Author Archives: SoccerCapper

Germany too strong for Portugal

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Portugal will hope to exact revenge over Germany for their Euro 2008 quarter-final defeat when the two sides kick off their campaigns in this summer’s tournament on Saturday, but they will find it tough going against one of the tournament favourites.

Portugal, 3/1 to beat Germany, were dumped out of the competition at the last-eight stage four years ago and know a defeat in this clash, with tough matches against Holland and Denmark to come, will leave them struggling to make the knockout stage.

They face a much-fancied German outfit (Evens, draw 12/5) in Lviv, with many people tipping a win for Joachim Low’s men to get their tournament challenge off to a positive start and, sadly for Paulo Bento’s side, we see it going the same way.

Germany were written off by some before both the Euros in Austria and Switzerland and the subsequent World Cup in South Africa two years ago but proved once again just how good a tournament side they are by only losing to eventual winners Spain in both competitions.

This time around and no-one is making the mistake of underestimating a squad that contains the talents of Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Mario Gomez and Lukas Podolski – to name just five – and they will hope to live up to expectations and be real contenders for the crown this summer.

Portugal, in contrast, only just about made it through to Poland and Ukraine via the play-offs and finished behind fellow group members Denmark in qualifying.

That has predictably led to claims they will struggle in a group containing the quality of Holland and Germany while the lack of a top centre-forward has been cited as one of the reasons why an early exit could loom.

The likes of Nelson Oliveira, Hugo Almeida and the experienced-but-inconsistent Helger Postiga do not exactly strike fear into opposition defenders, but there is real quality elsewhere in the camp.

Cristiano Ronaldo (5/1 to score first/last) is the obvious talisman and, if he produces his dazzling best, the Real Madrid man’s individual brillance can sometimes win games on its own. Premier League stars Nani and Raul Meireles are also impressive performers and, it it all clicks, they might just spring a surprise.

A victory over Germany on Saturday would certainly be one but, as Podolski has predicted, we see this going Germany’s way and the striker’s prediction of a 2-0 win also looks good value at 8/1.

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Ставки на матч Россия – Чехия!

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Футбол. Евро-2012

Россия – Чехия. Ну вот мы и дождались первого игрового дня на Евро-2012. И что особенно приятно в этот деньArshavin Pavlyuchenko 1 300x225 Ставки на матч Россия Чехия! играет сборная России, которой предстоит помериться силами со сборной Чехии. Ожидание таких турниров всегда томительно, но оно того стоит.

«Разглядывая» сборную Чехии 3.30, ты понимаешь, что по всем линиям она, как минимум не лучше, а порой и слабее сборной России. Но тут твой взор доходит до линии ворот, и ты видишь Петра Чеха, который уже раскинул свои огромные руки и готовится не то, что удар отбить, а просто намертво взять пенальти. Как не удивительно, но даже обладая Акинфеевым и Малафеевым, России проигрывает во вратарской позиции.

С учетом того, что матч стартовый напряжение в нем будет зашкаливать, а следовательно Тотал Меньше 2.5 смотрится более чем привлекательно. Матчи первого круга вообще будут малорезультативными, по той причине, что всем есть, что терять.

Алан Дзагоев поведал журналистом перед матчем, что если сборная России не будет настроена на матч должным образом, то она может проиграть абсолютно любому сопернику, так что хочется верить, что в игре с чехами такого не произойдет.

Сборная России 2.25 самая возрастная команда на Евро-2012 и многие игроки, такие как, Константин Зырянов понимают, что это их последний большой турнир, на котором они могут выступить в майке национальной сборной.

Последней новостью, которая еще более подогрела интерес к матчу, стало извести о желании Владимира Путина и Дмитрия Медведева посетить эту встречу! Я даже отдаленно не могу припомнить, когда в последний раз столь «высокие лица» посещали матчи сборной на таком турнире.

Другое дело, что это может только добавить нервозности российской команде, да и в последний раз Владимир Владимирович был на футболе в далеком 99-м году на матче с Украиной, который закончился со счетом 1:1. Андрей Шевченко тогда отметился незабываемым ударом со штрафного.

