French comes into its Group D opening match the favourite over its longtime rival, but despite the low expectations for England, the odds are closer than you may think.
After a decade of covering the European Championships and World Cups, one thing was always certain for fans looking for England tickets: it was going to cost you a handsome ransom.Which is why it is strange to see that this time at Euro 2012 when they face their cross–Channel nemesis France, tickets are still readily available at cost on the UEFA’s website. Some blame the far travel to Ukraine as a reason why many English supporters have opted not to attend live while the vast majority believe that this team is simply not worth it to travel for.
So with England playing a team that has finished dead last in its group at the last two major international championships, why is it that a lack of confidence by the fans in Roy Hodgson’s squad isn’t reflected as such in the odds?
Well, a big reason the lines change is because many people, mostly patriotic Brits, have placed wagers for England to win, but also because early odds had the English dishing out odds over 4.00+ to win the match. That has decreased substantially in the lead-up to the match, where the Three Lions are offered at 3.25 should they win.
Ladbrokes is offering the draw result at 3.00.
Although injuries to key players before the tournament along with the two game suspension that top striker Wayner Rooney will start serving in this contest will hurt their chances, supporters can take a bit of solace in the the fact that in 28 matches all-time against Les Bleus, England has the upper hand with 16 wins and four draws to its credit, and it has only lost once (a 3-2 defeat to Holland) in its last 12 matches.
The big question mark is who will score the goals?
Well if you fancy Danny Welbeck, who is expected to start, to open up the scoring you’ll see an offering of 10.00. Should Andy Carroll get the nod, he is also paying the same rate.
Now, the goal-scoring quality on the French squad is a little more deep with Karim Benzema and Oliver Giroud being offered at 7.00 and 9.00 respectively.
France itself is paying 2.37 to win outright, while the Asian Handicap lines at +0.0 see them at 1.66.
The safe bet to look at here would be the low-goals offerings as it is not expected to be a high-scoring battle. The under 2.0 total goals is at 1.72, but you can receive better value in the Goal Crazy bet if you think either zero or one goal will be scored in total which would net you 2.50.
If you want a real jackpot odd offering, then consider looking at picking the first goalscorer and correct score offering. Should France win with Karim Benzema scoring the lone goal, the payout is 29.00.
Now check this out. For Canadian Goal.com readers Ladbrokes is now offering $120 in free bets when you open a new account and place your first wager! Take your free money and make your Euro picks.
