & they are two good sides so there was little disgrace there - they are going to be without their robust defender Giorgio Chiellini though & it will be interesting to see how they set up without him. Daniele De Rossi could fall back into the centre of a three man defence just as they played in the first two games & he did perform very creditably in that role. The worry with De Rossi in defence is that he won't necessarily cope with a big physical striker up against him & that must make Hodgson tempted to play footballing Neanderthal Andy Carroll as his front man. Italy did not look weakened in central midfield without De Rossi in those first two games with the technical excellence of Motta, Marchisio & the outstanding so far Andrea Pirlo helping them to control possession & look for openings. It will be fascinating to see those three go up against England's more rough & ragged, but extremely hardworking Gerrard & Parker, James Milner will be looking to get narrow when his support is needed too.

(England's hopes are resting on you Mr Rooney - perform!)

For England it seems that all hopes rest with the near mythical Wayne Rooney, on his day Rooney can be up there with some of the best in the world but we feel he's essentially a streaky player who goes through very good periods & then some very poor periods rather than being consistently great. Rooney's touch looked bad at times against Ukraine & he was more reminiscent of the player who toiled so badly at World Cup 2010 than the one who has terrorised Premier League defences for the last couple of seasons, he did get his goal though & England fans will hope he can kick on from that. Rooney has been considered slightly temperamental at times & that certainly caused him to be banned for the first two games, he did only pick up three yellows all season for Man United & looks to have calmed a little - the same cannot be said for the enigmatic Mario Balotelli.

Reports suggest that Balotelli is going to be recalled to the starting lineup after his late, very good, goal to wrap up the win against Ireland, he's an outstanding talent & will know any weaknesses in Joe Hart's or Joleon Lescott's paly that could be exploited. We don't seem to be able to find the stats up to the end of the season but in April Balotelli was leading the league in goals per minute played & that doesn't surprise as his accuracy is second to none with him seemingly able to place the ball in the corners of the net at will. Of course Balotelli is what is officially known as 'a lunatic' & there's a theory that England players will look to wind him up but it will have been drilled into him that the best way to respond is with goals & at 8/1 Balotelli's value to bag the first of the game.

So far in the tournament there have been five 1-1 results & these two sides have been in matches accounting for three of those & the way that they set out it does make a similar result to that quite likely with their disciplined defensive setups but still with quality forwards, at odds of 11/2 backing the 1-1 correct score is a play. Even if Italy can score first England seem to have a never say die attitude & have the ability with their deliveries in the box to bounce back, if it goes the other way & England can make a breakthrough they have looked vulnerable with a lead in all three games & could easily concede.

Selections:

1-1 Correct Score at 11/2 (various)

Mario Balotelli to score first at 8/1 (various) + scorecast Balotelli 1-1 at 35/1+

Euro 2012 Quarter Final Three - France & Spain to keep it tight

Saturday sees the third quarter final & it's probably just about the pick of the bunch with the world's number one team Spain taking on close neighbours France in a matchup of two of the best technical teams in the tournament. Ronaldo & Portugal did the business for us in the first quarter final but Germany lost concentration & couldn't win to nil against Greece - we're trying to find more success in this game & Italy v England on Sunday.

(Iniesta has been Spain's star man so far)

Neither France or Spain have played up to their form in the tournament up to this game with Italy looking more dangerous in Spain's opener & they also looked ponderous against Croatia, France huffed & puffed against England & then threw in an aberration of a performance against Sweden & ended up losing 2-0.

France just haven't looked to have enough of a cutting edge, Benzema has played well but has too often been facing away from goal in an attempt to bring his midfielders into play. Franck Ribery hasn't done enough for us especially with his considerable talent & France don't seem to be able to decide who should be their wide right player with Nasri, Menez & Ben Arfa starting there in the first three games respectively. Too often the French have had to rely on distance shooting, which is odd considering the intricacy they can play with, & that doesn't bode well against the excellent shot stopper that is Iker Casillas in Spain's goal.

Spain have hardly been sparkling going forward either, we can't give the Ireland game too much weight because Ireland were so bad, they had no point of attack against Italy & didn't create anywhere near enough against Croatia. Spain do look better when Iniesta gets on the ball with him looking to release it & then make runs behind the defence & he could do well against the French defence that will be missing the suspended Philippe Mexes at centre back.

(Franck Ribery has somewhat underperformed for France & needs to step up his game)

France haven't looked all that convincing in defence other than at right back where Debuchy has really announced himself as a smart prospect, their central defenders have looked a little one paced  indecisive at times & Gael Clichy coming in to replace Evra really hasn't helped at left back - Sweden seemed to have identified him as a weak link & attacked regularly down that side. Spain however have conceded the least goals in the tournament, keeping clean sheets in their last two & gaining their trademark 1-0 win last time out, with Casillas in goal they are tough to score against & they keep possession so well opposing teams get few chances against them.

We can see this being a really tight affair & there is some value to be had backing under 1.5 goals at 2/1 with Ladbrokes & Stan James as this could easily end up being settled by a single goal, we prefer to take Spain to win 1-0 though just as they did in the three knockout games leading up to final of the World Cup, the bet is available at 11/2. We don't feel that Spain have been at their best but feel that France mightn't be the right type of team to beat them at this stage although a semi final against Portugal could be a different story.......

Selection:
Spain to win 1-0 at 11/2 (BetVictor & Ladbrokes)

Euro 2012 Quarter Finals - Friday 22nd June

Germany are highly fancied for outright victory for Euro 2012 & were our pre-tournament picks for glory, they'll need to progress past Group A runners up Greece but if they can they'll be favourites to beat either Italy or England in the semi finals. Our preview & one solid bet for the game is below & we'll be hoping it can prove to be as successful as our Portugal picks in the first quarter final.

