BetVictor Euro 2012 Preview

[Sir Puntalot]

Here's the preview of Euro 2012 from BetVictor :ok Euro 2012 Group A Poland; 66/1 for tournament, 11/4 to win Group and 5/6 to qualify Arsenal’s Wojciech Szcesny kept Ronaldo and Nani at bay in the co-hosts 0-0 draw at the end of February in the first game played at the new National Stadium in Warsaw. Poland have only competed in one previous barren European Championship and will be looking to break their duck when they entertain Greece in Warsaw on June 8th. Poland coach Franciszek Smuda was the first coach to name his provisional squad for Euro 2012 a 26-man party which features a trio from dual-Bundesliga Champions and double winners Borussia Dortmund in Lukascz Piszcek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Robert Lewandowski. The latter pair scored all four goals in their recent 4-0 win over Freiburg which gave Dortmund a record number of points for one season in the Bundesliga. Greece: 80/1 for tournament, 4/1 to win Group and 5/4 to qualify Caused a huge shock when beating hosts Portugal in Lisbon back in the 2004 Final; will meet Russia for the 3rd successive finals tournament in Warsaw having lost out in both 2004 & 2008. The 2-1 defeat in Faro was their sole defeat suffered in six games en route to the title. Finished top of an ordinary Group F in qualification where their strength was a mean defence conceding only five goals in ten internationals although they have subsequently failed to win any of their three friendlies including a 1-1 home draw with Russia back in November. Russia: 22/1 for Tournament, 6/4 to win Group and 2/5 to qualify Sole win came in the inaugural European Championships back in 1960 although they were beaten semi-finalists four years ago; Fulham’s Pavel Pogrebnyak, former Chelsea midfielder Yuri Zhirkov, ex Gooner Andriy Arshavin, and recent Spurs departure Roman Pavlyuchenko will be familiar names to followers of the Premier League. Coach Dick Advocaat will leave his position after the finals to return to PSV Eindhoven rejoining the Club 14 years after his first spell in charge. Finished top of a Group that included the Republic of Ireland in qualification, but it lacked strength in depth; beat fellow 2012 Finalists Denmark 2-0 in Copenhagen at the end of February. Czech Republic; 66/1 for Tournament, 7/2 to win Group and 5/4 to qualify Winners of the 1976 Championship in Belgrade on penalties from holders West Germany and indeed have never been beaten in three penalty shoot-outs including the 1996 semi finals against France. Finished runner up to Spain in qualification and then readily disposed of Montenegro, who had finished runner up to England, in the play-offs winning both games. Chelsea’s Peter Cech and Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky are key members of an experienced side who had their limitations, seemingly exposed by the holders in the group stages. Group B Netherlands: 13/2 for Tournament, 15/8 to win Group and 4/9 to qualify Magnificent winners of the Tournament back in 1998 and have done no worse than the last eight in the last six competitions; the Oranje lost a friendly in Germany before beating England at Wembley since cementing their place in the Finals, having won their first nine games in qualification before going down 3-2 to fellow Finalists Sweden. Runners up to Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final and star studded squad includes EPL Footballer of the Year Robin van Persie and Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben; one of the favourites to land the Henri Delaunay Trophy for a second time although they must first get out of the “Group of Death”. Denmark; 100/1, 20/1 and 6/1 Inspired by Peter Schmeichel the Danes won the 1992 Tournament in Sweden despite the fact that they didn’t originally qualify for the eight team event, gaining a late entry as a result of the war in Yugoslavia. Finished top of Group H, which included Portugal and Norway, in qualification and should not be underestimated but could have been more fortunate with the draw! Plenty of household names in the squad including Liverpool’s Daniel Agger, Arsenal’s Sunderland loanee Nicklas Bendtner and Stoke’s Thomas Sorensen. Germany: 11/4, Evens and 2/9 Second favourites behind holders Spain and three time winners in 1972, ’80 and ’96 makes them the most successful country in European Championship history; had a perfect record in qualification although they did lose a recent friendly to France in Bremen. Coach Joachim Low has called up eight members of the Champions League finalists Bayern Munich to his provisional 27-man squad with Arsenal bound Lukas Podolski joining fellow Gooner Per Mertesacker in a formidable looking array of talent. Lost out by a single Torres goal to Spain in Euro 2008 Final in Vienna, and in the World Cup semi-final in Durban (Puyol) two years ago; they will think they are due a change of luck. Portugal: 20/1, 4/1 & 13/10 Beaten finalists in 2004 but, not for the first time, unimpressive in qualification before thrashing Boznia & Herzegovina 6-2 in the play-offs to book their place in the finals back in November. Coach Paulo Bento has lots of talent at his disposal including Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United winger Nani but they have flattered to deceive in the past and are 13/10 to make it out of the Group stages. Group C Spain: 5/2 favourites, 4/9 and 1/7 Winners back in 1964, World