U21 European Championships Betting: Tournament Blog - Day Two

Internationals / Mike Norman / 16 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

An unconvincing England victory, allied with Germany and Spain's goalless draw means Stuart Pearce's young lions top an open looking Group B. Mike Norman reviews yesterday's games and looks forward to tonight's Group A fixtures...

In typically hyped-up 'which ever sport we are playing' England fashion, our under-21 footballers gave a below par, bordering on depressing, performance last night against a far more entertaining (and deserving of victory) Finland side.

At one point during the game, as the Fins dominated possession, I felt like substituting my lager and lime for something a little stronger - like a cup of coffee!

Even allowing for the fact that they played two thirds of the match with ten men (after Michael Mancienne was dismissed for a professional foul), England still resembled a room full of pensioners supping their lunchtime soup - completely toothless.

But at the end of the day (and this once couldn't come soon enough) it's goals that win games, and thanks to an early Lee Cattermole scuffed shot and a second half header from Micah Richards (sandwiching a Tim Sparv converted penalty), it was England that took the three points to move to the top of Group B.

In contrast to what I predicted yesterday, England have drifted in the Outright Winner market and can now be backed at [5.0] for European Championship glory.

The night's other Group B fixture saw Germany and Spain play out a dull goalless draw. Both sides hit the woodwork but it was Germany that had the better chances to win the game. Spanish goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo gave an inspired display to shut out the Germans, but both nations will know that they will have to improve considerably to win the competition. Spain remain the second favourites to do so at [4.4], whilst Germany can be backed at [5.8].

Results mean that Group B is still very much in the melting pot. England are facing a central-defensive crisis ahead of Thursday's clash with Spain, whilst the Germany v Finland fixture is already a must win game for both sides. I will report on team news, and news from the England camp in the next few days.

Liquidity in the Group B Winner market is a bit scarce at the moment, with all three of the main protagonists trading around the [2.0] mark. But if you are interested in backing any of the contenders at a bigger price then please leave up a request. There's a lot of brave Betfairians out there who will usually match your request provided it's a sensible one.

Attention switches to Group A tonight as hosts Sweden entertain Belarus, and tournament favourites Italy ([4.2] for success) play Serbia.

Sweden can be backed at [1.75] for an opening game win, but as the knowledgeable James Eastham explains, there are plenty of justifiable reasons to oppose the tournament hosts this evening. Click here to read James' pre-match thoughts and recommended bets.

It will be time to get the lager and lime (perhaps with a hint of lemonade this time) out again come kick-off in the night's other fixture. Italy are available to back at [2.28] to beat Serbia ([3.6]) with The Draw being on offer at [3.4]. Watch out for the gifted Italian Mario Balotelli (available to back at [7.8] in the Top Goalscorer market) and the man I highlighted yesterday, Miralem Sulejmani, from the Serbian side.

Once again, our man Mr Eastham has previewed this match in more detail and you will be foolish not to have a read.