U21 European Championship 2011

[ultravires]

[ultravires]

Re: U21 Championship 2011

England squad

Goalkeepers: Frankie Fielding (Blackburn Rovers FC), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough FC), Alex McCarthy (Reading FC). Defenders: Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea FC), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal FC), Phil Jones (Blackburn Rovers FC), Michael Mancienne (Wolverhampton Wanderers FC), Chris Smalling (Manchester United FC), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur FC). Midfielders: Marc Albrighton (Aston Villa FC), Jack Cork (Chelsea FC), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United FC), Jordan Henderson (Sunderland AFC), Henri Lansbury (Arsenal FC), Fabrice Muamba (Bolton Wanderers FC), Jack Rodwell (Everton FC), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Scott Sinclair (Swansea City FC). Forwards: Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa FC), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea FC), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United FC), Connor Wickham (Ipswich Town FC) *James Tompkins has been called up for Micah Richards.

Spain squad

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Club Atlético de Madrid), Rubén Miño (FC Barcelona), Diego Mariño (Villarreal CF). Defenders: Mikel San José (Athletic Club), Álvaro Domínguez (Club Atlético de Madrid), Alberto Botía (Real Sporting de Gijón), Martín Montoya (FC Barcelona) José Ángel Valdés (Real Sporting de Gijón), César Azpilicueta (Olympique de Marseille), Didac Vila Rosello (AC Milan), Víctor Ruiz (SSC Napoli). Midfielders: Ander Herrera (Real Zaragoza), Diego Capel (Sevilla FC), Daniel Parejo (Getafe CF), Emilio Nsue (RCD Mallorca), Thiago Alcántara (FC Barcelona), Rubén Pérez (RC Deportivo La Coruña), Javi Martínez (Athletic Club). Forwards: Bojan Krkić (FC Barcelona), Adrián López (RC Deportivo La Coruña), Juan Mata (Valencia CF), Iker Muniain (Athletic Club), Jeffrén (FC Barcelona).

[ultravires]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 Not to be ignorant but it seems to me that the Danish squad hinges on Christian Eriksen. Bendtner, Sorenson and Kjaer all removed for one reason or another. I've read that Ukraine are quite fancied but I don't know anything about them - perhaps Mahno or someone else can fill us in. That Spain squad looks way too naughty for this competition. They have overall great experience with many players experiencing first-team football. Leading lights of the team include: De Gea, Thiago, Diego Capel, Bojan, Mata, Jeffren. Great overall squad strength and they clearly possess the top 3 or 4 players in the tournament. They are in the tougher group that contains England, Ukraine and Czech Republic. I haven't watched them play as a side but the roster speaks for itself. It is several degrees above the next strongest side in the tournament - England? I can actually imagine England struggling a little bit with Ukraine being quite highly rated, though I know nothing of them. They've still got to go out and win it but that Spain squad is ridiculous and I'm backing them for the tournament. 3.5 is available at a couple of bookies, but the closest I can get is 3.2 at Betfair - max stakes. Spain to win the tournament - 3.2 - 10 points - Betfair.

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 This is the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, which is in Denmark between 11th and 25th June 2011. http://www.uefa.com/under21/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_UEFA_European_Under-21_Football_Championship The 8 qualified teams are in two groups of 4, the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. Group A Denmark (hosts) Switzerland Iceland Belarus Group B England Ukraine Spain Czech Republic It would be a big surprise if Spain didn't qualify from their group, and they could be good value to win the tournament. The hosts Denmark could also do well.

