With Euro 2012 right around the corner, we can look at some of the early betting odds for the tournament.
One of the most popular markets will be that of betting on the outright winner of the competition. The odds for each team are as follows. Find these odds and much more at William Hill. There you can also choose preferred odds format, such as Fractional.
Spain – 3.25 (9/4)
Germany – 4.00 (3/1)
Holland – 8.00 (7/1)
England – 9.00 (8/1)
France – 13.00 (12/1)
Italy – 15.00
Portugal – 21.00
Russia – 21.00
Ukraine – 41.00
Croatia – 51.00
Poland – 51.00
Czech Republic – 51.00
Sweden – 67.00
Greece – 67.00
Republic of Ireland – 81.00
Denmark – 101.00
Euro 2012 Favourites
Heading in the tournament, we find the Spanish team are clear favourites at 3.25 (9/4), and quite rightly so. Spain is currently in a golden era of international football after winning the Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 finals. Their squad strength and depth is rivaled by very few around the world, never mind in Europe. For many years Spain were the nearly team of international football, promising so much, but failing to deliver when it really mattered. They have now set those problems to rest and are without doubt one of, if not the, strongest team in the world.
Closely following Spain is that of Germany at 4.00. Spain defeated their close rivals in a thrilling European Championship final in 2010. Germany posses a very young squad and will feel that two years down the line after the world cup defeat, their squad will be more experienced and ready to take on the might of the Spanish team.
Similarly to Germany, Holland have been through a transitional period of their own and now host a crop of young players that have been touted as the future ones to watch. At 7.50 on the current Euro 2012 betting exchange, Holland will provide good value for punters looking outside the top two. They will be desperate to overcome the heartache of losing to Spain in the 2010 World Cup final, which saw them go down 1-0 to a better side on the day.
England has been renowned for being the massive underachievers in world football. They are desperate to throw the monkey off their back after their only major international success that came via the 1966 World Cup. At odds 9.00, the bookmakers certainly aren’t ruling out this English side, but it remains to be seen whether they have the class and ability to beat one of the top three teams.
Euro 2012 Outsiders
France is a team that have had to cope with the loss of many of their top players and regenerated their team with a fresh outlook. It’s going to take time for the French to get back on to the level they once were, but reports from France are that they are quietly confident with a host of young talent coming through their youth ranks. At 12.00 the French aren’t to be snubbed at and they know exactly how to go about winning. One would wonder if all the controversy that surrounded the team for the 2010 World Cup has truly passed however.
Italy has a rich history in major tournaments, winning no less than 2 World Cups and a European Championship to their name. However, the Euro’s have been less than kind to the Italians with just one final in 36 years, a number they will be looking to rectify in 2012. If the Italians are to live up to their 15.00 price tag, then they will need some of their big name player to really stand and be counted, not only in the tournament itself, but also the run up to it. The talent is there with the Italians, it always has been, but whether they can they convert the talent to the big stage remains to be seen.
Portugal can be snapped up at 21.00 at the current Euro Cup 2012 odds and are one of the teams who we believe could cause an upset or two at Euro 2012. They posses some world class players in the likes of Ronaldo and Nani, who are truly game changing players, so don’t be surprised if they are to have a run in this year’s competition. However after being drawn in the Group B (Group of death) we no longer have any hopes for them to win the tournament.
Euro 2012 Long Shots
It’s really hard to look much further than the 7 teams already mentioned to take the crown of the European Champions, when finding the best Euro 2012 odds. However, we only need to look back to 2004 where Greece made the underdog story of the year by going on to lift the crown, beating Portugal in the final.
Home support in football has always been a massive factor when it comes to selecting winners. With the 2012 tournament being co-hosted in Ukraine (41.00) and Poland (51.00), there’s an outside chance one of them may string a few results together and make a run at the title. It’s a big if, but if the nation embraces the tournament and really backs their team, then who knows, they could do what Greece famously did in 2004.