(Mesut Ozil & Bastian Schweinsteiger can provide the chances for Germany to prosper)

The second Quarter Final takes place at the PGE Arena, Gdansk with Germany playing Euro 2004 winners Greece. Germany came through the 'group of death' with a perfect record with nine points whilst Greece sprung a surprise beating Russia & claiming the runners-up spot in Group A. The German side picks itself apart from the right back spot where Joachim Low has the choice between Jerome Boateng & Lars Bender. Despite a well taken strike by Bender against Denmark we would expect Low to return to the reliable Boateng for this one.

By winning all three of their group games; Germany have extended their winning streak to 14 competitive games & look the side to beat in Euro 2012, they have quality throughout & look to have the best balanced side in the tournament which doesn't seem to have an obvious weakness. Their defensive unit of keeper Manuel Neuer & back four of Phillip Lahm, Mats Hummels, Holger Badstuber & Jerome Boateng have faced moments of pressure, most notably the second half vs Holland, & have looked solid. Here they will face a lone striker so we can't envisage any real problems in open play but they will need to sharpen up when defending set pieces after conceding a sloppy set play goal against Denmark.

Bastian Schweinsteiger, Sami Khedira & Mesut Ozil will have lots & lots of possession as the Greek side sit deep in their own half with numbers behind the ball. All three players have plenty of experience & won't panic in possession & will keep the ball moving between them until that perfect pass is available to the attacking trio Lukas Podolski, Thomas Muller & spearhead Mario Gomez. Gomez already has three goals to his name & will be looking to push on in his personal pursuit of the golden boot but there's no value in him to score first or at anytime in the markets.

The Greeks have had a mixed tournament in terms of results & performances so far & it was a surprise they made it out of the group at the expense of Russia & co-hosts Poland. At the start of the tournament they tried to be more offensive which saw them only pick up one point from two games so when needing a result against Russia they reverted back to their ultra defensive philosophy & shape. They stole a goal on the stroke of half time through Giorgios Karagounis & spent the whole of the second half sitting deep & defending in numbers as they withstood all that was thrown at them with relative ease & not a little defensive confidence. Greece may find it harder to hold firm against the Germans though as they can break down sides with directness & power but also with the guile of Schweinsteiger & Ozil's passing.

(The suspension of Giorgios Karagounis is a major blow to Greek hopes)

The Greeks may have to alter their game plan slightly due to the suspension of inspirational captain Giorgios Karagounis after he was harshly booked for diving when actually cleared tripped by Russia's Sergei Ignashevich. The likelihood is that either Grigoris Makos or Giorgos Fotakis will replace him but neither player has the same influence or ability as Karagounis to fill the void. Not only is Karagounis the driving force behind the side but also delivers expertly into the penalty box, without his delivery you can't see a way of Greece breaching a solid German defence so take advantage of the evens on offer for Germany to win with a clean sheet.

Selections:
Germany to win with a clean sheet at evens (Stan James)

Euro 2012 Quarter Final One - Powerful Portuguese to Sweep to Semi

Well the teams meeting each other in the quarter final stages are all decided now & we've had three games to assess the form of all the sides & some are looking stronger than others & Germany backers must be starting to feel confident after they continued their competitive game winning streak through the toughest Group on show. Portugal also came through Group B & managed a couple of wins, only losing to the Germans & playing respectably in that game, they take on Group A winners the Czech Republic on Thursday night in Warsaw.

(Joao Moutinho can run the midfield for Portugal)

Although these may not be the very best two teams in the quarter finals this game may well end up being the pick of the bunch from a spectator's perspective as both teams strength lies in attack with Ronaldo spearheading Portugal's pacy forward line & Jiracek & Pilar coming in from wide areas to cause problems on behalf of the Czech Republic. All three players we mentioned there have a couple of goals apiece but it's Ronaldo who appeals as likely to thrive here, he really came to life against Holland, his eyes lit up once he realised the Dutch defence weren't up to scratch & he was able to run at them because they needed to attack & he put in an excellent display & could have ended up with more than two against them.

The Czech defence hasn't looked too clever at times & that could spell danger with Ronaldo on the pitch, although they have looked better with Kadlec back at centre back rather than out on the left where ex-Tottenham loanee David Limbersky has come into the side. Theo Gebre Selassie has been pretty impressive going forward from right back for the Czech's but he'll be directly up against Ronaldo here & we don't think he'll cope so Ladbrokes offers of 4/1 for Ronaldo to score first & 5/4 to score anytime should be punted heavily. Nani has been playing at a really high level for the tournament & he's always keeping his head up looking for Ronaldo to pass to when he has the ball & we wouldn't be surprised to see him provide the assist.

(Czech defender Michal Kadlec is on penalty duty - value at 9/1 to score at anytime?)

Key Czech playmaker Tomas Rosicky is a doubt for the game & he'll be a miss, he certainly performs at a higher level for country than club as we've seen many anonymous performances from him for Arsenal. Milan Baros no longer looks to have goals in him but he does do well at bringing Pilar & Jiracek into play & they often make darting diagonal runs into the box either with or without the ball & the Portuguese defence will need to improve if they are to keep a clean sheet. In fairness Portugal's main defensive problems have looked to be when balls are played into the box at head height & only conceded against Holland thanks to an outrageous Van der Vaart strike. The Czech's shouldn't be bombing too many crosses in but they do attach the edges of the area at speed & that means that defenders need to be careful about not committing themselves to challenges as a penalty could be easily conceded. Defender Michal Kadlec is on penalty duty for the Czech's & he's probably slightly overpriced at 9/1 to score anytime as he also gets forward for set pieces & has 8 goals in 37 games for the national team.

We see plenty of excitement & goals in this game, both teams have seen over 2.5 goals in two of their three games so far & odds of 5/4 about over 2.5 goals seem fair, we don't buy that this will be a tense, nervy affair as Portugal now realise they have to put their faith in Ronaldo if they are going to go all the way & they'll look to feed him the ball with regularity. Both teams are good on the counter with pacy wide players but we see Portugal more successfully 'countering the counters'  breaking whilst Gebre Selassie tries to get forward in  attack & we like the look of a Portugal win in 90 minutes at 4/5 with Paddy Power.