[AJSmith27]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 I'm a very big admirer of the Spanish side at all levels and the OP is quite right to suggest that the side they are taking to this tournament is full of talent. However,at the prices, I'm on England. A lot of England's better players come to this tournament on the back of the best season of their lives - Walker, Sturridge and Sinclair for sure, whilst many others in the squad have shown plenty of promise in what could be described as their 'breakthrough' season - Albrighton, Henderson, Jones and Smalling in particular, whilst Lansbury has shown a lot of quality, albeit at a lower level. The worry for me is the 'keeper, and possibly the left back, but other than that I feel a very strong and balanced side. On the flip side, a lot of the better players in the Spain side aren't getting regular football. Of the Barca boys; Thiago is a great prospect, but hasn't been exposed to much first team football, Bojan only managed 7 goals all season and Jeffren was rarely seen after his goal in the Clasico. Martinez and Mata are quality players and will be the first on the team sheet, but who joins them in midfield? Parejo should do, he's had a good season and probably Capel, but his opportunities at Sevilla have often been restricted by Perotti and Navas. Of those, Martinez is the most defensively minded and I'd still describe him more as a box-to-box midfielder than a holding one, so they could be exposed at times. The defence looks strong all over, but my worry is where the goals will come from. Granted, I've heard good things about Iceland, who were the top scorers in qualification, and the Czechs who were unbeaten in their campaign, but I think this one will come down to the 2 market leaders. I think Spain may look more attractive on paper, but I feel the stronger goal threat comes from England. At the prices, I'll be going for them.

[sonofwat]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 Muniain really unlucky not to get a mention there. IMO will go on to be the best player of this U21 Spanish side. At only 18 yrs of age he's forced his way into the Bilbao side, starting almost every game in the season and becoming one of their most relied upon creative threats. Some of his skill and runs with the ball at times remind me of Messi. Not sure we will see the best of him in this tournament as he will be tired from a long season. Bit surprised that Bartra from Barca doesn't get called up here. Been a excellent performer in the Barca II team that finished third in Segunda, and a number of occasions due to rotation or injury has been called up to the senior Barca side and really impressed.

[Spooner]

Re: U21 Championship 2011

Saturday 11 June 2011	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
	Belarus U21 v Iceland U21 (17:00 BST)	3.35	3.35	2.2	105.16 %
	Denmark U21 v Switzerland U21 (19:45 BST)	2.25	3.35	3.2	105.55 %
	Sunday 12 June 2011	Home	Draw	Away	BPP
	Czech Republic U21 v Ukraine U21 (17:00 BST)	2.37	3.35	2.95	105.85 %
	Spain U21 v England U21 (19:45 BST)	2.2	3.3	3.4	105.17 %

[Mozzi]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 I'm pretty surprised that everyone is going with Spain U21 here, to be honest. They've got a fantastic midfield but who is going to score their goals? Lightweight Bojan? Tempremental Adrian? Midfield doesn't necessarily win games and Spain proved that by being easily dumped out of the last European Championship in Sweden. Spain's defence isn't particularly strong, either - they'll need San Jose at his best to organise this lot. I fancied England pre-tournament but no Wilshere, Carroll, and Richards concerns me. I'm terrified Pearce will play error-prone Mancienne somewhere in their side and will concede goals as a result. Good midfield, good options in attack but will concede goals and no proper target man, in my view - that can cause problems. I actually fancy Iceland to win this one. Really, really strong goalscoring side, the most potent in the tournament in my eyes. Lots of firepower; enough to compensate for the goals that they'll concede, even with Jonsson at the back. Good luck guys.