Но думаю, на этот раз плохая традиция будет переломлена. Я считаю, что Россия победит со счетом 1:0 или 2:0.

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Dutch have the Klaas

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The focus on Saturday turns very much to the toughest looking group at Euro 2012, with the Group B campaign kicking off with Holland taking on Denmark at the Medalist Stadium at 5pm.

With Germany and Portugal also in the pool, Group B certainly deserves to have the label of  ‘Group of Death’ as all four sides are currently ranked in the world’s top 10 – and Joachim Low’s men are currently 3/1 joint favourites with Spain to go all the way.

Holland are third favourites to lift the trophy at 6/1 while they are 7/4 to take Group B honours, with Denmark on offer at 12/1 to surprise a few people and book their place in the knockout stages.

With the quality of opposition in the group, none of the sides can really afford to take their foot off the gas but in this case the pressure will be on Holland to deliver, with Denmark widely regarded as the weakest link in the group.

As such, it is no surprise to see Bert van Marwijk’s men installed as 8/13 favourites in the match betting, with the draw priced at 11/4 and Denmark available at 11/2 to cause a shock.

These two sides actually locked horns in their opening game of the World Cup in 2010 with the Oranje running out 2-0 winners (6/1 for a repeat scoreline), en route to their run through to the final where they lost to Spain.

Holland have certainly had the better of recent form having not lost to the Scandinavians in their last eight meetings – five of them draws – with Dirk Kuyt and a Daniel Agger own goal making the difference two years ago.

Kuyt did not score the killer second goal until the 85th minute so Holland will have to work for the win, although they look to have more players who can make the difference in any game.

Arjen Robben enjoyed a fine campaign in South Africa while he has been the scourge of many a team across Europe for Bayern Munich but he is far from the only threat in a squad that boasts the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Ibrahim Afellay.

It certainly looks as though there will be plenty of service for the frontmen but, even though Robin van Persie enjoyed a sensational season with Arsenal, it may pay to side with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at 4/1 in the First Goalscorer market as the Schalke striker outshone his compatriot in qualifying with 12 goals to six.

Of course, a lot will depend on the team put out by van Marwijk but there is no doubt that the threat is definitely there for the Dutch as they look to get off to a winning start.

Denmark do not have quite the same strength in depth but will try and make themselves hard to beat, emphasised by just one defeat in qualifying as they topped Group H – with Portugal incidentally only finishing second in the group.

There are less household names for coach Morten Olsen to call on but Christian Eriksen has been making a name for himself at Ajax and will certainly be one to look out for – particularly with the transfer window now open.

Nicklas Bendtner has not quite hit the heights that he expected in the Premier League but has a decent scoring record for his country with 18 goals in 48 games, while the veteran Dennis Rommedahl is the only other player in double figures – 21 goals in 116 games.

It is a side on the up for Denmark with potential to get better but a game against an in-form, experienced and talented Dutch side may well just be a bridge too far.

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Poles to avoid Greek tragedy

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Co-hosts Poland will be aiming to get Euro 2012 off to a winning start when they face Group A rivals Greece in the tournament curtain-raiser in Warsaw’s impressive Stadion Narodowy on Friday evening.

Coach Franciszek Smuda’s side will carry the hopes of the nation on their shoulders and will no doubt feel an opening game against the Greeks, who stunned Europe to win Euro 2004, will be the perfect opportunity to get off to a flying start.

The Poles are in good form ahead of the match having won five and drawn one of their last six friendly matches – their last defeat was a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Italy in November 2011.

Smuda looks set to field Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny between the sticks, while he faces a dilemma as to whether Lukasz Piszczek or Grzegorz Wojtkowiak will start in the back four for the match.

Poland have operated with a five-man midfield in the pre-tournament friendly matches and Smuda is likely to stick with that 4-5-1 formation, while Borussia Dortmund’s lethal striker Robert Lewandowski (7/4 – Anytime Goalscorer) will get the nod as a lone frontman.

Greece were the opening game opponents for Portugal in 2004 and they won that match 2-1 before going on to defeat the hosts 1-0 in the final so no doubt coach Fernando Santos will be hoping it is an omen for them in 2012.

