The first round of betting at Euro 2016 is all about the Group Stage. Naturally most punters will have already had a pre-match wager on the outright winner market for the tournament but the meat of the tournament’s betting will be done in the first stage which is the Group stage. You have twenty four nations competing in the first round, over eight groups of four teams in the round robin format and there are days when you are going to have three group stage games to get your teeth into. So the build of the Euro 2016 action is going to happen in the groups and here we will take a look at Euro 2016 group betting.
Euro 2016 Group A betting
France, Romania, Albania, Switzerland
The host nation, France are running as favourite to cmout of Euro 2016 Group A on top of the pile. That’s only natural considering that they are trading at a price of 7/2 with online betting site Sky Bet to win the tournament outright. They are in at short odds of 2/5 to win Group A and 1/33 to qualify. So that shows the strength that they have and not only that, they have to be fairly comfortable with their draw in having to take on Switzerland, Romania and Albania. So really you are probably only looking at the race for second spot in this one and the Swiss are favoured for that. However, there really may not be all that much to choose between then and the Romanians. You have 3/2 on the Swiss to finish second and 9/4 on Romania. Switzerland took 21 points from qualifying, while Romania took 20. However the clear difference is in the fact that Switzerland scored 24 qualifying goals while Romania scored just 11. However, Romania only conceded two goals in their ten matches, while the Swiss shipped 8. Could be a tight scrap.
Euro 2016 Group B betting
England, Wales, Russia, Slovakia
A lot to look forward to in this group. Wales were one of the surprise packages through qualifying, doing a fantastic job as they fought with Belgium to make it to the summer Finals. The game between England and Wales is a mouthwatering prospect, because that is just the kind of fixture that could disrupt England’s plans of winning the group. England are strong 5/6 favourites to win Group B ahead of 10/3 shots Russia. Wales are 7/2 to come through and top the group. England have a tough opener against Russia to contend with ad that could set the mark for their tournament. Russia are 2/1 shots to finish second in the group but this is one of those were you could perhaps look Wales at 1/2 to qualify still, because remember four of the six third-placed teams will also make it through. Slovakia, who beat Spain during qualifying, are 5/4 to finish bottom.
Euro 2016 Group C betting
Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Northern Ireland
This looks as if it won’t be as clear cut from the off to be frank. Germany are the favourites at a price of 2/5 to go and win Group C however there are going to be some tricky challenges ahead for them. Germany are powerful in attack, but their defence hasn’t quite been up to scratch and they get reunited with Poland in in Group C. The two were together in qualification and the Poles did take a win over Die Mannschaft. If they can pull that out of the hat again, there is tempting 7/2 value on Poland winning the group, because the goals of Robert Lewandowski could get them pretty close. Northern Ireland are big underdogs in the group as they have taken a tough draw. They are 2/1 to make it through the group, which would likely be at the expense of the Ukraine.
Euro 2016 Group D betting
Spain, Czech Republic, Turkey, Croatia
Take Spain out of this equation and you would have a really tough time of picking a winner. So let’s assume that 4/7 favourites Spain are going to win their group, that leaves a good scrap for second place. Croatia are the favoured ones at a price of 15/8, but there is more life in this group than there would appear to be on the surface. Turkey have slowly been improving their game and are always going to be difficult to beat, while the Czech Republic are hit and miss. They can deliver as good of a game as they can a bad one. If they get off to a hot start, they can pull themselves in the mix to qualify. Some big value knocking around the To Qualify market here with the Czechs at 4/5 and Turkey at 10/11. The Turks could be the ones to spring a surprise here to make a run at second.
Euro 2016 Group E betting
Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Sweden
Arguably the most competitive of the six groups at Euro 2016. You have a lot of contrasting styles as well, from Belgium’s flair to the Irish grit with Italy and Sweden somewhere in between. This should be a fantastic scrap for position because nobody looks as if they have an easy game at any stage. Belgium are 11/10 to win the group outright, but Italy are 13/8 not too far behind them. Sweden, who will rely on the threat of Zlatan Ibrahimovic are out at 6/1 to win the group, with Ireland at 10/1. You would have the biggest concerns over Sweden’s defence and Ireland’s chances will depend on whether or not someone brings their shooting boots. Belgium’s class may well win out at the end of the day, but they failed to take a win against Wales in qualification and that should give Ireland home of really getting into this group.
Euro 2016 Group F betting
Portugal, Iceland, Austria, Hungary
Probably the most interesting thing about Group F is going to be watching the highly rated Austria’s progress. They were very good through qualification and they will be happy enough with this group draw. They are 2/1 behind the even money favourites Portugal win the group, but Austria may be worth the flutter because they have a more balanced set up than Portugal do. Take Ronaldo out of Portugal’s side and you have a very average line up indeed. So if Ronaldo can be handled in the big game between Portugal and Austria, then the Austrians are value to top the pile. Both are odds on prices to qualify, with Iceland at 8/13 to make it through leaving Hungary as the outsiders in the group and they are a price of 4/5 to finish last.
Euro 2016 Group Betting Markets
So there is a brief overview of the Euro 2016 Group Betting. Here Let’s explore in a little more details the types of markets that you can find in the Group Betting. You have the obvious markets of the Winner, To Qualify and Not To Qualify markets, along with the select options of To Finish 2nd, To Finish 3rd and To Finish 4th. Most punters will gravitate towards those but there are other good markets that you can take a look at as well for your Euro 2016 Group Betting.
Forecasts are a great way of trying to boost your returns from group stage betting at Euro 2016. Basically you make a call of who will finish in the first and second positions. For example in Group B and England/Russia Forecast is a 3/1 quote and you would need England to come home first and Russia second. That is naturally a bigger price than backing England to win the group (5/6) and Russia to place second (5/2). So you get more bang for your buck from throwing together in a forecast. The alternative to a straight forecast is a dual forecast.
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This in principal works the same way as a forecast, but the two nations that you pick don’t have to finish in a particular order. So if you backed an England/Russia Dual Forecast at 6/4, the it doesn’t matter if England win with Russia second or Russia win with England second, you win your bet. You are just the naming the top two in the group in any finish. So that could be a good option for a lot of your Euro 2016 group betting. You can of course extend a forecast out to a Tricast by adding a third selection, but a straight Tricast requires that you pick the first, second and third in the group in the correct order. Online bookmaker Sky Bet do have a unique Euro 2016 Group Stage betting market open, where you pick Top/Bottom in each group. Going back to Group B, and England Winner, Slovakia Last Place is a 3/1 punt.
Fancy a free £5 bet for each week of the Euro 2016 championships? Well you can get one through Sky Bet. Just opt in to their Sky Bet Club and then for making £25 worth of qualifying stakes on their sportsbook in the week (the promotional weekends at the close of Sunday) then you will be credited with a free £5 bet. You can stay in the club by making the qualifying bets each week and then of course you are picking up the free bet each week! Register an account with Sky Bet and earn a free £20 bet as a welcome bonus from them.
