Euro 2008 forecasts: Overview of the different groups

The unfortunate elimination of England doesn’t prevent us from looking forward to the Euro 2008 championships, which look like being as competitive as ever. After Greece in 2004, which country will be next to raise the trophy? For a clearer view, let’s analyse the contenders group by group.

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In Group A, Switzerland – one of the host countries – will take on Portugal, the Czech Republic and Turkey. A finalist in Euro 2004, Portugal seems to be the logical favourite, but just behind, the competition looks fierce between Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Swiss will benefit from home support whilst the Czechs finished first in their qualifying group ahead of Germany. Turkey is ranked as an outsider and will really have to surpass itself to win through.

Germany has benefited from the most favourable draw in the Euro 2008. Matched against Austria, Croatia and Poland in Group B, the Germans have every chance of finishing in first place. The Croats seem the most likely to win second place, but they will have to watch out for the Poles who won their qualifying group. As for the Austrians, even though they are playing at home, they are a long way from the top flight of European football and will really struggle to qualify for the knockout stage.

Group C, or the “Group of Death”, consists of Italy, France, the Netherlands and Romania. While the two finalists of the last World Cup are the logical favourites to qualify, they will have to beware of the Netherlands, who are often drawn in the most difficult group in the final stages and usually manage to win through. Romania, the outsider of the Group, finished ahead of the Netherlands in the qualifying group and also deserves to be taken seriously.

Finally, Group D consists of Spain, Greece, Russia and Sweden. While Spain would appear to be the favourite, don’t forget that in Euro 2004, it was eliminated from a group that also included Russia and Greece. With Unibet offering odds of 1.28 for qualification from its group, Spain is anything but an attractive bet. In comparison, odds of 2.25 are offered for Greece. The Greeks managed a superb qualifying campaign and will be defending their crown.

What’s the betting on the eventual winners?

At odds of 5 offered by Unibet, Germany is the big favourite for the forthcoming Euro 2008. These odds reflect the benefits of the Mannschaft’s favourable draw. Next comes Spain at odds of 7, tempered by the fact that the Spaniards are always disappointing in the final stages of major tournaments. Portugal and Italy are at 8.5, with the Portuguese benefiting from a good draw. France is at 11, as their chances of winning have been reduced by their difficult draw. Finally, the Euro 2008’s highest odds are for Austria. Betting 1 euro on the Austrians to become champions of Europe could win you 100 euros!

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"Euro 2008" article published on 07/03/2008