Reigning World Cup champion is fancied to repeat its 2008 success by remaining Europe’s best national soccer side.
Friday 3rd September 2010
The initial round of qualifying matches for football’s 2012 European Championships takes place this weekend with Spain, Germany and The Netherlands already listed as among the favourites to win the 14th edition of the quadrennial tournament.
The 2012 European Championships will take place in eight host cities in Poland and the Ukraine from early-June with 16 national sides vying to be crowned the continent’s best soccer team.
Fresh from its World Cup triumph in South Africa this summer, Spain is listed at odds of 7/2 by SkyBet.com, EuroSportBet.co.uk, SportingBet.com, BoyleSports.com, WilliamHill.com, ToteSport.com and BetFred.com to win the 2012 European Championships while WBX.com shows 39/10.
A single Fernando Torres goal saw Spain defeat Germany in a tight affair in Vienna in 2008 to claim its second European Championships title and VictorChandler.com, Betfair.com, PaddyPower.com, Ladbrokes.com, BetDaq.com, Bwin.com, bet365.com, 888Sport.com, BlueSq.com, Coral.co.uk and StanJames.com are offering odds of 4/1 on a third come 2012 for ‘La Furia Roja’.
Germany has won the European Championships on a trio of occasions to become the competition’s most successful side while losing out in the final a further three times. Punters can get odds of 4/1 on ‘Die Mannschaft’ winning the next edition from bet365.com while Bwin.com, BoyleSports.com and VictorChandler.com are currently offering 9/2.
Slightly longer, WilliamHill.com, ToteSport.com, 888Sport.com, BetFred.com, EuroSportBet.co.uk, SkyBet.com, WBX.com, SportingBet.com and BlueSq.com have the recent World Cup’s third-place team at odds of 5/1 to succeed in Poland and the Ukraine followed by Betfair.com at 27/5.
At the far end of the spectrum are Coral.co.uk, StanJames.com and PaddyPower.com offering odds of 11/2 on Germany winning a fourth European Championship and its first since 1996 while BetDaq.com has 28/5 before Ladbrokes.com with 6/1.
The Netherlands were defeated in the final of this summer’s World Cup despite impressing with some dogged and workmanlike performances partnered with a seemingly new team spirit that has often been lacking in the past. BoyleSports.com and Bwin.com have the ‘Flying Dutchmen’ at odds of 13/2 to win their first European Championships since 1988 while bettors can get 7/1 at SkyBet.com, EuroSportBet.co.uk, SportingBet.com, WilliamHill.com, PaddyPower.com, Ladbrokes.com and BetFred.com.
The Dutch have made it to at least the quarter-finals in each of the previous six competitions and Bet365.com, StanJames.com, BlueSq.com, ToteSport.com and 888Sport.com are showing odds of 15/2 that the team will win it all in 2012. This is being followed by BetDaq.com, Coral.co.uk, VictorChandler.com and WBX.com with 8/1 while Betfair.com lists 41/5.
