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 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 - 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 - Mon 11th June

The final Group of Euro 2012 gets underway on Monday & there will be plenty of patriotic England fans knocking off of work early to see them take on France in the 5 o'clock kickoff before hosts Ukraine take on Sweden in the late game. We've got both games previewed below in addition to our outright preview of the best bets in Group D too, hopefully we can round off a successful first round of punting with some more winners!

(Benzema is a class act for France & if Jeremy Menez gets on the pitch he'll have a few tricks up his sleeve)

5:00 pm - France vs England

The opening match from Group D comes live from the Donbass Arena, Donetsk as France take on Roy Hodgson's England, the sides also met in the opening game of Euro 2004 when an injury time brace from the great Zinedine Zidane gave France a 2-1 victory. France are the form side in international football currently & come into the tournament unbeaten in their last 21 matches, including 15 wins & they won their three warm up matches scoring nine goals in the process. After the well documented chaos of their two previous major tournaments; there looks to be a completely different atmosphere & spirit created by the French manager & legendary centre back Laurent Blanc.

England now under the guidance of Roy Hodgson have had their build up overshadowed by the ongoing Rio Ferdinand saga & withdrawals through injury of Gary Cahill, Frank Lampard & Gareth Barry plus the notable suspension of Wayne Rooney for the first two group games. Roy's England won both of their friendlies 1-0 against Norway & Belgium & he has focused on a solid defensive unit playing on the counter attack. We wouldn't argue for England to play any other way as they have a distinct lack of quality in midfield, Steven Gerrard has been a fantastic player over his career but it is a damning indictment of English football & its youth development that even now, in his much reduced capacity, that Gerrard is considered an undoubted starter & star player in the side - take a look at how Germany so ruthlessly disposed of the great Michael Ballack.

England should line up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Ashley Young lining up behind Manchester United teammate Danny Welbeck in attack, by all accounts Welbeck has thoroughly outshone rival Andy Carroll in training. On the midfield flanks there will be a choice of two from three with Stuart Downing, Theo Walcott & James Milner in contention & the more defensively minded Downing & Milner could get the nod. In defence Joleon Lescott will partner John Terry at the heart & they will need to form an instant partnership as they'll have their hands full with the powerful & skilful Karim Benzema.

Benzema has had a great season with Real Madrid & found the net 32 times in 52 appearances in all competitions & he has a quality supporting cast in France's wonderfully creative midfield. Franck Ribery is probably the star name there for the French but Samir Nasri will look to find the intricate passes to unlock the English defence & players like Newcastle's Cabaye & Ben Arfa can light up any game. The midfield should be able to create chances for Benzema & as one of the best strikers around if he gets fed enough he will almost score. The French defence have been taking a fair bit of stick in the buildup, with many saying that it's their big weakness but it really isn't as bad as some like to make out with Lloris a very solid keeper & Mexes a classy centre back. For a big lad Adil Rami is pretty comfortable on the ball too & Patrice Evra's season got a lot better once the FA's Suarez investigation was concluded, if they do suffer any injuries there isn't a great deal of cover though & that could harm their chances of success in the tournament as a whole.

It's difficult to tell whether it s a good thing for England to have to face France in this first game, Scott Parker & Steven Gerrard will both have to put in some shifts to try to combat the French attacking midfield & at least they'll be fresh to do that, unfortunately they could end up toasted for the coming games in the group. England are going to rely on individual moments of brilliance & Ashley Young looks most likely to do that if anyone will, as much as we like Danny Welbeck he just didn't put the ball in the net often enough for a player starting at point for Manchester United. France have to be the bet at odds of 6/4, they are amongst the favourites for the tournament, have a real air of confidence about them & it looks unlikely that England without Rooney can exploit the weakest area of the side. We're big Karim Benzema fans here at Like Buying Money & 6/1 for him as first goalscorer looks a good bet, he plays as a lone striker meaning he'll have all of the service & he could make himself a superstar in this tournament. Betfred only offer 11/2 for Benzema to score first but do have an offer where if you back the first scorer & they go on to score again they'll double the odds or treble them if they bag a hattrick - if you are backing a shorter priced player, who is more likely to double up, they look the firm to bet with.

