France boss Didier Deschamps must have been thanking his lucky stars when the draw for the Euros was made and France were given a relatively easy route to the knockout stages. With Romania, Switzerland and unfancied Albania completing the group, it would be a major surprise if Les Bleus didn’t finish at the top of Group A. Football is one hugely surprising sport, of course, so could there be an upset on the cards? Read on the latest betting tips and odds for the key Group A matches and predictions about which sides we think will qualify for the next round of the European Championship.
Given that France – the host nation of Euro 2016 – are joint favourites with Germany to win the whole tournament, it is no surprise to see them priced as the strong odds-on favourites to finish atop Group A. They find themselves in arguably the easiest group in the competition (though Portugal also have a plum draw in Group F) and even at best odds of just 2/5 with Sky Bet to end up as Group A winners, it is hard to oppose the French.
Switzerland have a tendency to grind out results in major tournaments, and given that they should have the beating of both Romania and Albania, we see the Swiss qualifying for the knockout stage of Euro 2016 in second place in the group. You can back the Swiss to finish second in the group at best betting odds of 3/2 with Sky Bet, which looks decent value to us. Having said that, they weren’t particularly impressive when finishing second behind England in qualifying so there is a chance they could slip up when facing one of the two less-fancied sides.
As for the other two sides, much will depend on the match between them on 19th June. Either side could creep through as one of the four best-placed third place sides, but given this will be judged on points earned followed by goal difference they will need to keep things tight against the better sides before winning their crucial final group match. Of the two sides, Romania undoubtedly have the stoutest defence having conceded just two goals in their 10 qualifying matches, the fewest of any side in qualifying.
This defensive solidity might even allow Romania to nick second spot if they get a victory against Switzerland on 15th June. Realistically though, we think backing Romania to finish in third spot (at odds of 3/2 with Sky Bet) and simply to qualify for the next round of the tournament (at 5/6 with William Hill) should both pay dividends.
As for Albania, they are the 4/5 favourites to finish at the foot of Group A and we think that price is well worth taking. Okay, they did manage an impressive 1-0 win when visiting Portugal in a qualifier, but that was back in September 2014, and they lost their last two matches during qualification (to Serbia and Portugal) and look likely to be the ones to struggle in this group.
As well as conceding the fewest goals in qualifying, Romania were also one of only four sides (along with England, Austria and Italy) to remain unbeaten on the road to the Euros. This was no mean feat given they were in a group with plenty of dangerous sides in the form of Northern Ireland, Hungary, Finland and Greece – the latter of whom won Euro 2004, it should be remembered.
With this in mind, there is a part of us that is tempted to put a side bet on Anghel Iordănescu’s side to finish at the top of Group A, something that appeals at nice odds of 10/1 with Coral. While France are the clear favourites and should finish at the top if they play to their vast potential, there is always some doubt around whether France will bother turning up at any major tournament. With in-fighting and questioning of the coach’s methods par for the course from a France squad at a tournament, there is always the chance they could self-destruct in the summer, especially if they fail to win their opening match against Romania. As such, backing Romania to win the group might not be the worst bet in the world.
Whoever you choose to bet, be sure to make good use of our betting odds comparison tables that will give you best prices from the most trustworthy bookies around meaning more betting value and greater profits for you!