[Petersson1984]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 Denmark got a pretty decent team this year. Goalkeepers. Jonas Lössl, FC Midtjylland. Mikkel Andersen, Reading FC. Nicklas Wier Højlund, Lyngby BK. Defenders. Anders Degn Randrup, Brøndby IF. Andreas Bjelland, FC Nordsjælland. (Wanted by Club Brugge & Panatanhiakos) Daniel Wass, Brøndby IF. (Benfica after the U21 EC) Jesper Juelsgård Kristensen, FC Midtjylland. Lasse Nielsen, AaB. Mads Fenger Nielsen, Randers FC. Mathias Jørgensen, FC København. (Wanted by Roma, Atalanta & Bordeaux) Nicolai Boilesen, AFC Ajax. Midtfielders. Christian D. Eriksen, AFC Ajax. Kasper Povlsen, AGF. Mads Winther Albæk, FC Midtjylland. Matti Lund Nielsen, FC Nordsjælland. Mike Jensen, Brøndby IF. Thomas Delaney, FC København. Attack. Bashkim Kadrii, OB. (Wanted by Dortmund) Henrik Dalsgaard, AaB. Nicki Bille Nielsen, Villarreal CF. Nicolai Jørgensen, Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Nicolaj Agger, Brøndby IF. (Cusin to Daniel Agger from Liverpool) Søren Frederiksen, Sønderjyske They played the Turkish U23 tonight and won 4-0. The Danish media, do not expect the team to win the tournament but a place in the semi-finals is a must. :hope

[sonofwat]

Re: U21 Championship 2011 IMO Denmark a must play in the outright markets at odds around 8/1. Fourth favourite with the bookies, but with the 3 favoured teams (Spain, England & Czech Republic) in the other group should be able to progress to the final stages. Traditionally in this competition the host team reach the final stages and although not overwhelmingly convincing, 2/3 of the last 3 tournaments have seen the host reach the final stages - 09' Sweden SF (went out on penalties), 07' Netherlands champions. I'm not basing this bet on the above alone, as I agree with the above poster that Denmark have picked a good side, even if they will rely alot on the individual talent of Eriksen. The downside to this bet is that if Denmark do get to the semi final and face either Spain or England, their record in recent matches against both sides is not the best. Feb 8th 2011 - Friendly - Spain v Denmark - 2 - 1 Mar 24th 2011 - Friendly - Denmark v England - 0 - 4 Still think it is worth a bet with an idea to hedge/trade as the tournament progresses - hopefully along with Denmark.:hope

[Wanderer89]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Group A looks like the weaker group of the two. Denmark the hosts looks like a nice value outright bet. The only thing stopping me doing this is that they will face very good teams if they did progress. Iceland could be the ones to look out for though. They been scoring so freely and in a group were there is no real strong favourite i like the look of these here with a qualifying bet. Iceland to Qualify Group A 10/11 Coral Group B is a very tough group. England i feel will struggle with Spain who i feel will win the Group Comfortbly with the Czechs, who have been amazing scoring so many goals whilst keeping shut at the back, pushing England for a place in the semis. England missing players so two bets have tempted me here with the Czechs being another sneaky outright bet to look out for. Spain to top group B 2.5 StanJames Czech to beat England 2/1 Coral

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 Championship 2011

IMO Denmark a must play in the outright markets at odds around 8/1

Currently 10.0 (9/1) on Betfair. As they seem very likely to qualify from their group, these odds do seem very good, because they will come down to 5.0 - 6.0 if they do qualify. Denmark can also be backed at 2/5 to qualify from their group, which I think is very good value.

[soundingstylish]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Top Goalscorer - Nicki Bille Nielsen E/W @ 11/1 - William Hill 2pts Although I missed the 14s I still feel this is excellent value. The 6ft Villarreal striker has netted 15 times in 21 apps for the U21's since 2007 and scored five goals in four appearances during the Toulon tournament (2010) becoming the top scorer and helping Denmark finish runners-up. In the recent friendly against Turkey U23 on the 6th of June Nicki grabbed himself a brace and also netted twice vs the Ukraine U23 side in March. This Denmark side has a couple of players from the side that impressed in the Toulon tournament in 2010 and I think they can surprise a few people here. Even if they don't win their semi-final (if they should progress from their group) then there's a possible third place play-off in which he can net a couple in I believe but could be wrong. Do Spain have a goalscorer? I don't think so myself. Bojan isn't that type of player so Nielsen has a great shout. Each way covers the T3 places with Hills :ok

[Danny Ocean]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Hey im new can i have some tips on this competition i will like to win some money on this for the summer on the following markets. Outright winner Group A winner Group B winner Top Goalscorer

[Petersson1984]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

Hey im new can i have some tips on this competition i will like to win some money on this for the summer on the following markets. Outright winner Group A winner Group B winner Top Goalscorer

Are you serious? No one, can provide you whit tips, that you for sure would win on. Follow the forum and make your own judgement based on what people write in here. :cheers

[cashnotakite]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 the Czech's have some great form going into this,solid qualification campaign and 13/2 poke. Could do a lot worse then this I think.