(Will the Ukraine team have recovered from their cheeky little bout of food poisoning?)

7:45 pm - Ukraine vs Sweden

The co-hosts Ukraine face Sweden in their first match at the Olympic Stadium, Kiev with both sides seeing this as an ideal fixture to get three points. The sides are considered as the outsiders for the group so a loss here could spell disaster for their tournament hopes.

Ukraine have had a bout of food poisoning that affected a large majority of the squad last week but the coach Oleg Blokhin believes this has now cleared up & he's focused on finding an unlikely path out of Group D. They lost their last two games against Austria (3-2) & Turkey (2-0) & this is on top of a recent friendly record of two draws & four defeats against sides involved in Euro 2012. Ukraine have one of the older squads at the championships as evidenced by Chelsea flop (but previously immense at AC Milan) Andriy Shevchenko still being a key player in the side at 35. That older squad could mean they struggle to recover from games in quick succession & we really feel this game is make or break for them, we're unconvinced by their quality but at least they'll have their vociferous (& occasionally racist) fans cheering them on.

Sweden are a well organised unit & are more than capable of qualifying from Group D & getting results against more illustrious teams at any stage of Euro 2012. Coach Erik Hamren has adopted an attacking approach built around the outstanding Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ibrahimovic scored 28 goals in 32 league matches for AC Milan & will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing an average Ukrainian defensive unit. Midfielder Kim Kallstrom who made seven assists (record highest with Mesut Ozil & Balazs Dzsudzsak) in qualifying will look to pull the strings for Sweden & along with the outstanding delivery of Seb Larsson will look to provide the service that Ibrahimovic thrives on. Defence isn't so great for Sweden but Ukraine may lack the pace through the middle to exploit old Olof Mellberg, Martin Olsson & Andreas Granqvist will need to be on good form to stop the Ukranian's best attacking threat in wingers Yarmolenko & Gusev.

We basically don't see too much to be positive about for the Ukraine other than home advantage, along with the Czech Republic & maybe Ireland we feel they're one of the weakest sides in the competition. Sweden meanwhile qualified as best runners up in a group including Holland, who they beat 3-2 in the final game & they carry a real attacking plus plenty of discipline when they don't have the ball. At odds of 2/1 to win Sweden look overpriced & underrated meaning they must be backed, they can get off to a great start & put themselves in pole position to qualify from the group. Like Benzema in the previous game Ibrahimovic is a general 6/1 to score first, he's one of Europe's best & is worth a punt, again a bet with Betfred at 11/2 can also offer up a potentially big payout if he bags more than one goal.

Selections:
France to beat England at 6/4 (general)
Karim Benzema to score first at 6/1 (general) or 11/2 at Betfred with their double delight/hattrick heaven offer
Sweden to beat Ukraine at 2/1
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score first at 6/1 (general) or 11/2 at Betfred

Euro 2012 Group D - No Expectations for England equals No Disappointment

Group D is England's & they have a tough draw having to take on France, Sweden & co-hosts Ukraine, it isn't the most glamorous of groups but competition should be fierce for the two qualifying spots & there look to be some value bets on offer for the four teams here.

(Samir Nasri has firmly established himself as a key player for Les Bleus)

France: Outright Winners 11/1 & Group D Winners at 7/4

Despite the well-documented chaos surrounding their last two major tournaments France have made huge progress under Laurent Blanc, & at decent odds of 11/1 for the outright win, even Pep Guardiola could be ‘seduced’. As well as topping their qualifying group, France are unbeaten in 18 matches, conquering the likes of Germany, Poland, USA, Brazil & England along the way. The youthful team are now settled & playing as a unit with a solid foundation at the back, conceding just four goals in 10 qualifying matches (only Italy conceded fewer). Flair & creativity come in the form of Frank Ribery & Samir Nasri, whilst goal machine Karim Benzema will use his physical presence to add to his club tally of 32 goals this season. If France can progress through the group stage they'd have a sporting chance up against whoever comes through Group C (even Spain) & they have every chance of action in the latter stages. Progression through the tournament improves the chances of players getting noticed for the Player of the Tournament award & Samir Nasri is definitely a potential player in the market at 66/1, his trickery & inventiveness in tight situations could be crucial in trappy contests & he is worth a small wager at the odds.

