Euro 2004 Props - 1

Marc Carinci

Euro 2004 kicks off on Saturday and we’ll have picks for each day of the tournament. Who will be crowned European Champions? Here’s a short guide to help you find out.

France (7:2): No team has won back-to-back Euros. But the sheer quality of this French side renders that statistic meaningless. Their depth and skill in midfield is unrivalled. In fact, this is a better team than France fielded in 2000 and 2002. But at these odds, there’s no real value in backing them to win this tournament. If you fancy a wager on France, take them to win Group B (-125)

Italy (5:1): Unusually for the Italians, they are in good form coming into Euro 2004. This team is hungry for revenge after narrowly losing to France at Euro 2000. Italy have a stronger roster and remain capable of winning this tournament. But as a world-class team they control their own destiny. If they fail, the Italians have only themselves to blame. These outright odds are a bit short. Take Italy to win Group C (-125)

Portugal (7:1): As hosts, the Portuguese have a great chance to win Euro 2004. Home advantage is huge at competitions like these and cannot be overemphasized. Luiz Felipe Scolari, one of the world’s best coaches, is a proven winner. The only worry is Portugal’s long break from competitive soccer (as hosts they automatically qualified). Although these odds are shorter than we’d hoped, Portugal remains decent value to win this tournament.

Czech Republic (14:1): The Czechs have enormous depth up front, combined with a solid midfield and dependable defence (not to mention a world-class goalkeeper in Petr Cech). They play as a perfect unit, not a just a bunch of talented individuals. And they are very well coached. It’s no surprise they dominated the qualifying round. This team’s mental strength alone can take them far. At these odds, the Czech Republic is an excellent bet.

Germany (20:1): Unlike many teams at Euro 2004, Germany’s edge is their mental strength. Perennially written off as unskilled or out of shape, the Germans always turn it up a notch when it really counts. The key for them this year is Kevin Kuranyi, their first real striker in years. He can propel the Germans to victory in this competition. At this price, Germany is outstanding value.

Avoid Spain (8:1), the Netherlands (8:1) and England (9:1). Spain are weak mentally and prone to choke at these kinds of tournaments. The Netherlands have dressing room issues, and can’t be expected to play as a coherent unit. And England simply lack the quality to win this competition.

Other fun props we like:
Czech Republic to qualify from Group D (-175)
Germany to qualify from Group D (-138)
Netherlands not to qualify from Group D (+225)
Russia not to qualify from Group A (-283)
Russia to finish bottom of Group A (+163)
Croatia to finish second to France in Group B (+600)
Switzerland not to qualify from Group B (-400)
Switzerland to finish bottom of Group B (-110)

Czech top goalscorer: Jan Koller (+275)
England top goalscorer: Wayne Rooney (+550)
Germany top goalscorer: Kevin Kuranyi (+333)
Total tournament own-goals under 2.5 (-150)
No goal in the first 3 minutes of any match (+141)
Latvia total team goals over 3 (+400)
Total yellow cards over 117.5 (-125)