[MBOR]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Spain are too much overrated according to me.We can have England at 3.50 to beat Spain on Sunday.England may often have problems with their senior team but they always have young talents.Some players in the under 21s team have decent experience in the Premier league.As someone mentioned above these young players had a good season and some of them are about to join bigger team like Henderson and Wickham so it can be additional boost.Spain have strong midfield but this young players from different teams can't perform like Barca for sure while the scoring talent in the English team can do some good job..It is true that Spain senior team are the best in the world at the moment and Barcelona are the best club but here we have another story.Messi is over 21 and something more - he is not Spanish :tongue2 So I see crazy value in England 3.50 with bet365 :hope

[AHughes]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Belarus v Iceland: Iceland seem a really good price here, although they do not posses a proven goalscorer in their side. They have possibly one of the best players at the tournament in a pinnacle role in their side. Gylfi Sigurdsson proved how good of a player he was when Iceland played England in a friendly not so long back. Iceland also have highly rated Coventry centre midfielder Aaron Gunnarsson in their side who will provide a thorn into Belarus' chances. In my eyes, Belarus just dont seem to have any quality or stand out players therefore am going to go for an Iceland win and a little on Gylfi Sigurdsson Iceland - 13/10 William Hill Gylfi Sigurdsson first scorer - 8/1 Bet365.

[jofusie]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Belarus v Iceland: Selection over 2.5 goals @2.05 Bet365 Excellent price here considering 14 out of Iceland's last 15 have been over.Their style of play gives opposition teams chances and I expect there to be at least 3 goals in the game

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

Spain are too much overrated according to me.We can have England at 3.50 to beat Spain on Sunday.England may often have problems with their senior team but they always have young talents.Some players in the under 21s team have decent experience in the Premier league.As someone mentioned above these young players had a good season and some of them are about to join bigger team like Henderson and Wickham so it can be additional boost.Spain have strong midfield but this young players from different teams can't perform like Barca for sure while the scoring talent in the English team can do some good job..It is true that Spain senior team are the best in the world at the moment and Barcelona are the best club but here we have another story.Messi is over 21 and something more - he is not Spanish :tongue2 So I see crazy value in England 3.50 with bet365 :hope

Spain are a much better team than England though.

[brimmy]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Iceland v Belarus I think Iceland will see Denmark as their main opponent in this group and with the Iceland v Denmark game being the 3rd game of the group stages Iceland will push to get points on the board before that game. As jofusie has said, their style may leave them open at the back, but they do have some outstanding players in the squad. I saw Sigurdsson several times while he was at reading and thought he was top class. Good odds for Iceland in my opinion. Selection: Iceland 2.15 @ bwin

[HastGill1]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

Spain are a much better team than England though.

Good analysis :eyes..Think there is value in England, 3.8 is too high a price, the bookies wet themselves whenever they see Spain on a ticket currently because of the success of the senior team but if you look at the England side it's reasonably strong. The defence looks solid (bar Mancienne possibly) I imagine Jones and especially Smalling would walk into any other side in the competition, haven't seen much of Fielding to form an opinion. Spain have a stronger midfield but in Sturridge England have one of the form strikers in the Premiership, would be good to see the impressive Sinclair given a chance too..few question marks over the system and personnel England will play, we don't even know who the captain is yet as far as I know! Spain are rightly favourites but I would have England at 3.2ish rather than the 3.8 they are available at.