(Ashley Young has been England's best player recently & much hope rests on his shoulders)

England: Outright Winners 14/1 & Group D Winners at 15/8

England came through qualifying on top of their group without losing a game, it was a really weak group though as evidenced by Montenegro finishing 2nd & the team that may have caused them problems in previous years, Bulgaria, are a side in transition, without any quality players & they finished below Wales! Roy Hodgson has a limited group of players to pick from & the squad looked lacking in quality even before a spate of injuries, to pick players such as Stewart Downing, Andy Carroll & Jermain Defoe is embarrassing for a country that invented the game. Injuries have ruled out two central midfielders who could well have started in Barry & Lampard, some will say that is not that much of a loss with Frank Lampard regularly underperforming for his country & Gareth Barry's laughable lack of pace being a liability, however it has meant the incredibly limited Jordan Henderson has been drafted into the squad. England's star attacker Wayne Rooney is out for the first two games meaning he's out against the two toughest teams in the group in France & Sweden, it could prove difficult to find goals in those games with Andy Carroll being less than prolific & Danny 'Fresh Prince' Welbeck still finding his feet with England.

It looked like 3 out of the back 4 were going to be coming from Chelsea which would have meant some continuity from club to country but Gary Cahill is now a major doubt with a broken jaw so someone else will have to partner the ever popular John Terry in the centre of defence. Terry has made plenty of mistakes this season & while he's still excellent when it comes to last ditch defending in crisis situations sometimes a little more composure & class is needed in these tournaments. At least the very good Joe Hart is between the sticks, he's a top goalkeeper although the people who make a case for him maybe being 'the' best are slightly over-egging things as he does have a tendency to palm the ball back to attackers rather than out of play on occasion. The friendly matches against Norway & Belgium have shown that Roy Hodgson has drilled his team well & they have looked relatively solid defensively, Norway are weak though & Belgium suffer badly from having no focal point in attack. That defensive solidity has come at the cost of reduced threat in attack & they have had to rely on isolated moments of inspiration rather than by carving out chances, Danny Wlebeck took his goal against Belgium extremely well & Ashley Young has further established himself as one of the side's most important attackers - he's now either scored or assisted 11 of England's last 20 goals. We just can't muster enthusiasm about England & it seems difficult to envisage a price at which they'd become backable for the tournament, Hodgson probably has the right tactics with this group of players but they'll need plenty to drop right if they are even to get out of the group & 4/7 as a price for that is horrible.

(British pundits' favourite Zlatan 'goal machine' Ibrahimovic is 50/1 to top score at Euro 2012)

Sweden: Outright Winners 66/1 & Group D Winners at 13/2

Although unlikely to win the tournament, Sweden’s chances in group D seem underestimated, especially with the anticipated underachievement of England & Ukraine slipping in as co-hosts. Having qualified behind Holland in their group as the best runners up, Sweden have proven to be a well organised outfit, in particular when going forward. They scored considerably more goals (31) in their 10 qualifying games than France (15 in 10) & England (17 in 8), although their suspect defence could be a cause for concern. Sweden have never lost to England & will demand respect from Roy Hodgson’s men who will be missing arguably their only world class outfield attacking player in Wayne Rooney when they meet in their opener. Another factor worth considering is the order of fixtures in group D, which could see France fielding a ‘suspect’ team if they enter their third group game against Sweden sitting pretty on six points. Some will be tipping England not to qualify at 17-10, but the France-Sweden straight forecast at 12/1 (or reversing that for Sweden-France at 18/1) must surely attract the smart money.

Having already highlighted Sweden’s goal threat, it would be criminal not to mention world class striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic - generously priced at 50-1 to win the Golden Boot. With Johan Elmander recovering from a fractured metatarsal, Ibrahimovic looks set to be the only focal point of the attack & can continue his goal scoring form that has seen him bag 28 goals to become top scorer in Italy this season. Adding further hope to Ibrahimovic's golden boot claim is Kim Kallstrom who boasted the top amount of assists in qualifying & Sebastian Larson who was only one behind.

