Euro 2008 picks

blackcrow

Pretty much a regular
Day 1:

Switzerland - Czech under 1.5

Switzerland have not conceded a goal in competitive matches since 16 November 2005, when they lost a World Cup qualifier against Turkey 4-2. They have not won any of their previous six matches at the European Championship.
The Czech Republic, along with France and Netherlands conceded the fewest goals (five) in qualifying for Euro 2008. They are missing quite a few players from their team that lost in the final to Greece four years ago.

Should be a pretty tight game to kick the tournament off

Portugal -1.5

Portugal have won 5 of the last 6 games between each other , winning all four competitive fixtures between the two countries. This will be their third meeting at a European Championship - Portugal won a group phase match 1-0 in 1996 and a quarter-final match 2-0 in 2000. <!-- S ILIN -->
Portugal are unbeaten in their last 11 competitive matches since losing 2-1 to Poland in October 2006. They have a fully fit squad and have probably the best player in the world right now (Ronaldo) to lead them
 
Day 1:

Switzerland - Czech under 1.5

Switzerland have not conceded a goal in competitive matches since 16 November 2005, when they lost a World Cup qualifier against Turkey 4-2. They have not won any of their previous six matches at the European Championship.
The Czech Republic, along with France and Netherlands conceded the fewest goals (five) in qualifying for Euro 2008. They are missing quite a few players from their team that lost in the final to Greece four years ago.

Should be a pretty tight game to kick the tournament off

Portugal -1.5

Portugal have won 5 of the last 6 games between each other , winning all four competitive fixtures between the two countries. This will be their third meeting at a European Championship - Portugal won a group phase match 1-0 in 1996 and a quarter-final match 2-0 in 2000. <!-- S ILIN -->
Portugal are unbeaten in their last 11 competitive matches since losing 2-1 to Poland in October 2006. They have a fully fit squad and have probably the best player in the world right now (Ronaldo) to lead them

Ronaldo is not fully fit

Scolari was not their coach in 1996 nor 2000 so you cannot look into that sort of stat.

Unbeaten in their last 11 competitive matches but look who they've played...Finland, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan

I think you are looking way too deep on statistics, Portugal have looked like absolute crap in their qualifying matches and were very very close to losing a couple of them.
 
Quinella: Spain and Croatia
Spain and Croatia are on opposite sides of the draw and should both be able to progress through their group games. Spain are quite strong down the middle and have a very good midfield and attack while Croatia are pretty consistent in defence and have a very good midfield. Both teams have shown in their qualifiers that they have the players to win their games and go all the way into the finals.
 
Thanks lads :cheers:

Day 2

Croatia -1 (EH)
Austria and Croatia have met on three previous occasions, each of them friendlies, and Croatia have won all three matches, most recently on 23 May 2006 when they won 4-1 in Vienna. While Croatia are missing Eduardo up front who scored the goals to get them here, they do have a very good midfield who will create chances against the Austrians. Their is a big gulf in class between the two teams which should see Modric and Kranjcar exploit this in midfield.

Germany - Poland under 2.5
Their is no love lost between these two neighbours and should be a close affair. While Germany are obvious favourites especially with their very good record agaisnt the Poles, the Poles did top the qualifying group ahead of Portugal and should not be underestimated. The last time these two teams met was in the World Cup in 2006 where it took a 91st-minute goal from substitute Oliver Neuville to seal a 1-0 victory.

With the rivalry between the two sides, look to Poland to take it to them but still ensuring they are tight at the back as the Germans do have a good strikeforce in KLose and Podolski. There is alot of expectations that this will be an easy German win but I wouldn't be surprised if this ends in a draw so the under is a safer bet
 
excellent start sir,

BOL on your 2 for tomorrow, I will be on both.... but will probably take croatia at -0.5 instead of -1....but im lovin them as well. GL!
 
I think I really like that total call.

I sort of feel a 1-0 or 2-0 Germany win tomorrow.