Selections:
Portugal to beat Czech Republic at 4/5 (Paddy Power)
Over 2.5 goals at 5/4 (188Bet)
Ronaldo to score first at 4/1 & anytime at 5/4 (Ladbrokes)
Michal Kadlec to score at anytime at 9/1 (Ladbrokes)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Tuesday 19th June

The final group games see France, England & Ukraine fight it out for the final two quarter final spots with France up against already eliminated Sweden & England taking on co-hosts Ukraine & they will face a hostile partisan atmosphere - can they overcome it? We'll be back with a preview of Thursday's first quarter final between Portugal & the Czech Republic, check out our Royal Ascot bets during the small break in football betting & fill your coffers up that way too!

(Wayne Rooney is out of the stands & straight back into England's starting eleven)

7:45 pm - England vs Ukraine

England's final group game is against co-hosts Ukraine at the Donbass Arena, Donetsk as both sides battle it out to reach the knockout stages. Ukraine must win the match to qualify at the expense of England whilst a draw will be good enough for Roy Hodgson's side to progress.

England have picked up four points with victory over Sweden & a draw with current group leaders France. For the first time in the tournament England have a full squad to pick from as Wayne Rooney returns from his two match suspension & Hodgson has confirmed Rooney will start the game so one of Danny Welbeck & Andy Carroll will miss out.

Winger Theo Walcott changed the game against Sweden with his goal & assist for Welbeck which meant a  1-2 deficit was turned into a 3-2 victory. He picked up a minor strain but has been declared fit so leaves Hodgson a choice of rewarding him a start (replacing either James Milner & Ashley Young) or again using him as an impact sub?

Ukraine have a concern over veteran striker Andrei Shevchenko who is rated 50:50 but we would be very surprised if he misses out on what has been described as 'the biggest game in the country's history' by fellow forward Andrei Voronin. Shevchenko is Ukraine's biggest treat & did cause problems to French centre back duo Phillippe Mexes & Adil Rami but apart from a few glimpses from winger Andriy Yarmolenko there attacking quality isn't great. But they will be looking to put pressure on England with set plays as England struggled & conceded two goals vs Sweden via this route.

This should be another tight affair with a raucous crowd behind the co-hosts Ukraine creating an electric atmosphere. But England with the returning Rooney should be too strong for Ukraine & three points will mean a quarter final berth at the best price of 5/4. 

(Striker Karim Benzema will look to open his tournament account against eliminated Sweden)

7:45 pm - Sweden vs France

The other game in Group D sees current leaders France play Sweden at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev. Les Blues look certain to qualify as only an England defeat, combined with them losing by a bigger margin can put them out whilst Sweden have already been eliminated with their defeat the other night.

France have a concern over midfielder Yohan Cabaye who has a slight knock but in Yann M'Vila they have a readymade replacement so the balance of the team won't change if needed. Against Ukraine the attacking midfield trio of Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri & goalscorer Jeremy Menez were excellent & their constant changing of positions will cause the weak defensive unit of Sweden major headaches. Again their creativity will provide Karim Benzema with plenty of goalscoring opportunities so take advantage of the 6/4 available for him to score at anytime as with Ronaldo the other night it's only a matter of time before he finds the net.

Sweden will be going home after this match so coach Erik Hamren has indicated a number of fringe players may get their opportunities. One definite change is that either Markus Rosenburg or Ola Toivonen will replace Johan Elmader in attack & partner the outstanding Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic was hugely disappointed with the outcome in the England match & French midfielders M'Vila & Alou Diarra will need to pay close attention to him as his deeper role means he'll be playing in the space between him & the back four. As well as being vulnerable to set pieces themselves, Sweden, are a threat with good delivery from either Kim Kallstrom or Sebastian Larsson & Olof Mellberg will want to add another international goal to his collection before his likely retirement from the tournament arena. The suspicion is that the Swedes will prove a touch deflated now that they are eliminated, after turning around a goal deficit into a 2-1 lead only to then lose against England, if France can take a lead we see Sweden heads dropping & a good win could be on the cards & we'll have a small punt on a 3-0 France win at 14/1.

Selections:
England to beat Ukraine at 5/4 (Paddy Power/Stan James)
France to beat Sweden 3-0 at 14/1 (various)
Karim Benzema to score at anytime vs Sweden at 6/4 (BlueSquare)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Monday 18th June

We were hammered by Russia's dreadful loss on Saturday as many other punters appeared to be too but didn't let it get us down too badly & fired back with a quickfire double last night on Germany & over 2.5 goals in the Holland v Portugal game - we're back with more bets from the finely poised Group C on Monday night.

(Luka Modric will match up against the similarly technically gifted Spain midfielders)

7:45 pm - Spain vs Croatia

Group C's first game sees a strange situation where a 2-2 draw would guarantee that both Spain & croatia would qualify for the quarter final stage regardless of what Italy do against Ireland in the other game. Both sides are saying, of course, that they aren't going to play out the result & will be going for the win but some bookmakers seem very distrusting & have priced up 2-2 as short as 4/1! (Coral, William Hill & BetVictor)

Croatia & Spain both looked very good when playing Ireland although the way that Ireland have played doesn't say a lot, Spain went with an orthodox formation in their first game but looked much better when starting with a true forward in Fernando Torres last time. Torres bagged himself a couple of goals against Ireland & that should help settle him down after his horror show after coming on as a sub in the first game. We still aren't convinced that he's anywhere near the player he was 3 years ago & that does mean that unless Spain are creating chances at will they might struggle to score too many as they don't have quite the cutting edge of some of the other sides in the competition. Pique & Ramos are still trying to develop a partnership in central defence & they certainly miss Carlos Puyol, both full backs Alba & Arbeloa picked up bookings in the first game & that could mean a potential rest for them. If both wide defenders do start then Croatia will look to get at them, knowing they could be hesitant in challenges, & Darijo Srna was great against Italy regularly overlapping & getting down the right hand side.