The Greeks qualified impressively as they topped their respective group by remaining unbeaten in 10 matches with seven wins and three draws to their name.

However, things have gone off the boil in pre-tournament friendly encounters as they have secured just one victory from their five games played – a 1-0 win on neutral ground against Armenia.

Santos will call on the veteran duo of Giorgios Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis – who were in the Euro 2004 winning team – to operate in midfield for the game, while Celtic’s Georgios Samaras (10/1 – First or Last Goalscorer) will be looking for a starting role in attack ahead of the likes of Dimitris Salpigidis or Theofanis Gekas depending on what formation the coach decides on.

Looking at the previous encounters and everything goes in Poland’s favour as they have won five of their seven meetings, including four on home soil, while Greece’s only win was in their own backyard back in 1987.

When pondering the outcome of this game the fact the Poles have home advantage, and the vast majority of a sell-out partisan crowd will be giving their players some vociferous support, should stand them in good stead.

Greece have struggled in Poland in the past and will no doubt look to put their strong defensive attributes – only five goals conceded in 10 qualifying matches – to the test (5/2 – To Keep A Clean Sheet) to try and quieten the natives for as long as possible before searching for an opening at the opposite end of the field.

However, as group openers are usually cagey affairs with neither side wanting to lose, expect Poland to nick a narrow, low-scoring narrow.

Prediction: Poland To Win – 90 Minutes @ evens
Value Bet: Lewandowski 1st goal and Poland To Win 1-0 Scorecast @ 16/1

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Russia target winning start

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On the opening day of the European Championship, one of the competition’s dark horses, Russia, will be looking to get off to a strong start with a win over the Czech Republic (Russia 11/10, draw 9/4, Czech Republic 14/5).

Friday’s encounter in Group A (10/1 to produce the tournament winner) should be an edgy encounter with neither side wanting to come away from the Municipal Stadium in Wroclaw with nothing, in what is set to be a highly competitive group which also includes co-hosts Poland and Euro 2004 winners Greece.

Russia are sweating on the fitness of their first choice goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, who is hoping to recover in time from a knee injury for the clash on Friday, with Vyacheslav Malafeev waiting in the wings as a replacement.

The Russians, under former Rangers boss Dick Advocaat, have been on a decent run of late and will take plenty of confidence from their last outing when they took apart Italy to beat the Azzurri 3-0.

Led by playmaker Andrey Arshavin, Russia managed to reach the semi-finals of the competition four years ago and will be tough prospect for any team in the tournament this time around.

It’s the Czech Republic who are first up to take on Advocaat’s men and they will be hoping their standout players come to the fore in this summer.

The Czechs certainly have a strong spine to their side, with Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech set for a busy tournament in Poland and Ukraine.

Cech was instrumental in helping the Blues win an elusive Champions League title this season and the 30-year-old will have to use that experience to help grind out results for the Czechs.

In the heart of midfield Tomas Rosicky will be an influential figure and expect plenty of the play to go through the Arsenal man, who has come on leaps and bounds this season at the Emirates to become an important player for the Gunners.

The 31-year-old has highlighted his club team-mate Arshavin as the major threat to his side for Friday’s encounter and believes his players will be looking to give the playmaker as little time as possible.

Rosicky will also be hoping to link up with former Liverpool striker Milan Baros (15/2 first goalscorer), who can still be a threat at this level and will hope to cause the Russian defence plenty of problems at the Municipal Stadium.

It’s a very hard opening game for the Czech Republic, who will be up against it against a Russian side who will be brimming with confidence following that comprehensive win against the Italians.

Russia should come out the stronger of the two teams and claim the three points in this encounter, but expect a tightly fought contest between two sides who have a good chance of finishing first and second in this competitive group (9/2 Group A highest scoring group).

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Kagawa the catalyst for United

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Sir Alex Ferguson has put the wheels in motion for deposing newly-crowned Premier League champions Manchester City by bringing in Shinji Kagawa from Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United fans will be hoping he is the first of many through the door at Old Trafford this summer.

The Scot’s decision to re-sign veteran Paul Scholes last season was viewed as an act of desperation by the anti-United brigade but news of the capture of the exciting Japan international, subject to a medical and work permit, must be taken as proof that the 70-year-old will not sit back and allow the club’s “noisy neighbours” to rule domestically.

