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Euro 2012 qualifiers betting preview
England v Bulgaria, Friday, 8pm
Fabio Capello is a man under pressure, with bet365 offering odds of just 6/4 that he manages to last the entire Euro 2012 qualifying campaign for England. The Italian hasn’t been helped by a number of players withdrawing from the squad due to injury, although the Three Lions are still the 3/10 favourites (Paddy Power) to make a winning start at Wembley on Friday night.
Nothing less than three points will do ahead of Tuesday’s tricky trip to Switzerland, especially as the Swiss beat World Cup champions Spain in South Africa last summer. Capello will be insisting that the team make a fast start and bet365 go 5/6 that England lead at half-time and full-time against a Bulgarian team who can no longer call upon the services of Dimitar Berbatov.
Much of the attention will be on Wayne Rooney, a striker that failed to score at the World Cup and only has a penalty against West Ham to show for his efforts since March. Bet365 offer 7/4 that Roons draws a blank, although England supporters will be confident of seeing the forward get amongst the goals and he is 3/1 with bet365 to break the deadlock.
It appears that Peter Crouch will be sidelined through injury and that could open the way for Darren Bent to show Capello what he missed at the World Cup. The Sunderland forward will also want to demonstrate to new Black Cats signing Asamoah Gyan that he’s still the main man at the Stadium of Light and Sky Bet offer 11/2 that he breaks the deadlock.
Bulgaria are a reasonable football team, who might cause a nervy England one or two problems. With John Terry and Matthew Upson missing, it could see the visitors create a few chances and Ladbrokes offer 10/1 that it’s a defeat for the Three Lions and possibly the end for Capello.
Armenia v Republic of Ireland, Friday, 4pm
Giovanni Trapattoni’s team have been dealt a tough Euro 2012 qualifying draw which has seen them grouped with Russia and Slovakia, both of whom will be expecting to reach the finals at the nearby Ukraine and Poland. Not that Armenia are any slouches either and the Republic are available at odds of 3/4 (Victor Chandler) to win at the Hrazdan Stadium, something which might prove a difficult task.
The Armenians might have finished bottom of their 2010 World Cup qualifying group, although they weren’t disgraced and only lost 2-1 to world champions Spain. The home side also beat Belgium and are on offer at 9/2 (bet365) to pull off an upset and 13/5 with Stan James to land a draw and prevent the Irish from making the flying start that they crave.
Nothing less than six points from this match and the one against Andorra on Tuesday will suffice if the Republic of Ireland are going to challenge Russia and Slovakia for the top spot in Group B, with Robbie Keane on offer at 4/1 with Paddy Power to break the deadlock in Armenia. The Tottenham striker remained at White Hart Lane on deadline day and will want to prove to manager Harry Redknapp that he can still do a job for Spurs this term.
Wolves’ Kevin Doyle is 11/2 with Sky Bet to open the scoring, while former Celtic midfielder Aidan McGeady will be looking to get forward at every turn and can be backed at 10/1 (bet365) on the First Goalscorer market.
Lithuania v Scotland, Friday, 7.15pm
Craig Levein’s team would have to pull several rabbits out of the hat to win Group I thanks to the inclusion of holders Spain, although the Scotland manager will be optimistic that his team can finish ahead of the Czech Republic in what looks to be a two-way tussle for second place. The Scottish team are 18/1 with totesport to win Group I compared to the Czech odds of 13/2 (Coral), so it’s imperative that they pick up maximum points against the other two teams in the group.
Lithuania are one of these sides and the Scots are 7/4 (Ladbrokes) to take the points from Friday’s match at the S.Darius and S.Gir?nas Stadium. With a FIFA ranking of 49, the Lithuanians can’t be underestimated and are actually the slight favourites at 6/4 with Ladbrokes to win this match. However, Bet Fred offer 9/5 if you think that they can take full advantage of the injury problems affecting Scotland.
Craig Levein is going to start with the 40-year-old David Weir in Kaunas on Friday, with the manager admitting that the Rangers defender is the best that the country have got at the moment. He’s also suggested that the in-form Kenny Miller will start in attack and the former Derby front man is 7/1 (Ladbrokes) to break the deadlock against the Lithuanians.
Fellow striker Kris Boyd has been struggling for goals since his move from Rangers to Middlesbrough, although he’s also available at 7/1 (bet365) to make it count for his country.
Montenegro v Wales, Friday, 6.30pm
Some people are suggesting that Wales have a tough Group G opening fixture on Friday, although the reality is that this will be the easiest 2012 qualifying away match the Dragons get. With England, Switzerland and Bulgaria the other teams in the section, the match in Podgorica represents the visitors’ best chance of landing a win on the road and they are 7/2 (totesport) to get off to a flyer.
John Toshack will have been delighted to see Craig Bellamy return home to Wales after recently joining Cardiff City on loan from Manchester City and the striker’s likely to be the class act on the pitch. Sporting Bet make him a 7/1 chance to open the scoring, while Nottingham Forest’s Robert Earnshaw might also get the nod in attack and is available at 8/1 with bet365.
Montenegro are the lowest-ranked team in the group, although they are certainly no mugs after a World Cup qualifying campaign which saw them hold Republic of Ireland to two goalless draws. Ladbrokes offer 10/11 that they prove too strong for their opponents on Friday, although the best bet could be the draw at 12/5 (Boylesports), with Under 2.5 Goals a best price 3/4 (Ladbrokes) and looking likely to be a decent bet.
Belgium v Germany, Friday, 7.45pm
Bet365 will be streaming this match for free and it’s set to be an interesting encounter between a side that have been under-achieving in recent years and one that lit up the World Cup with brilliant victories against England and Argentina.
Germany are one of the favourites (6/1 Ladbrokes) to win Euro 2012 and Die Mannschaft will be confident of taking maximum points from their first group encounter. Ladbrokes offer 4/7 that Joachim Loew’s team win at the King Baudouin Stadium against a team that have recently fallen on hard times, with Georges Leekens hoping for an improvement in fortunes.
The Belgians have failed to qualify for a major tournament since the 2002 World Cup and the nation will be hoping he repeats some of the successes achieved between 1997 and 1999 when he was originally manager. Bet365 go 5/1 that he gets the team off to a flying start against a team expected to kick on from their third-placed finish at the 2010 World Cup.
The home side will have to stop some formidable attacking players and that includes Miroslav Klose (9/2 Paddy Power), Lukas Podolski (6/1 Victor Chandler) and the improving Thomas Muller (7/1 Victor Chandler), the latter of whom won the Golden Shoe at the World Cup.
France v Belarus, Friday, 8pm
It’s a case of out with the old and in with the new as far as Les Bleus are concerned, with Raymond Domenech having been replaced as manager by the popular Laurent Blanc. Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka have also called time on their international careers, with Blanc keen to put the infamous 2010 World Cup campaign behind them.
The French have an easy opening qualifier on paper this Friday and the bookies offer no bigger than 4/11 (bet365) that they get off to a winning start. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema is back in the squad and is the 4/1 favourite (Paddy Power) to break the deadlock, although Chelsea’s Florent Malouda is the man bang in goalscoring form at the moment and he catches the eye at bet365’s odds of 15/2.
Belarus are a fairly modest football nation, although they will be keen to take advantage of any nervousness in Paris and can be backed at 10/1 (Stan James) to pour more unhappiness on the nation of France.