Spain should be outright better in the centre of midfield although Croatia have their own master technician in Modric, if the game is played as competitively as both teams say it will then we will wee Croatia look to concede plenty of possession & hit on the break & they could have some success. Mario Mandzukic has eventually started to find some scoring form for his country & Nikica Jelavic's physical presence should unsettle some of the cultured Spanish players. We think the draw has a big chance of happening here & that 2-2 shouldn't be discounted, Sportingbet go a standout 7/1 but we think a small play on Croatia on the draw no bet market at 9/2 on the exchanges is the way to go. Spain looked like they could get caught at times by Italy & Croatia outplayed the same opponents in the second half last time which suggests they should be competitive, we don't want to take anything from either sides' game against Ireland.

(Italy's Claudio Marchisio could bag himself a goal against the porous Irish defence)

7:45 pm - Italy vs Republic of Ireland

In the other game Italy will be looking to stick a few goals past the already eliminated Ireland as they look to put themselves in a position to qualify, Ireland have been dreadful but the only change they're going to make for the final game is bringing back Kevin Doyle to the starting lineup, which can hardly be pushed as too much of a positive as he's been poor for club & country for a long time. Trapattoni must be very disappointed by his players, they aren't the greatest but their displays so far have been below the levels required & even dependable figures have let him down, including goalkeeper Shay Given who looks to be a fading force.

Italy look like they may drop the misfiring Balotelli, but seemingly not for his ineffective displays & instead because of a knee injury, Di Natale should now get his chance & he's speedy even at 34 & could embarrass the lumbering Irish defenders. Andrea Pirlo has been their outstanding player, as we flagged up pre-tournament, & he should be given plenty of opportunities to thread the ball through to Di Natale & Cassano. Claudio Marchisio has been getting forward at times & we reckon the 11/2 available for him to score at anytime could be a decent play, he's only one goal for Italy so far but scored ten goals for Juventus last season & they should go with a very attacking mentality here.

We were really impressed with Italy in their first game against Spain & they looked pretty good against Croatia in the first half too but then went negative in the second half & paid the price by conceding & only getting a draw. Cesare Prandelli really should have learnt his lesson for the rest of the tournament & he can start off by setting his team to go on an all out offensive against Ireland here, odds of 10/11 for Italy to win with a -1 goal handicap seem very big & we're going to back heavily, we can see a bigger margin than two goals opening up with Ireland having nothing but pride to play for.

Selections:
Croatia to beat Spain on the draw no bet market at 9/2 (Betfair) 
Italy to beat Ireland with -1 goal at 10/11 (SkyBet)
Claudio Marchisio to score at anytime at 11/2 (SkyBet)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Sunday 17th June

Can the final Group B games eclipse the surprising & exciting climax in Group A last night? Bookies won the battle yesterday with Russia as short as 1.02 on betfair to qualify for the knock out rounds being beaten by Greece & put out of the tournament. But us punters can get back to winning ways with a simple double tonight...

(The magnificent Bastian Schweinsteiger looks to dominate another opposing side)

7:45 pm - Denmark vs Germany

At the Arena Lviv unbeaten Germany play Denmark who currently sit third in Group B - a draw for Germany would seal top spot but if they lose they could surprisingly bow out of the tournament if Portugal beat Holland whilst Denmark are guaranteed progression if they win but a draw will also be good enough if Portugal lose to Holland.

Germany have lived up to their billing as one of the tournament favourites with victories over Portugal & Holland. All three of Germany's goals have come from striker Mario Gomez who is putting behind him his disappointing display in the Champions League final for Bayern Munich to spearhead the German onslaught. It's no surprise he is getting the opportunities when you have the class of Lukas Podolski, Mesut Ozil & Thomas Muller supplying the ammunition. Behind this quartet you have the classy Bastian Schweinsteiger, two assists so far, who never gives the ball away & it's not like he plays five yard sideways passes but real decisive killer balls which split opposition defences apart & create goal scoring opportunities.

Denmark has shown a number of battling qualities in their first two games. Firstly, a superb defensive display to keep the talented Holland attack at bay in a 1-0 victory & then to comeback from 2-0 down against Portugal to draw level but unfortunately undone by conceding a late winner. They are enforced into one change with flying winger Dennis Rommedahl pulling a hamstring so Tobias Mikkelsen is likely to get the nod over Lasse Schone. Striker Nicklas Bendtner scored a brace against Portugal & has the qualities to cause the defensive duo of Mats Hummels & Holger Badstuber problems in the air if the Danish players can provide need plenty of decent balls.

Germany are a step up in class & consistency compared to Portugal & Holland so look a solid bet at 8/13 as Denmark face a hugely difficult task to get the points required to make the knockout rounds.

(Can Cristiano Ronaldo spring into life & guide his side out of the group?)

7:45 pm - Portugal vs Holland

The other match in Group B looks an entertaining affair on paper as Portugal go up against Holland at the Metalist Stadium, Kharkiv. Holland have it all to do as they need to beat Portugal by two clear goals plus rely on Germany to beat Denmark to qualify whilst Portugal have a must simpler equation of just needing to better the Danes' result to progress.

Holland are having a awful tournament so far with two defeats from two & need a dramatic upturn in performance levels to make the last eight. There seems to be discontent in the ranks highlighted by Arjen Robbens display of petulance when subbed against Denmark & they will all need to be pulling in the same direction to save their tournament. Coach Bert Van Marwijk will go with a more attacking line-up & shape for this one with the likelihood of Rafael van der Vaart & Klaas-jan Huntelaar coming in for Mark van Bommel & Ibrahim Afellay as he looks for goals. The concern though is that they are weakening their midfield defensive shield to an already fragile defence highlighted by Jetro Willems struggles as they can ill afford to concede.