Ferguson has historically concluded any close-season business swiftly, while counterpart Roberto Mancini has yet to show his hand in the transfer market since guiding City to a first title in 44 years.

The champions can be backed at 11/8 with totesport to win back-to-back Premier League titles, with United priced 2/1 to bounce back next season.

“Manchester United is delighted to announce that it has agreed terms with both Borussia Dortmund and Shinji Kagawa for his transfer to the club,” said a club statement.

“The deal is subject only to the player medical and obtaining a UK work permit. These conditions are anticipated to be completed by the end of June. Further details will be announced in due course.”

Ferguson made a personal check on Kagawa in the DFB Pokal win against Bayern Munich at the end of the season and the deal, costing an initial £12m, is expected to rise to £18m with add-ons.

At just 23, Kagawa has yet to peak and the size of the transfer should appease match-going supporters concerned about a lack of funds to strengthen an engine room shy on world-class creative talent.

They will now be hoping the game’s longest-serving manager does not stop at the signing of Kagawa in one last hurrah before sailing off into the sunset.

Embarrassed by their own high standards in Europe last season, United fared better on the home front and were only denied a record 20th domestic crown on goal difference on the final day of the season.

Cynics have argued winning it would have masked a number of personnel issues Ferguson must face if United are to compete against the best again.

A marquee centre-forward to complement England striker Wayne Rooney could now move to the top of Ferguson’s wish-list.

For now at least, the signs are positive that Ferguson is plotting one last great rebuild to cement his legacy.

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Мария Шарапова – победит на Ролан Гаррос? «Майами Хит» – «Бостон Селтикс» – сражение за выход в Финал! Ставки на матчи Евро-2012!

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Теннис. Ролан Гаррос. Женщины. 1/4 Финала

Кайа Канепи – Мария Шарапова. Через крайне тяжелый и неприятный матч пришлось пройти Марии ШараповойSharapova Wim serve 1 246x300 Мария Шарапова победит на Ролан Гаррос? Майами Хит Бостон Селтикс сражение за выход в Финал! Ставки на матчи Евро 2012! в предыдущем круге Ролан Гарроса. Мария сражалась не только с Кларой Закопаловой, но даже с парижской погодой, которая напустила сильный ветер на французские корты.

Шарапова имела возможность закончить матч, в двух сетах, но упустила такую возможность.

Болельщикам Марии 1.28 пришлось пережить несколько волнительных секунд, когда Мария упала на землю во время одного из розыгрышей. Опасность падения была в том, что Мария могла легко повредить голеностоп или крестообразные связки, но к счастью этого не произошло.

Встреча с эстонской теннисисткой не видится проблемной для Марии, но стоит учитывать, что Кайа – это исключительно «грунтовый» игрок, а следовательно, именно на этом покрытии она и может создать проблемы для Шараповой.

Но именно, что проблемы, так как проходить Канепи 3.70, Мария обязана!

Баскетбол. НБА. 1/2 Финала

Майами Хит – Бостон Селтикс (счет в серии 2:2). Сегодня ночью будет сыгран ключевой матч этой серии, и такую игру нельзя будет пропустить. Когда команды уезжали из Майами при счете 2:0 в пользу «Хит» 1.22 всем казалось, что «Бостон» сломлен, что поражение в овертайме матча, в котором они должны были побеждать просто «накроет» их, но…

В третьем матче «Селтикс» 4.40 вышли и играли так, что казалось, и не было первых двух матчей, а серия только начинается. Рэджон Рондо набрал во втором матче серии 44 очка!!! И что не менее удивительно провел все 53 минуты матча! И по всем признакам должен был устать больше всех, но нет, именно он стал «двигателем», который повел «Кельтов» вперед. Если «Бостон» пройдет в финал, то именно Рондо, а не Гарнетт или Пирс станет MVP в случае победы.

«Майами» со своей стороны пока может предложить только силовые проходы и индивидуальное мастерство Леброна Джеймса и Дуэйна Уйда, которые, впрочем могут и вдвоем «затащить» «Хит» в финал, но удастся ли им это?

