Euro 2012 Betting Guide 2

How are you all doing so far in the betting stakes for the Euros? Personally I predicted a 1-1 draw in the England match, but I don’t bet on England so that doesn’t really help. But due to my accuracy with that, this week I’ve included an Editor’s pick to see if I can bring home some bacon. But first, over to @j_wattsy.

The Outsider

Having vouched for Fernando Torres to score more goals than anyone else in this tournament, I was more than a little frustrated to see Spain line up without a striker against Italy.

One thing that was brought to my attention though, was just how magnificent Andres Iniesta is. Especially with him playing in such a prominent position in Spain’s attack, it looks likely that Iniesta will have his fair share of opportunities in front of goal and he has a good chance to get himself on the score-sheet against an average Ireland side, who may well be given a footballing lesson from the reigning European and World champions.

At 16/5 Iniesta to score anytime with Sportingbet, it’s a bet worth taking.

The Double

You couldn’t fail to be impressed by the quality of football Russia played in their opening 4-1 demolition of the Czech Republic. Without a doubt they are aided by the fact the majority of their team play for the same club and they delivered one of the most impressive performances of the opening group of games.

In contrast, Poland scrambled a 1-1 draw against Greece, thanks to some suspect refereeing and a poor penalty from the Greeks. While the first game of the tournament was exciting, both teams looked very ordinary and seem destined to exit the European Championships at the Group Stage.

Russia are an organised side with bundles of attacking prowess. They should create a vast number of chances and with their classy forwards, can land a critical blow to the co-hosts campaign.

France should have too much quality for Ukraine.

With Group D expected to be extremely competitive, all three of England, France and Sweden will view their respective fixture against Ukraine as a game they need to win.

Karim Benzema and Frank Ribery both carry huge reputations and they simply must produce for France in this competition. Having only scored 15 goals in their 10 qualifying games, in a relatively straightforward group, the pressure really is on these two players to deliver.

Success against Ukraine will leave France in a strong position to progress in to the Quarter Finals.

Russia to beat Poland (11/8 Bet365) and France to beat Ukraine (11/10 Bet365) @ 2.99/1

Editor’s Pick

For part two of our betting guide I thought I’d add a pick of my own to the mix. I’m going a bit wild with this one, but with Spain and Ireland playing on 14 June I’m going to predict a goalfest. Ireland got a strong pasting against Croatia and I feel that Spain might just open the floodgates and all but end Ireland’s chances of qualifying from the group with a bang.

For this reason I’m going for over 4.5 goals which is currently trading at 6.2 on Betfair.