A 87th minute winner from Silvestre Varela saved Portugal from elimination & puts them in the box sit to grab a qualifying spot over Denmark & Holland. They showed good character to come back after letting a two goal lead slip against Denmark & put themselves in this position. A disappointment to them & the footballing public is the below par performances of Cristiano Ronaldo but you would be a very foolish person to write him off. Portugal are likely to be under the cosh in the first 20 minutes as Holland look to get off to a flyer so they will need to tighten up defensively after giving away two sloppy goals, from their point of view, against Denmark & centre back duo Pepe & Bruno Alves will need to keep a close eye on Robin van Persie who found the net with a great strike in his last match.

With both sides better in the oppositions half than their own; goals look the order of the day and the 4/5 available on over 2.5 goals looks massive.
Selections:

Germany to beat Denmark at 8/13 (General)
Over 2.5 goals in the Holland/Portugal match at 4/5 (BlueSquare/Betfair)

The above double pays just under 2/1.

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Saturday 16th June

We're into the final round of Group games now & only two teams are out of the competition so far meaning that we're going to be seeing some great games as teams fight tooth & nail for their quarter final spots. We're still searching the markets for the best value bets in each game & we bring you Group A today where hosts Poland look to not fall at the first hurdle & dark horses Russia try to top the group.

(Vaclav Pilar has two goals in two games with the Czech Republic)

7:45 pm - Czech Republic vs Poland

Czech Republic battle it out with co-hosts Poland at the Municipal Stadium, Wroclaw with the winner making the knock out rounds. Poland have two points & only victory will do for them whilst the Czechs need a win to quality but a draw might also be enough if results go their way.

After being torn apart by Russia in their first game the Czechs bounced back against Greece to claim all three points with a 2-1 victory. The damage was done in the first six minutes with goals from Petr Jiracek & Vaclac Pilar. Pilar is having an excellent tournament, scoring two goals, and is providing the sides attacking edge with striker Milan Baros struggling. A concern though is captain & playmaker Tomas Rosicky, substituted at half time against Greece, is a doubt with an achilles injury & a decision will be left right until before kick-off.

Poland have drawn their first two game 1-1 & their performances have be decent in the first half vs Greece & a second half against Russia which resulted in an equaliser but as yet they haven't been able to put it together for whole 90 minutes. They have a number of injury concerns to Lucasz Piszczek, Dariusz Dudka & Eugen Polanski & coach Franciszek Smuda has a decision to make in goal with Wojciech Szczesny returning from suspension but understudy Przemyslaw Tyton hasn't put a foot wrong in his game & a half.

Both sides will be focusing on victory & with their strengths lying in the attacking third rather than defensive disciplines this should lead to an entertaining game. Attacking players Jakub Blaszczykowski & Robert Lewandowksi for Poland & Czechs Jiracek & Pilar have all found the net already & will be licking their lips at the prospect of this game & 4/5 on both teams to score which has occurred in all Group A game looks nailed on. The first half is likely to be cagey & full of tension so get on the 6/5 on offer for most goals in the second half with one team likely to be getting desperate as their tournament hopes fade.

(Russia's attacking trio will be looking to seal top spot in Group A)

7:45 pm - Greece vs Russia

The other game in Group A is a battle between the top & bottom sides as Russia entertain Greece at the National Stadium, Warsaw. The requirement for Greece is simple; only a win will do & Russia will be looking for maximum points to guarantee top spot.

Russia will be disappointed with their second half performance against Poland where they let a goal lead slip. It was obviously two points dropped than a point gained but yet again youngster Alan Dzagoev enhanced his growing reputation with his third goal of the tournament. Dick Advocaat has a fully fit side to pick from & we would expect him to resist calls in some quarters to start Roman Pavlyuchenko over Alexander Kerzhakov. Kerzhakov has been misfiring in-front of goal but his link-up & positional play has been excellent so eventually he & the Russian side will reap the rewards & we see Pavlyuchenko as an impact substitute.

Greece again have to shuffle the pack with an injury to keeper Kostas Chalkias & the returning from suspension of Sokratis Papastathopoulos meaning Giannis Maniatis will return to the midfield at the expense of the ineffective Giorgos Fotakis. Despite their strong defensive record in qualifying; Greece have defended poorly in both games & now they have the daunting prospect of facing the excellent trio of Arshavin, Kerzhakov & tournament joint top scorer Alan Dzagoev. At the other end of the pitch they have looked far from free-scoring & only a howler from keeper Petr Cech for the Czech Republic allowed them to find the net in game two & with this is mind Russia -1 on the handicap at 21/10 looks a reasonable bet.

Selections:
Both teams to score between Poland & Czech Republic at 4/5 (Betfred/Stan James)
Most goals in the second half of Poland/Czech Republic at 6/5 (Coral)
Russia -1 on the handicap vs Greece at 21/10 (Betfred)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Friday 15th June

Friday sees the last set of games with staggered start times & the finely poised Group C, it still looks to be wide open although Ukraine's excellent win over Sweden has put them in a good position. We're taking a look at both games including England's key fixture against Sweden as we try to find more great bets like last night's Andrea Pirlo to be man of the match!


(Samir Nasri will look to have a major influence for France against Ukraine)

5:00 pm - Ukraine vs France

Co-host Ukraine entertain France at the Donbass Arena, Donetsk as they look to seal their place in the knockout rounds. After beating Sweden on Monday night with a headed double from national hero Andriy Shevchenko another victory against France will mean quarter final football & reward for their fanatical fans.

Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin is refusing to give any indication to what his starting line is going to be for the fixture. With the fact that France dominated possession & midfield against England we would expect Blokhin to sacrifice an attacker & bolster his midfield so they don't get overrun & can close up the available space for the likes of French duo Nasri & Ribery.

France will be disappointed to only come away with a point against England with a defensive lapse at a set play costing them. Nasri scored the goal on the evening & he was a constant menace throughout, finding space between the midfield & back four so Bayern Munich's Anatolii Tymoschuk will have to be at the top of his game to negate his influence.