Champions, current holders and likely to take all the beating as they bid to make it a hat-trick of Major Tournament wins. BetVictor will refund losing stakes on outright market if La Roja land the treble and that is magnificent insurance as at 5/2 they remain the side to beat. Spain were beaten in a one-sided friendly at Wembley back in November and will have to remain patient as other countries get 10-men behind the ball and attempt to frustrate, but their armada of world class players have the ability and strength-in-depth to make it three in a row in Kiev on 1st July. Italy 14/1, 3/1 and 1/2 Sole win in the Euros came back in 1968 but the four-time World Champions are always respected despite not making it out of their group in the World Cup in South Africa two years ago. Recent home defeats to Uruguay and the United States suggest the Azzurri are still a work in progress despite winning their group by 10 points; their fans will point to a 2-1 win against Spain in Bari last August as reason for optimism ahead of their opener against the holders on June 10th. Mario Balotelli of EPL Champions Manchester City has been named in a provisional 32-man squad by coach Cesare Prandelli. Republic of Ireland; 100/1, 18/1 and 4/1 Only the second time the Irish have reached the Finals and, at first glance, hard to see Giovanni Trappattoni’s side making it out of the Group stages but they have been written off before, will be well organised and difficult to beat. The nomadic Robbie Keane remains the fulcrum of a team made up of solid if largely unspectacular Premier League players; Sunderland’s James McLean has been one of the finds of the season and he has made the squad at the expense of Wigan’s James McCarthy who has decided to stay at home on account of a family illness. Croatia; 50/1, 9/1 and 9/5 Former Everton and West Ham defender Slaven Bilic will step down as national team boss after the tournament fuelling speculation that we will soon see the 43-year-old back in the Premier League. Reached the quarter-finals four years ago when beaten by Turkey in a penalty shoot out and Spurs‘ playmaker Luka Modric is likely to be key if they are to progress to the knock out stages. Everton’s Nikica Jelavic, who has been outstanding for the Blues since leaving Rangers in January, is a surprise inclusion in the 27-man squad but the striker is not guaranteed to make the final cull to be made by Bilic later in the month. Group D Ukraine: 40/1, 4/1 and 11/8 Coach Oleg Blokhin has named three goal-keepers in his squad with only one cap between them following the news that veteran Olexandr Shovkovskiy must undergo shoulder surgery and joins Andriy Dykan on the sidelines ahead of their first European Championships. The co-hosts have ten players from Dynamo Kiev in their 26-man squad including legendary striker Andriy Shevchenko and are unbeaten in their last five friendlies since going down 4-0 to fellow finalists the Czech Republic in Prague back in November. Sweden 50/1, 6/1 and 2/1 The Swedes qualified as the best runners up from the Group stages with 24 points from a possible 30 including a 3-2 home success over Holland back in October. This will be the nation’s fourth consecutive Championships and their best show in the Euros came back in 1992 when they reached the last four. The mercurial Zlatan Ibrahimovic orchestrated a 3-1 win in Zagreb against fellow qualifiers Croatia recently and if Sweden are to go deep in Euro 2012 the Milan striker must have a big tournament. France: 10/1, 13/8 and 8/15 Dual winners in 1984 and 2000 Les Bleus have been transformed by new coach Laurent Blanc from the ill-disciplined rabble that went to South Africa in 2010 to a side unbeaten in their last 18 internationals and potential Euro 2012 winners. The squad contains eight players from the EPL including Newcastle United duo Yohan Cabaye and Hatam Ben Arfa who have played key roles in the renaissance of the Magpies; this French side may lack the brilliance of the Michel Platini winners of 1984 or the Zinedine Zidane inspired 2000 Champions but they are clearly a more unified side under their new coach and are genuine contenders. England: 10/1, 13/8 and 1/2 The Three Lions have gone into major tournaments with hopes high in recent years only to disappoint, sometimes badly; there is no doubt there is not the same level of expectation ahead of Euro 2012, after their 4-1 mauling by Germany in Bloemfontein, but could this work in their favour? Wayne Rooney is suspended for the first two group games and it seems unlikely that new coach Roy Hodgson will pick both central defenders Rio Ferdinand and John Terry as a result of an impending charge of alleged racist abuse made by Terry towards Anton Ferdinand, brother of Rio, back in October. The Trial begins on 9th July nine days after the Euro 2012 Final. The recent home loss to the Netherlands seemed to expose England’s limitations but with the pressure off could this be their year?

[Alexc]

Re: BetVictor Euro 2012 Preview Cheers, BetVictor. Still banning people that win £20?

[Elchubb]

Re: BetVictor Euro 2012 Preview

Cheers' date=' BetVictor. Still banning people that win £20?[/quote'] I found the limit was 2 grand in 6 months!!! :sad

[Aidymac]

Re: BetVictor Euro 2012 Preview

Cheers' date=' BetVictor. Still banning people that win £20?[/quote'] If you don't like BetVictor, go shop somewhere else Alex. :ok

[robtom]

Re: BetVictor Euro 2012 Preview Great write up thanks.