(AndriyYarmolenko looks like Ukraine's chief goal threat & may only need 1 or 2 to top score for his side)

Ukraine: Outright Winners 50/1 & Group D Winners at 9/2

The Ukraine, currently 50^th in the Fifa rankings (partly from not playing competitive matches), qualified for the tournament as co-hosts. Having skipped the qualifying process, their bleak credentials in this tournament are clear for all to see from their results in recent friendlies, against teams involved in Euro 2012 Ukraine have won none, drawn two & lost four, whilst conceding 15 goals (2.5 per game) & scoring just 5 (0.8 per game) out of 6. Home advantage aside, it really is hard to make a case for Ukraine. Those wishing to back the unlikely co-hosts may be tempted by 22 year old Andriy Yarmolenko with 12 goals in 31 games for Dynamo Kievto be top goal scorer at 125-1, we like the 6/1 with Coral for him to be Ukraine's top scorer, two goals could easily get the outright win & one goal could see him share the odds.

Selections:
Straight forecast France to finish first & Sweden 2nd in Group D - 12/1 (188Bet &William Hill)
Straight forecast Sweden to finish first & France 2nd in Group D - 18/1 (Bet 365)
Andriy Yarmolenko to be Ukraine's top scorer at 6/1 (Coral)
Samir Nasri to be Player of the Tournament at 66/1 (various)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic to be top tournament goalscorer at 50/1 each way 1/4 odds first 4 (various)

India vs England ODI Series

After a hugely successful summer for English cricket, which saw them crowned Number One Test side in the world, they embark on a tough winter schedule, beginning this Friday with the first of five One Day International against India in Hyderabad. England put India to the sword in the recent series in both Test & ODI's but India at home with their fanatical fans are a very different proposition.

India are the current World Champions at the 50-over format & have a formidable home record with only the Australians in 2009 & 2007 defeating them in their last 13 home ODI series. England’s last two tours have seen an aggregate score of 11-1 in favour of India with the 2008/09 series ending 5-0, with two matches abandoned saving them from further embarrassment. These days England are a stronger unit & made of sterner stuff with a number of exciting emerging talents thrown into the mix although with their weakened bowling attack (see further on), including lack of decent spin options excluding the magnificent Graeme Swann, we feel India have the edge in what should be an competitive & close series at the best price of 8/11.

There are a huge range of other markets aside from the outright series win & we have found a few standout betting opportunities in the top Indian batsman & top English bowler markets.

(Virat Kohli can help edge India to victory in their own backyard)

The top four in the betting for top Indian batsman are Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane & Suresh Raina. Both Gambhir & Raina are hugely talented batmen but struggled against England all summer, not seeming to have any answers against the English bowlers, but should do better under these different conditions, however we feel they still aren't viable betting options. Rahane has an average of 31.60 with one 50 in his five International ODI caps & is still finding his feet in international cricket. So the pick has to be Kohli who is still available at a best price of 4/1 despite being shorter at a number of firms. He hit 107 in the last ODI in Cardiff & has continued his fine form in the Champions League playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore with scores of 70 & 84 not out in the semi final.

The England attack is weakened due to the injured Stuart Board & rested James Anderson missing. They have a number of inexperienced bowlers at this level in Steven Finn, Chris Woakes, Scott Borthwick & Stuart Meaker (11 caps between them) fighting it out to support the established three of Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan & Jade Dernbach. Swann is undoubtedly the best spinner in the world currently but the Indians are fantastic players of spin & he is too short at around 2/1 whilst Bresnan will keep things tight economically but won't take a huge amount of wickets on the batsmen friendly pitches. Our selection is Jade Dernbach who has made himself a vital part of the England attack in the last year with his excellent array of slower balls. These variations will be used in the power plays & end of the innings, increasing his chances of a number of cheap wickets whilst the batsmen are looking to take advantage of the fielding restrictions.

It should be a fascinating hard fought series with India taking the honours by the odd victory to gain some revenge for their humbling defeat this English summer.

Selections:
India to beat England in the ODI Series at 8/11 (Victor Chandler)
India to win the series 3-2 at 2/1 (General)
Virat Kohli to be top Indian batsman at 4/1 (Stan James/Skybet/Boylesports)

Jade Dernbach to be top England bowler at 4/1 (Ladbrokes)