Striker Karim Benzema looked sharp & had plenty of attempts, mainly from distance, against England & if the French midfield can find a cutting edge & provide him with the ball within the region of the penalty area then you would expect him to do the rest. Benzema will certainly have better support than Sweden provided to Ibrahimovic & that could prove the difference, if he doesn't score himself then we can see him laying the ball off to his supporting attackers to get strikes on goal & Ribery could be the man to benefit, he's available at 7/1 to score first & is a decent bet. Ukraine celebrated as if they'd won the tournament when the whistle blew against Sweden & that indicates the levels of expectation they truly have, it may be difficult for their players to raise their game again here & whilst the weakness in France's defence is certainly there it's probably been slightly overplayed by some of our 'expert' pundits. Get on France at odds of 11/10 to show why the money was flowing in for them & outright glory pre-tournament, they have enough classy operators & should improve with the outstanding young holding midfielder Yann M'Vila likely to come back into the starting lineup.

(Zlatan Ibrahimovic will look to take advantage of any fatigue in the England ranks)

7:45 pm - England vs Sweden

The second match of the evening is between England and Sweden at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev as both sides look to pick up their first victories of the tournament. The teams seem to meet on a regular occurrence & they are usually tight affairs with four of their last six meetings ending level. The draw as an outcome wouldn't suit either side but would especially give Sweden a mountain to climb in their final group fixture.

England seemed please with their performance & point against France but now the emphasis will be on them to pose a greater attacking threat which may be difficult. With Wayne Rooney still suspended we would expect Ashley Young to line-up behind Danny Welbeck again but thoughts could turn to Andy Carroll as Sweden conceded two headed goals against Ukraine.

Sweden were disappointing against Ukraine in their opening game & surprisingly just sat back and opted to counter attack which was different to their attacking approach in qualifying. The defence looked vulnerable, especially against crosses, so a tactical switch is likely to take place with Jonas Olsson coming in at centre back & Andreas Granqvist moving to right-back.

The likelihood is that Johan Elmander will come into side at the expense of the ineffective Markus Rosenberg & will hopefully give them more of an attacking edge & take some of the burden off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic was a class above anyone else on the pitch against Ukraine in a deeper role & managed to slot away the opening goal with a cool finish. England will have to pay extra attention to him as he floats between the two banks of four, it's a real concern with midfield duo Scott Parker & Steven Gerrard suffering with fatigue (we suggested they may struggle for fitness after playing France) but having to start due to the other option in the middle being Jordan Henderson - we're not sure he'd look out of place in Ireland's midfield!

We just can't see goals in the game, Hodgson has England set up a very particular way & they'll need an incisive finisher if they are to take the limited chances they'll create although it was a positive to see such a great delivery from a set piece for the goal in their opener. Sweden will always offer some danger with Ibrahimovic up front but England will know he's by far the biggest danger & look to frustrate & negate him at all times. Take the under 2.5 goals that is on offer at 7/10, either side could nick this but the draw seems a big player in the market.

Selections:

France to beat Ukraine at 11/10 (general)

Franck Ribery to score first at 8/1 (general)

England v Sweden to be under 2.5 goals at 7/10 (various)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Thursday 14th June

Euro 2012 continues to be a cracking tournament with quality game after quality game & some of the better players are beginning to perform. Mario Gomez & Alan Dzagoev lead the goalscoring charts with three goals each & it will be interesting to see whether anyone can hunt down Gomez in particular as it looks like he could be playing several more games in the tournament. This Thursday we take a look at Group C games as Croatia look to build on their win over Ireland by taking on the impressive Italians & Spain take on Ireland who were so poor in their first game.

(Di Natale made an impressive goalscoring impact for Italy & will hope to have secured a starting berth)

5:00 pm - Italy vs Croatia

Croatia are a proactive team & showed they could take it to a team trying to defend when showing Ireland their attacking prowess & superiority with a convincing win, Ireland were poor though & Italy will offer up a much sterner test.

Italy were content to be reactive against Spain, allowing them to come on to them before breaking away with Andrea Pirlo regularly looking to play killer balls in behind the defence. One of Pirlo's exquisite passes was how they took the lead with the still quick Antonio Di Natale darting onto it & finishing with aplomb, he may have just got himself a starting spot as he offered a real menace when introduced as a substitute. Italy are also extremely comfortable when in possession & at times held onto the ball well against Spain, they'll certainly look to impose their will on the less technically gifted (than Spain) Croatians here. Marchisio & Motta will look to be more effective at getting at Croatia's key playmaker Luka Modric, than Whelan & Andrews were for Ireland & they are far superior players so will stand a better chance.

Croatia did look dangerous going forward & Mario Mandzukic took his goals very well, albeit against some rubbish Irish defending & goalkeeping, he's a dependable scorer for Wolfsburg but his brace the other day were only his 6th & 7th international goals in 30 appearances. Nikica Jelavic bagged Croatia's other goal against Ireland but rather surprisingly that was only his third goal for Croatia in 20 games, so between them Mandzukic & Jelavic do only have 10 goals in 50 appearances so we should maybe not get too carried away against the best defence in qualifying for the tournament. Vedran Corluka played at centre back for Croatia in the first game & they got away with it thanks to Trapattoni's sentimentality in continuing to play a thoroughly out of form & low in confidence Kevin Doyle but Italy will surely exploit a player as suspect as Corluka. The rest of the defence is very ordinary too with captain Darijo Srna starting at right back even though he more often plays at right midfield, the keeper Pletikos only made one appearance when on loan at Spurs in 2010 & Schildenfeld & Strinic are average at best. In midfield the Croats do have some real quality with Rakitic & Perisic being goal providers & scorers too, the Italian wing backs should pick them up though, with the Italian 3-5-2 looking suited to Croatia's setup.

