| The European Championship finals 2008, Group A betting guide |
The European Championship 2008 kicks off on Saturday 7th June in Basel with co-host nation Switzerland against Czech Republic. This Group A fixture kick starts a three week football frenzy which will see the countries Switzerland and Austria host 31 games, with 16 nations from around Europe taking part.
Group A contains two tournament favourites in Portugal and the Czech Republic. Portugal are favourites to win the group having finished runners up last time round and getting to the semi-finals of the World Cup two years ago. Head Coach Felipe Scolari has a good mix of youth and experience in his talented squad of players, which make them genuine contenders for Euro 2008. The difference for Portugal this time round is a matured Cristiano Ronaldo, who has dazzled in the Premiership for the last two seasons for Man Utd. The gifted winger heads to Austria and Switzerland on the back of an English Premier League and Champions League double and if he manages to maintain the kind of form we have seen all season, he could well hold the key to Portugal’s first major title.The Czech Republic are another team that should make it to the knockout stages of Euro 2008. They are a team with a great history of qualifying and performing well in European Championships. They only lost once on their way to these finals and have looked strong throughout qualification. Like Portugal they have a good blend of youth and experience in their squad and pose a real threat to most teams in the competition.
Turkey and Switzerland make up Group A, with only two appearances between them in previous Euro finals. Switzerland will enjoy the home crowd support from being joint hosts, however they will need more than that to take out the group favourites. Turkey’s lack of experience will likely be their biggest hindrance, although they have played in a World Cup semi-final back in 2002, so its not impossible for them to qualify.
Group A looks to be fought out between Portugal and the Czech Republic as to which team will take top spot. If the other two sides have any chance they will have to cause a major upset in these early stages of the tournament.
Other Euro 2008 betting guides
The European Championship finals 2008, Group B betting guide
The European Championship finals 2008, Group C betting guide
The European Championship finals 2008, Group D betting guide
Money-Back Special
Paddy Power will also be refunding all losing first/last goalscorer, correct score and scorecast bets on any group match if a player is sent off in that match. Conditions apply.
Highlights in Paddy Power's specials include Paddy Power's Holland v Italy 1st substitution betting. Or to put it another way, the first player to be pulled off at The Wankdorf Stadium.
Others include Swiss Roll betting (1st country booked for diving), German efficiency (how many penalty shootouts will the Germans win), a variety of Ronaldo markets including what will Ronaldo do first and when will Ronaldo cry first and the perennial question in any football tournament; when will Spain bottle it?
England might be missing but they're not missing from the betting. Paddy Power are betting on which England player is first pictured on holiday during the tournament and how many times the commentators mention England during the first match (Switzerland v Czech Republic).
Bet at Paddy Power today and get a free £10 bet
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