Футбол. Евро-2012.

Россия – Чехия. До этого матча еще остается несколько дней, но делать ставки вы можете уже сейчас. Благо, пища для размышлений была дана в избытке. Чего стоит только победа России над Италией, но все это лишь товарищеские игры, скоро начнется настоящий футбол!

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Dark times at Carrow Road

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It could be worrying times for Norwich City fans as they will have hoped not to be cursed by the dreaded ’second-season syndrome’. But at the moment they have no manager, no-one seemingly in line and their star striker wants to leave the club. Does Norwich have any hope of keeping their top-flight status at the end of 2012/13? (Norwich 13/8 – Premier League Relegation)

The Canaries are desperately on the look-out for a new manager after Paul Lambert jumped ship to Aston Villa (7/1 – Premier League Relegation) in acrimonious circumstances surrounding rejected resignations, rumours of fall-outs over the financial stability of the club and being forced to sell their best players to raise funds.

Losing a manager of Lambert’s credentials will have hurt Norwich as he took them from the depths of League One to a mid-table finish in the Premier League, and brought together a collection of lower league misfits and journeymen to look like a polished top-flight outfit.

So where do Norwich turn now? Despite their finish last season there remains no doubt that Norwich are a minnow in the Premier League and so may struggle to get an established big name into the dug-out at Carrow Road – despite chief executive David McNally stating the club were on a “European search” to get a manager with pedigree in.

One man who was highly linked with the role was former Norwich player and now Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay, this was despite McNally claiming they wanted a manager with “top league” experience.

The Welsh manager has earned a rising reputation with Watford and now the Bluebirds but has declared himself out of the race for the job as he wants to “stay and finish a long-term project” in Wales (Cardiff 16/1 – Championship Outright). The fact there is so much uncertainty regarding off-the-field issues at Carrow Road could put many potential suitors off.

The only other name really linked with the post is Chris Hughton after he seems to have been over-looked for the job at West Bromwich Albion (9/2 – Premier League Relegation) in favour of the German Ralf Ragnick – also reportedly one of the names McNally fancies for Norwich.

None of these names being thrown around really scream mass optimism if you are a Norwich fan and it could be a long campaign ahead.

Add to the lack of manager the distinct proposition that Grant Holt will be leaving the club this year after slapping in a transfer request. His 15 goals meant he was the second best English goal scorer in the Premier League and linked with a call-up to the Euro 2012 England squad.

There are going to be no shortage of suitors for Holt and Norwich will struggle to get a quality of his calibre to replace him, especially for the £4 million quoted for the 31-year-old.

Norwich over-performed last season and unfortunately 2012/13 could be a season that really shows up how much they over-achieved and how good a manager Lambert really was.

This rag-tag collection of footballers need to be galvanised by whoever the new boss is, but it remains to be seen if anyone else could really get the same passion, quality and energy out of the players like Lambert did.

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Can Ronaldo fire this summer?

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Portugal head into Euro 2012 still firmly in the shadow of Iberian neighbours Spain, though they boast within their ranks one of the world’s finest attacking players.

Whether or not Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo can carry his domestic form into this month’s tournament will be crucial to the team’s chances of success

Ronaldo has emerged as a genuine contender to snatch Lionel Messi’s Ballon d’Or crown from his grasp, and the player has already stated publicly that he is desperate to perform in Ukraine and Poland this summer and boost his chances of scooping football’s most prestigious individual honour.

Ronaldo is 12/1 to finish as the tournament’s top scorer and an attractive 16/1 to be named the best player of Euro 2012.

But, much like Portugal’s chances of success depend largely on the form of the world-beating Madeira native, Ronaldo’s hopes of earning either accolade depend on his side’s fortunes at the tournament.

Portugal have been drawn in what has been christened by many observers as the ‘group of death’ and must finish ahead of two of three former European Championship winners to advance to the quarter-finals.

Holland, Germany and Denmark will undoubtedly provide tough opposition for Paulo Bento’s men, who are priced at 4/1 to win the group.