Good luck, Black.
 
even money is available pretty much everywhere on that total too......

shit i even laid the -175 on the under 2.5 today (and saw it actually hit -200 today), while black was smart enough to take it at + money under 1.5...but im sure he was shitting his pants during all those chances lol.

lets keep it goin tomorrow fellas, looks like everyone had a profitable day.

i also dont see poland scoring either.... since im pretty sure theyll be sitting back and playing something like a 4-5-1.... can you confirm this joe?
cant see them playing anything else tomorrow.

what a win for my DC united as well. scoring an extra time goal in the 93rd minute NINE on TEN and squeaking out a 2-1 victory without gallardo in chicago, where we NEVER win.
if you all catch the first goal look at the nasty move by emilio to set up moreno's goal. he splits THREE defenders
 
since im pretty sure theyll be sitting back and playing something like a 4-5-1.... can you confirm this joe?

I cannot confirm this. Toronto Mike would likely be a better source on something like that.

I'm a neophyte when it comes to European football. I know some things, but really just enough to be a danger to myself.

=)
 
4-5-1 is definitely the formation the Poles use and let me tell you, it's one tough tough tough formation to break when you have discipline. That is exactly what the Poles have and this is the sort of team very similar to Greece of 2004.

Any team can play a 4-5-1 but it really depends on the coach and the lone striker. The job for Ebi Smolarek is just hold and hold till the midfield can move up. But i think the problem with Poland is that they have a hard time playing against a team that has pace. I think you will see Germany just attack at will and play with speed. This is where Podolski becomes a crucial factor for Germany, he maybe small but is very mobile as oppose to the taller Polish defenders. Klose will cause a lot of havoc and i think Low should definitely go for Gomes partnered up to use his explosiveness.

The Germans defensively are very well prepared. Philip Lahm is a freaking legend but he is still in his prime! Jansen is going to be interesting, he's had a fantastic year so the pressure is on.

Germany should take it but I'm some how going to go for the over on this one.
 
DAY 3

France - Romania over 2.5
Quite interested in the new breed of players the French have coming up through the ranks like Benzemm and Nasri. They have some good creative players who can score goals and realise out of all these games, this is the one they definately have to win. However there are some concerns at the back as Thuram is not the same player he once was while Gallas can be unstable and even reckless at times.
Romania come into this game with nothing to lose as not much is expected of them. They play a fluid game and should be able to pressure the French quite often, especially Mutu up front, who should be able to cause them plenty of problems. While Contra and Chivu are quite solid in defence, the French have some good players to really stretch them and create some chances
I believe both teams have the ability to score on each other and should do so, setting it up for which team wants to get the winning goal.

Italy
Italy are the world champions and will be looking to start this tournament on the right foot. They have plenty of class all over the place and with Toni up front in great form, they have the finisher they need to complement their creative midfielders.
As for the Dutch, they have not beaten the Italians in the last 30 years and with a mounting injury toll, and what previously was a fairly even game, has now gone well over in favour of the Italians with the absence of van Persie and Robben. There are concerns that their backline is vulnerable and may struggle to withstand the Italian scheming around the box.
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DAY 3

France - Romania over 2.5
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Italy
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Nowhere near getting it right
 
DAY 4

Spain -1 (EH)
Very impressed with quality and depth of the Spaniards and believe they will go far in this tournament. With Torres up front having a great season at Liverpool they have a proven goalscorer, and if Aragones decides to play Villa alongside him, i doubt the Russians will be able to contain both of them. Midfield is full of talent, and if Fabregas may miss out, then that tells you how good the others are.

As for Russia, while they have a very good coach in Huddink, the loss of Arshavin for this game is massive. They were fortunate to qualify as their home ground came them a distinct advantage but they were average travellers on the road, and will struggle to match it up Spain. Spain should win this by easily by at least a couple of goals.

