The European Championships gave us plenty of entertainment in the first round of matches and we’re hoping for more of the same in the second week. The middle round of games are usually make or break fixtures, and this time around is no different. Sides may have a chance to qualify in third spot, but they still can’t afford to slip up.
Friday and Saturday’s matches wrap up the second round of games, and there’s still some drama left in the final three groups. We have action from Groups D, E and F as the battle for the last 16 heats up. On top of previewing these four clashes, we’ve also picked out a betting tip on each to make them that little bit more interesting.
Friday 17th June 2016
Italy v Sweden (14:00) – Italy to win to nil (13/8 with Coral)
The Italians put in the performance of the tournament so far when they beat Belgium. Their fantastic counter attacking mixed with an incredible defensive display gave them three huge points. Can they build on that win by seeing off Sweden and booking a place in the next round? Few would back them to slip up here after their first display and Antonio Conte’s men look perfectly suited for tournament football. They’ll be less of a surprise back here though, and they’ll need to do much more attacking based on this Swedish team’s approach.
Sweden looked happy to let the Republic of Ireland dictate play to them, so they’ll be very passive against Italy. The Swedes lacked threat up front against the Irish, and that should see them fail to score here. We still think the Italians will take the points but it’ll be a very tough test for them against a defensive side. Given Sweden’s lack of scoring ambition we think it’s worth backing the Italians to win to nil. Conte’s men have such a solid backline, but they’re still 13/8 with Coral to win and keep a clean sheet. That looks like a fantastic price.
Czech Republic v Croatia (17:00) – Croatia to win (10/11 with Sky Bet)
The Czech Republic had a really tough time against Spain in their opening game, but things aren’t getting any easier for them here. You could make a case that Croatia are the strongest team in this group, given their incredible midfield. They started well against Turkey, but they’ll be expecting to kick things on in their second game. Like Italy, they’d make it through to the next round with a win. Will the Croatians take their chance to ease in to the last 16, or will the Czechs get themselves back into contention to make the next round?
Having seen how poor the Czechs were in their first match, you have to side with Croatia here. They seem like strong outsiders for this tournament, and could end up going far in the competition. The Czechs, on the other hand, seem like they’re just happy to be here. They may be strong in defence, but they don’t offer much going forward. Croatia should dominate possession in this game, and we see them taking the three points they need to make it through the group. We’re backing them to win at 10/11 with Sky Bet.
Saturday 18th June 2016
Republic of Ireland v Belgium (14:00) – Both teams to score (10/11 with Betfair)
Both of these sides will be kicking themselves for not taking opening day victories. The Republic of Ireland had three points for the taking against Sweden, while Belgium were dreadful against Italy.
The Belgians were quite like England sides of years gone by, when their golden generation failed to work as a team. They’d qualify with ease, beat some average teams then fall apart against a well drilled side. The chances of the Belgians going all the way now look slim, and as things stand they have to fight for their place in the next round. A defeat here would put them in real trouble.
The Republic will be coming into this one with confidence and they might fancy their chances against Belgium now. Marc Wilmots’ men may be ranked second in the world, but they’ve got serious defensive issues and a one dimensional attack. If the Irish could even get a point here, that would be a fantastic result for them.
We can at least see Martin O’Neill’s side getting a goal, as they have a few players who could cause Belgium problems. Given that a Sunderland failure and Southampton striker scored for the Italians in that first game, it clearly doesn’t take too much to score against them. That’s why we’re backing both teams to score, at 10/11 with Betfair.
Portugal v Austria (20:00) – Portugal to win (5/6 with Bet365)
The Portuguese were dealt a huge blow when they slipped to a 1-1 draw with Iceland. Austria are in an even worse position, after losing to Hungary. This was supposed to be an easy group for them, but instead they’re left fighting for their place in the competition. Could we see Cristiano Ronaldo packing up and heading home after the group stage? That’s a real possibility if they don’t get a win in this one. However, the same can be said for Austria.
The Austrians were expected to be dark horses here, but they threw that away with their opening day defeat. They now need to regroup ahead of this huge game, one which Portugal will be very much up for.
Ronaldo isn’t likely to have two poor games running, which makes Austria’s task even harder. The Portuguese are a side that you want through to the next round, because their superstar players should be involved as long as possible. We think they’ll get things back on track here, and we’re backing them to see off Austria at 5/6 with Bet365.
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