Awaiting the qualifiers from Group B at the quarter-final stage are Czech Republic, Greece, Poland or Russia, which suggests that qualification for the last four of the competition could be a much simpler proposition than securing a passage from the group stage.

Portugal are 11/4 to make the semi-finals and that price will narrow if they make it to the last eight, so those who fancy Os Navegadores to progress past the group stage would be well-advised not to sit on their hands and get in on the semi-final market at its present price.

In simple terms, if Portugal can get out of their group then they have a great chance of making the semis. But can they go even further?

Big guns Spain and Italy have been placed at the opposite side of the draw, which means Portugal could face another almighty hurdle on the path to a potential Euro 2012 Final appearance.

Bento’s men are 7/1 to make the final, which sounds rather generous, but the team will have to pull out all the stops to reach the tournament showpiece for the second time in eight years.

Portugual are priced at 20/1 to go one better than they did in 2004, when they were shocked by Greece in the final, and lift the trophy for the first time in the nation’s history, but a cursory glance at their potential path to glory suggests that 2012 may not be there year either.

But even if this may not be their tournament, there are several other attractive markets which factor in the performances of the Iberian underdogs.

Manchester United playmaker Nani is an incredible 40/1 to finish as the tournament’s top scorer, as is Besiktas marksman Hugo Almeida.

Many anticipate that all roads will lead to Ronaldo whenever Portugal take to the field, but both Nani and Almeida have proven prowess in front of goal, and a small amount wagered on both players in the tournament top scorer market has the potential to reap great rewards, particular if the team advances beyond the group stages.

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Russia dark horses at Euros

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With Group A (10/1 to produce the Euro 2012 winner) at the European Championships including the Czech Republic, Greece, Poland and Russia, any two of these four teams could qualify for the all-important knockout stages of the major tournament.

However, the latest crop of players coming out of Russia (20/1 – Euro 2012 Outright) these days look like they could form a side that may do well in Poland and Ukraine.

The Russians under former Glasgow Rangers boss Dick Advocaat have enjoyed a strong build up to the tournament with the side thumping Italy 3-0 in their last friendly on Friday.

Midfielder Roman Shirokov bagged himself a brace in the victory over the Azzurri and is just one of a number of exciting players at Zenit St Petersburg to be included in the Russian squad, who are captained by playmaker Andrey Arshavin.

This team are certainly one to look out for at the Euros and the big guns in the competition like Spain, Germany and Holland would do well not to underestimate Russia (4/9 – Group A Qualification) should they meet in the knockout stages.

Russia should top Group A but the second qualification spot is really up for grabs for any of the three remaining teams who can take their chances.

Poland, as a host nation of the tournament, will be hoping partisan support raises their performances in what will be a tough test for manager Franciszek Smuda and his men.

A 4-0 victory over European minnows Andorra last week was clearly arranged to boost confidence in the Polish ranks ahead of their tournament opener against Greece on Friday.

Poland (8/11 – Group A Qualification) don’t have many stand-out names in their ranks but you can guarantee they will be well organised by Smuda and will be hard to break down on home soil.

It would be great for the competition if the co-hosts could make it through but they don’t seem to have an abundance of quality and it may well be a short tournament for the White and Reds.

Greece (6/4 – Group A Qualification) will be looking to give their supporters something to cheer about and put a smile on the face of a nation going through more than enough troubles at the moment.

The Greeks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history in 2004 when they beat Portugal in the final to claim the European crown.

Manager Fernando Santos will have been pleased with the draw, as they avoided some of the real powerhouse of European football. The Mexican tactician saw his side scrape past Armenia 1-0 last weekend but the performance was not all that inspiring.

Considering the current crop of players and their recent form, Greek fans should not hold their breath for a repeat of 2004.

The Czech Republic (5/4 – Group A Qualification) are the only team in Group A to go into the Euros on the back of a defeat following their 2-1 loss to Hungary on Friday.

There are a few big names in the squad with Chelsea shot-stopper Petr Cech set to use his Champions League-winning experience this season and take that “backs against the wall” mentality that served the Blues so well into the Euros.

Former Liverpool striker Milan Baros and Arsenal’s Tomas Rosicky are set to be threats and the Czechs might just edge out the others to join Russia in the knockout stages.

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