"There’s no way to see anything but goals in this match."
The Inside Man has gone all Euro 2012 on us as he attemtps to find four winning bets in the ever popular Over/Under 2.5 Goals markets...
Saturday
Czech Republic v Poland
All permutations of qualifying are still possible in Group A, with none of the teams yet safe. For the Poles it's simple, they have to win. But for the Czech Republic though, it's much less clear, with even a draw possibly not enough, if the Greeks spring a surprise over Russia.
In every one of the Czechs last six matches, both teams scored, with five of those six games containing more than two goals. It's really a question of when the first goal is scored, as to how many we get in total. Once either of these teams finds the net, the other will have to throw everything into attack as they fight for their survival, which will inevitably mean more goals.
The Czechs looked defensively woeful against Russia, but deadly on the attack against Greece, while the Poles huff and puff and not stop trying in front of their home crowd. It's a combination that should make for an exciting game, and at least three goals.
Recommended Bet: Back Over 2.5 goals @ 2.041/1
Russia v Greece
There's no way to see anything but goals in this match. The Greeks were calamitous at stopping the Czech Republic's quick counter-attacks early on in their last game. So what hope do they have of stopping a Russia side who break with far greater poise and speed than the Czechs?
The hope for Greece though, is that they can score themselves. They defied the odds, and all expectation to equalize and then almost grab a winner against Poland. They also dug deep to pull one back against the Czechs.
So this is a side that never gives up and is quite capable of scoring. The problem for them is that as they continue pushing forward, they may concede countless goals on the break, with the Russians purpose-built for fast counter-attacking football.
The Russians only need a draw, but it's not their style to play for it. And more importantly, with the Greeks certain to be on the offensive, the Russian forwards will find it impossible to refuse the banquet of opportunities likely to appear before them on the break.
Recommended Bet: Back Over 2.5 goals @ 2.01/1
Sunday
Denmark v Germany
It's hard to see the Danes making a dent in the armour of the mighty German footballing machine.
The Germans outclassed both the Netherlands and Portugal for large periods, and with the Danes knowing they have to win, they are unlikely to go throwing caution to the wind against such formidable opposition.
The plan for Denmark then is almost certain to be the same as against the Dutch. Soak up the pressure, and try to nick a goal on the break. It worked against the Netherlands and Danish coach Morten Olsen looks likely to go with this tactic once again.
Portugal tried the same approach against the Germans, and failed. But Olsen's side could easily hold out, like Portugal did, for a large part of the game. The Germans don't need to go all out for the win and likely to keep probing for their chance. They'll probably find it in the end, but by then Denmark may have already done enough to ensure the score remains respectable.
Recommended Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ 2.061/1
Portugal v Netherlands
Hope dies last they say, and certainly it will for Dutch fans, who despite two humbling defeats still have a reasonable chance of seeing their side qualify for the quarter-finals. In reality, what they will need is a two goal victory over Portugal, and for the Germans to do the business against the Danes. So by no means impossible then.
The first problem for the Dutch though is that they're struggling to score, and actually look like they're struggling to score. They created few chances of note when trying to break down the Danes, while the goal against Germany came from a rare Dutch opportunity.
Their second big problem is that Portugal know how to defend, as demonstrated for most of the game against Germany, where only a piece of class late on from Mario Gomez scuppered their obvious plans to gather a point. A similarly tight gameplan is surely on the cards on Sunday, with the Portuguese sure to be thinking that a point, or even a one goal defeat, should be enough.
Recommended Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ 2.221/1
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