Andrea Pirlo was excellent against Italy & we can barely believe Boylesports are going a huge 16/1 for him to be Man of the Match here, snap their hands off, sign up to them, get free bets on, do whatever, this is a magnificent price for a brilliant player who is regularly Italy's best - it is no coincidence that Juventus won the double as soon as he signed up last year. Italy look adaptable to any situation & the way they played against Spain shows that they are genuine contenders for this championship & they will be raring to go against Croatia, we see a win for Cesare Prandelli's men at odds of 13/10. Croatia's defensive weakness could cost them dear against Pirlo, Cassano & co.

(Iker Cassilas & his defenders shouldn't face too much pressure from the Irish attack)

7:45 pm - Spain vs Republic of Ireland

Everyone in the universe must by now have heard Spain played without a striker against Italy (+ have had their say about it) but they will surely have a point man against Ireland who looked so limited against Croatia.

We highlighted pre-tournament & before their last game how poor the Irish central midfielders are on the ball & unless Trapattoni switches out Whelan & Andrews they will do well to get over 30% possession here. You'd have thought Ireland would switch to one up front with maybe the big lad Darron Gibson coming in to add some more physicality to the midfield. It won't help too much as Spain will have at least 5 in midfield & they should play their tika-taka football to some effect, playing it in  around Ireland. Trapattoni will have been planning this game out for months & the philosophy will be 'bend don't break' for them, they;ll be happy to let Spain have the ball up to & around 25 yards out where they'll then try to get close & if they win possession Duff & McGeady (or McLean) will be the out ball. However Ireland play it does look tough for them to get anything, Robbie Keane has been playing in the MLS & it's difficult to step back up this higher level & odds of 8/11 for Spain to keep a clean sheet look a very good pick indeed.

Spain didn't always look great defensively against Italy but in Andrea Pirlo they came up against their Kryptonite with his sumptuous passes in behind, Ireland definitely don't have anyone with that ability & Pique & Ramos will be happy to deal with crosses into the box. Spain can be frustrating to watch if you have your money down as they so often don't pull the trigger when the chances arise & that limits appeal about them winning by a big margin. It will be interesting to see what lineup they go with, they certainly should win but we can't find any great value in the odds offered about them & will happily stick with the clean sheet bet. They'll be hoping for better from players such as David Silva & Sergio Busquets as they look to play themselves into the tournament before a key game against Croatia up next.

Selections:
Italy to beat Croatia at 13/10 (various)
Andrea Pirlo to be Man of the Match at 16/1 (Boylesports)
Spain to keep a clean sheet at 8/11 (Totesport)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Wednesday 13th June

Wednesday sees us back in the high quality Group B at Euro 2012 where Denmark look to capitalise on their great start when taking on Portugal & bitter rivals Germany & Holland facing off in the later game. With their first games behind them the bookies may be wising up to which players & teams are to look out for & they'll be shortening the odds accordingly, we're trying to stay one step ahead & are scouring the markets for the best bets available.

(Eeeeeeheeeeeee!! Did I do good Ronaldae!???!! Portugal's dream Bo Selecta! partnership)

5:00 pm - Denmark vs Portugal


Denmark came up with a fantastic result for us against Holland in their opener but did lead rather a charmed life at times with the Dutch failing to make the most of some very presentable chances where the Danish defence parted to let players through at times. Portugal have exactly the type of players in Nani & Ronaldo to expose Denmark's wing backs & we've a feeling this is going to be quite an impressive display from the Iberians.

We were keen on Germany to beat Portugal & they eventually prevailed but the Portuguese central midfield we were so concerned about actually managed to be very disciplined & as good as he is, Christian Eriksen will not be posing the same problems as Mesut Ozil, they'll feel confident in dealing with him. Benfica's emerging youngster Nelson Oliveira came on after 70 minutes for Helder Postiga & offered a step up with some exciting & inventive play but Postiga might just retain his starting spot here.

Denmark did well going forwards against the Dutch defence but Portugal have a pretty good back four, especially Pepe & Bruno Alves at centre back, when Fabio Coentrao bothers sticking at defending rather than flying forwards he isn't bad either! Coentrao should have the pace to deal with Rommedahl & the Dane's crossing wasn't too smart anyway in his first game. If Denmark can get at Portugal it will be with their goalscorer from game one, left winger Michael Krohn-Dehli up against Joao Pereira & Miguel Veloso will need to help out at times.

We've already noted that we like the look of Portugal's wide players who should have the beating of the slower Denmark full backs, Nani is a tempter at 10/1 to score first but Stan James are going a standout 11/2 for the great Ronaldo to score first. His scoring record for Real Madrid is freakily good & although he doesn't bag as many for the national side that looks a little on the big side, again betting on the favourite with Betfred at reduced odds but their double delight/hattrick heaven offer is a potential play as he could easily score more than once. We really do like Portugal & think they can win here without conceding, that offers up odds of 9/4 but maybe a better bet is Portugal on the handicap with -1 goal at odds of 100/30, that looks big for a team with a goalscorer like Ronaldo, who could run riot with a solid defence to back him up.

(It wasn't looking great for Mario Gomez...... then he got his goal. Watch out, Super Mario's powered up!)

7:45 pm - Germany vs Holland

The two sides meeting int the late game, Germany & Holland were two of the outright favourites before the tournament began, although after Denmark's 'shock' win the Dutch have now drifted right out & it's understandable - if they lose here their chances will be looking bleak.

We flagged up a weak defence & undersized defence for Holland before the Denmark match, they look like they'll have first choice centre back Joris Mathijsen back for this one which is a positive but he's only 6 feet tall & Mario Gomez could have a field day against him & Heitinga. Germany looked dangerous when getting the ball out wide right & that will be the key tactic here with the classy Thomas Muller taking on tournament youngster Jetro Willems, who will fill Holland's left back spot, time & time again. Muller's crossing wasn't as good as it should have been but he'll have been hard at work in training & we can see him wreaking havoc with Ozil keeping the defensive midfielders too busy to cover out wide.