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Spain youth teams are of a similar standard to the Spanish senior squad - they keep the ball so well and deny other teams possession. That's what makes them very hard to beat. England are strong and fast - but Spain are justifiable favourites in my view, in fact I think at 6/5 there may be some value in backing Spain

[Captain Quark]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 England do have some good individuals but so do Spain. More important for me Spain have a more settled team and they know how they play the game. England never seem to have a definite line up or pattern of play, especially under Stuart Pearce who is a poor coach in my view. Of course it's the first game of a tournament, not the most important, teams can need time to settle in and if there's going to be surprises this may be the time for them. Remember Switzerland last year? That's why I won't be betting too heavily on Spain in this one. For me the best bet is on Bojan to score. Spain will dominate posession, not just because they're Spain, most teams do against England :\ - so they should create chances. Bojan may not have exploded as some would have hoped a couple of years ago, in fact he looks like leaving Barcelona, he is still a high quality player in my opinion. He had a decent end to the season, always seeming to be among the goals when brought on or when Barca fielded weakened teams in La Liga. Although the centre of defence is strong for England with the future of Manchester United Smalling and Jones, they have been weakened at fullback and Fielding seems to be the latest in a string of fairly average keepers (before and after Hart). Bojan first goalscorer 9/2 Bojan last goalscorer 9/2 Bojan anytime 11/8

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

Iceland v Belarus I think Iceland will see Denmark as their main opponent in this group and with the Iceland v Denmark game being the 3rd game of the group stages Iceland will push to get points on the board before that game. As jofusie has said, their style may leave them open at the back, but they do have some outstanding players in the squad. I saw Sigurdsson several times while he was at reading and thought he was top class. Good odds for Iceland in my opinion. Selection: Iceland 2.15 @ bwin

FT: Belarus U21 2 Iceland U21 0 Iceland were the better side for most of a poor game, but failed to convert any of their few chances, and Belarus took the lead from a penalty in the 75th minute. After that, the game really opened up and Belarus had a string of chances on the break, scoring from one in the 87th minute to make it 2-0.

[brimmy]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

FT: Belarus U21 2 Iceland U21 0 Iceland were the better side for most of a poor game, but failed to convert any of their few chances, and Belarus took the lead from a penalty in the 75th minute. After that, the game really opened up and Belarus had a string of chances on the break, scoring from one in the 87th minute to make it 2-0.

Hmm, well that's 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back. I thought Belarus really came into their own after the penalty, whether that was because they had more confidence or purely because Iceland were down to 10 they were definitely much improved. Having said that I'm not sure they deserved 2-0, they were poor for the most part of the match and were kept in the game by two great saves from the goalkeeper. Disappointed by both teams.

[wag]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Would we get better odds on spain closer to kick off? With the senior team, I think the odds tend to be artificial low purely because its England and a lot of people back them just because they support them.

[BIG X]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 England U21 v Spain U21 over 2.5 Goals @ 2.05 Bet365 I think we have a decent amount of attacking ability on display and I'm expecting goals in this. I think this is a fair price so will play with medium stakes. Spain have scored in their last 6 games and have gone over 3 out of these 6. Spain only keeping 2 clean sheets in these 6 games. England have scored in 5 out of their last 6 and have also gone over 3 out 6. England have kept 3 clean sheets in these 6 games. I'm also hoping this game will ignite the tournament as IMO it has been a pretty drab affair up until now. GL 2 ALL

[wag]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011

Would we get better odds on spain closer to kick off? With the senior team, I think the odds tend to be artificial low purely because its England and a lot of people back them just because they support them.

Ok its gone completely the other way. I took Spain at 2.14 last night and now they are 2.02.

[MPLouis]

Re: U21 European Championship 2011 Czech Republic U21 2 Ukraine U21 1 I saw most of this game, and was very impressed by the Czech Republic. It thought the scoreline flattered Ukraine, who were good, but not in the same class as the Czechs, who were strong and inventive in attack and calm and disciplined in defence. Could certainly see the Czechs getting to the final on this display.