Greece - Sweden draw
Both teams are very similar in several ways, and as such, there is not much between them. They both play a physical brand of football and don't really have any outstanding players in their teams. They are both reasonably solid at the back, and like to play a counterattacking game, and when each team doesn't have that kind of penetration in the midfield, then you will see much of the game bogged down in the middle part of the field. Can't separate the teams and i expect at the end to show that with a draw here
 
DAY 5

Portugal -1 (EH)
Both teams started their Euro campaign with victories and while Portugal were more impressive of the two teams, both teams could consider themselves fortunate to get the 3 points. Portugal have plenty of attacking flair and seeing how the Czechs had some defensive lapses against the Swiss, who didn't capitalise on the opportunities, then the Portugese will relish the same chances again.
As for the Czechs they struggled to open up the Swiss defence and they were lucky to snatch a goal and the game. Can't see them prising open a Portuguese defence that were very good in the first game, so Portugal should be able to score at least a couple of goals here

Switzerland - Turkey over 3.5
Both teams are desperate for a win and should be an open game, as the winner is gone from the tournament. The Swiss were unlucky not to have scored against the Czechs and if they play the same, they should be able to score on the Turkish defence, which has never been renowned as being very good and if there two central defenders are out, then they could be in all sorts of trouble. As for Turkey, they showed glimpses of their attacking flair against the Portuguese and the Swiss defence will have to work harder than they did against the Czechs. Players like Senderos don't instill alot of confidence so look to the Turks to expose some of their frailities at the back. Both teams should score and as both teams need to win, there should be some goals in it.
 
I got the over for this match but took over 2 at almost even money, and also took over 4 yellow cards. GL
 
Croatia
Germany are huge favourites for this game whn you look at both teams performances in their first games. While Germany played well to dispose of Poland, Croatia struggled to beat Austria. However, the Germans may come into this game with overconfidence becaue of the expectation of victory while Croatia are a team that always plays well against the better team, and not so well as favourites. They will enjoy being typecast as the underdog and should improve quite a bit on their previous game. A number of their players play in the Bundesliga and will be familiar with the Germans. They have the players to defend well, and with Modric, Krnajcar and if he plays, Rakitic, the players in midfield to dominate this game. There is yet to be an upset in this tournament and the Croats are overpriced for one.

Poland -1 (EH)
Poland were not at their best but are expected to improve significantly from their loss to Germany in the first game in this do-or-die game with the Austrians. Smolarek should be able to cause plenty of problems for the Austrian defence who realy weren't tested by the Croatians, but are very ordinary at the back, while up front, they shouldn't cause too much problems for the Polish defence. Poland have scored 3 goals in 3 of their last 4 games between the two sides, and in the World Cup qualifiers in 2006, they beat them both times, 3-1 and 3-2. Poland should have too much class for them, as Austria played well against Croatia but don't have the talent to play two good games in a row with such opposition
 
Good luck with the bets, especially the first one. I do think Germany wins, a routine kind of win, without much hassle, for some reason I see a similar game as we played against Brazil in 2006., solid performance but still a 0:1 loss.

Anyways, I hope you cash.
 
DAY 7

Italy -1.5
Looking for Italy to bounce back after their defeat to Holland in the first game. It is a must win game for them and they know they need to improve quite a bit to win this. They are expected to make a few changes, at the back and up front, and hopfeully there will be more stell in the defence while if Del Piero plays as expected, then lokk foe him to give them the spark to lead them to victory. Withe Croatia beating Germany yesterday, they know they can't afford to be complacent and a loss here is the end of them.
The Romanians were considered a dark horse at the start of the tournament and they played quite well in drawing to France, who must be said, offered little in attack. The Romanians will look to suppress the Italians like they did the French, but will face a much tougher and more committed opponent, who must be said, played better than the 3-0 defeat suggested.
Italy should come out and really give it the Romanians.

Holland -1
Holland were very impressive in beating Italy in the first game and should continue on form here with that form while the French offered little in their game with the Romanians. Domenech continues with his very conservative play, looking to avoid defeat rather than trying to win his games. With this mentality, he will invite the potent Dutch attack to come at them in waves and this could potentially be another good victory for the Dutch. The French look disheartened and uncomitted, and many don't seem to want to be there. The Dutch on the pther hand, will take alot of confidence from their performance against the Iyalians into this and should record another victory here.
 