Going forwards the Dutch of course look good & they created enough chances against Denmark to have won the game, unfortunately Robin van Persie was all over the place, he might retain his starting spot but it could be in arguably his better role as a number ten to Huntelaar as the point man. If you believe the pundits too much you'd think that the Germans defence is some kind of terribly weak link but in truth Mats Hummels & Holger Badstuber are two of Europe's finest young centre backs, both at the age of 23 & marshaling the defences of their big club teams. If Holland do go attacking they've the quality to cause problems for anyone but they'll have to sacrifice either De Jong or van Bommel & that will risk Mesut Ozil getting way too much of the ball. Germany have their own star holding midfielder in the tireless Sami Khedira & if he plays well that should free up their super attacking threats.

We flagged up in our Euro 2012 group previews our worries about Holland's defence & not much has changed for us. Holland have great attacking flair but when they go forwards they risk being countered against & the defenders aren't the quickest, if they sit back at all balls will get put into their box & they aren't the biggest. A draw wouldn't be the end of the road for the Dutch as they'd still likely have one game against Portugal where they would have to win to progress & that may stop van Marwijk from going too gung ho, if that's the case we reckon the German defence can hold strong. If Holland do go more attacking we feel Germany will exploit their defence & Mario Gomez will be feeling an awful lot more confident after scoring against Portugal, at odds of 6/1 to score first we'll stay with the big man. We've been out to get Holland from the start of the tournament, there are too many good attackers around at the moment for their second rate defence to allow them to progress like they did to the World Cup final & we'll go with Germany to win again here at odds of 6/4. Germany can keep marching on in style & they look like they are the type of side to revel in their favourites status with some really confident types at every position, so they should be - they have some outstanding talent on display.


Selections:
Portugal to beat Denmark with -1 goal a 100/30 (BlueSquare & 888Sport)
Cristiano Ronaldo to score first at 11/2 (Stan James)
Germany to beat Holland at 6/4 (various)
Mario Gomez to score first at 6/1 (various)

Euro 2012 Fixtures - Tues 12th June

Another lovely day of Euro 2012 action coming up in the non-glamour group that is Group A, Russia announced themselves in the tournament on Friday whilst Greece showed some real grit, & a bit of nice play too, to come back against Poland. We're looking forward to these games & aren't going to stick with the obvious as we try to seek out the value as ever. Remember if you aren't already you can follow us on Twitter @LikeBuyingMoney by clicking the follow button at the top of the page & get to join in the betting & Euro 2012 specific conversation!

(Dimitrios Salpingidis added an extra dimension to Greece's attacking play as a substitute against Poland)

5:00 pm - Greece vs Czech Republic

The first fixture of the evening sees Greece face Czech Republic at the Municipal Stadium, Wroclaw with both sides looking to gain their first victory in Euro 2012.

Greece certainly had an eventful game against co-hosts Poland on opening night where they looked at sixes & sevens in defence in the first half resulting in 1-0 deficit at half time but then showed determination to equalise & only a missed penalty stopped them completing a second half comeback. Greece will have to make some changes for this match with Avraam Papadopoulos limping off & centre back partner Sokratis Papastathopoulos harshly sent off plus coach Fernando Santos will want to reward an excellent substitute appearance by Dimitrios Salpingidis with a starting berth.

The Czechs need to bounce back from a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Russia & show the football world they aren't just here to make up the numbers. They really struggled to cope defensively with the guile & skill of the Russians & keeper Petr Cech was exposed time & time again. The Greeks won't pose the same attacking threats as Russia but they will be looking to put in a high number of quality set pieces to test an already brittle/low confidence defence.

Any match involving Greece seems to be a tight low scoring affair but the odds for under 2.5 goals are prohibitive at 4/7, Greece do have both their starting centre backs out plus they need to win this before facing Russia & the Czech's could do with a result to give them a chance going into the final game against the Poles. The Czechs really did look a pretty poor side at the back & even though Greece aren't known for their expansive play we did like Dimitrios Salpingidis when he came on as he had a bit of pace & directness about him, he's on offer at 9/2 to score at anytime with Sportingbet but as short as 9/4 with Coral. We might be going loopy here but the odds of a high scoring game are probably a little bit too big too ignore, have a small bet at 11/1 on Betfair about this going over 4.5 goals, it happened in the Russia v Czech Republic game & we've a feeling this could be an odd match, not great strikeforces but poor or weakened defences for either side could make the difference.

(Alan Dzagoev celebrates his second & the Russian's third against the Czech Republic)

7:45 pm - Poland vs Russia

The second match of the evening should be an entertaining affair between Poland and Russia at the National Stadium, Warsaw. Russia top the group with three points & another victory will be enough to see them qualify for the knock out phase.

Russia looked mightily impressive in their first game & showed what an attacking force they are as a number of players caught the eye. Youngster Alan Dzagoev bagged a brace but Andrei Arshavin was involved in everything Russia produced in the final third & looks to have the bit between his teeth after a difficult 18 months. Striker Alexander Kerzhakov may not have found the net, thanks to some extremely profligate finishing, but his link-up play & positioning was excellent & we would expect him to get one more chance to lead the attack again despite substitute Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring an impressive individual goal.

Poland had a second half to forget against Greece & now have to cope with the suspension to goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny. A positive was the well taken goal by leading talisman Robert Lewandowski but he faded, as did the quality of the Polish side as the game went on. Defensively they are going to have to step it up a level to cope with the Russians & this looks like being a difficult ask for them.

We like the look of the 13/10 on offer for another Russian victory as they look a class above their Polish counterparts. The Russians at times also looked vulnerable at the back against the Czechs & Poland are much better offensively than defensively so a high scoring affair could be on the cards so take advantage of the 23/20 for over 2.5 goals.

Selections:
Over 4.5 goals in the Greece v Czech Republic game at 11/1 (Betfair)
Dimitrios Salpingidis to score at anytime at 9/2 (Sportingbet)

Russia to beat Poland at 13/10 (Bet356/William Hill)
Over 2.5 goals in the Russia/Poland match at 23/20 (BetVictor)