DAY 9

Portugal - Switzerland over 2.5
While Portugal will rest some players they have still some players who can create and score goals. You would expect this game to be at a more casual tempo give that Switzerland also have nothing to play for. They have been unlucky that they haven't score more goals and receeived more points so look to them to go out with a bang in front of their home crowd. This should be an open and entertaining game.

Turkey - Czech Republic over 2.5
Winner take all here as both teams need to win to progress through to the quarter finals. Both teams have shown that they have defensive deficiencies while they have the ability to score.
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DAY 11

Holland - Romania under 2.5 (and also under 1.5)

The first priority for the Romanians is not to lose this game because of they do, and the Itlaians and French draw then we have a three way tie and possibly they will get knocked out. So they will look to ensure they don't concede and their defence has been excellent in their first two games. What should help them here is the absence of several Dutch players who will be rested. These two teams played in the qualifiers for this tournamnet and they ended a 0-0 draw and 1-0 win to Romania. While the Romanians are nothing flash up front they do have the ability to score, so look for them to push for a goal in the last 15 minutes to ensure qualification to the next round, or if they do score early, they will sit on the lead and defend for the rest of the game, while the Dutch will have no reason to over exert themselves

Italy - France over 2.5 (and also over 3.5)
Both teams know that they must win this game as one of them will deinately be knocked out of the tournament while the other may go on, depending on the other game being played. What should happen is that this becomes a very open and attack oriented game. Irrespective which side scores , the other team will og out to equalise thus creating more holes in the defence and more scoring chances. Even if the other team equalises they will continue to attack as they need to get the win. Both teams have players who have underpformed in this torunament but have the class to make somethign happen, so look for both sets of team to lift and make this into a goal scoring feast
 
DAY 11

Holland - Romania under 2.5 :36_1_36: (and also under 1.5)
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Italy - France over 2.5
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(and also over 3.5)
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DAY 12

Spain -1.5
This is a meaningless game as both teams having nothing left to play for, as Spain finish top of thier group while Greece are out of the tournament. Spain will be missing quite a few of their regular players as they will be rested while Greece will be without several players due to injuries and some of their fringe and younge players will get a run in this game.

But when you see the quality that comes into the Spanish side it is hard not to see an easy victory here. Fabregas and Alonso are the likely pairing in the midfield and while Villa and Torres are expected to be rested, in their place comes Guiza, who topped the Primera Liga scoring charts with 27 goals last season, will lead the attack alongside Sergio Garcia. For Greece, defenders Seitaridis and Torosidis are out, striker Gekas has a fractured cheekbone and midfielder Karagounis is doubtful.

Seeing both Croatia and Holland rest their players and their second string side come out and win their meaningless games, as the bench want to show that they are good enough for a spot in the subsequent matches. These Spanish players will have more incentive to play well and win this game as well as have the obvious class difference to do so

Sweden
Sweden need a draw to qualify while Russia need a win here. Sweden gave Spain quite a big scare before going down late to them while Russia had their problems with the Spaniards. The Swedes are a direct team and look to get the ball quickly up the park to Ibrahimovic before the Russians get numbers back to smother his attacking abilities. He is the class player on the pitch and in these types of games, he is a player that rises to the occasion. Also the Swedes have the experience that the Russians lack, so look to them to use this to their advantage.
 
Portugal win and -1.5
Portugal had rested most of their team in their loss to Switzerland while Germany had to use their players to scrape a win over Austria 1-0 to go through as Group B runners-up behind Croatia. In doing so, Germany are now counting the cost of those Monday night exertions, with top scorer Lukas Podolski, who has a calf injury, and Torsten Frings, who has broken a rib, fighting to be fit in time for the match.

The Germans have been disappointing after their win over Poland in the first game and without the service of their manager from the sidelines, they will be pressed to beat a Portugal side that has displayed some quality football, and as Croatia showed, Germnay can be broken down quite easily with some patience and insightful passing. Portugal to do this relatively easy as their backs should contain Klose and Gomez while Germany's midfield will be overrun by Ronaldo, Deco and Simao.
 
well get em tomorrow crow, dont sweat it man

likin croatia -0.5?

only thing that bugs me is i know EVERYONE is and will be on them. but the line has move accordingly.
 
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