Euro 2012 Group D comprises of England, France, Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine. We take a look at the current and historical form of each of these sides in major championships and the odds relating to how far they will progress in the tournament.
Group D gets underway on Monday 11th June when France take on England followed by Ukraine's clash with Sweden. This looks to have the makings of a tight group so let's take a look at each of these nations in a bid to find a winning punt.
England:
England came through qualifying unbeaten ahead of Montenegro, Switzerland, Wales and Bulgaria. They won five and drew three of their matches and Wayne Rooney's red card in their final qualifier means he will sit out the first two games in these finals. The appointment of Roy Hodgson was a long time in coming and he has selected the following squad as England bid to be crowned European Champions for the first time. Their best performance came in 1996 when as hosts, England reached the semi finals. They failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and their 2010 World Cup campaign was something of a disaster, limping through their group and then crashing out to Germany in the first knockout round.
To Lift the Trophy 11/1 BetXchange, Hollywood, Voltbet
To Reach the Final 5/1 BetXchange,
To Reach the Semi Final 22/10 BetXchange
To Win Group D 17/10 BetXchange
To Qualify from Group D 11/20 BetXchange
France:
France were undoubtedly the biggest let down of World Cup 2010 but they have since turned the corner under Laurent Blanc as they overcame a sluggish start to qualifying to eventually top their group ahead of Bosnia, Romania, Belarus, Albania and Luxembourg. The French have also thrown in some decent performances in friendly matches under Blanc's reign, winning in Germany earlier this years as well as at both co-hosts of this tournament, Poland and Ukraine, in 2011. With the debacle of their World Cup in South Africa still fresh in many a memory, France probably need a good start more than most nations and Blanc has opted for the following squad. Euro 2008 saw France pick up just one point from a draw with Romania and a 4-1 hiding from the Dutch and 2-0 defeat to Italy saw them head home early. They did win this title in 1984 and 2000 and were beaten semi finalists in 1996.
To Lift the Trophy 12/1 World Sports Betting
To Reach the Final 5/1 BetXchange, World Sports Betting, Voltbet
To Reach the Semi Final 2/1 World Sports Betting
To Win Group D 7/4 Voltbet
To Qualify from Group D 5/10 World Sports Betting
Ukraine:
Like fellow co-hosts Poland, Ukraine didn't have to qualify for these finals and hence form in friendly internationals is all we have to go on. With the exception of a 3-3 draw with Germany towards the end of last year they haven't really tested themselves against top nations but in addition to home advantage, one factor which could be in coach Oleh Blokhin's favour is the majority of his squad ply their trade in Ukraine with Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk heavily represented. On the downside, this will be their their first ever appearance in the Euro finals.
To Lift the Trophy 50/1 BetXchange, Hollywood
To Reach the Final 16/1 BetXchange, World Sports Betting
To Reach the Semi Final 6/1 World Sports Betting
To Win Group D 5/1 World Sports Betting
To Qualify from Group D 14/10 BetXchange, World Sports Betting
Sweden:
After finishing three points behind the Dutch in the qualifying group, Sweden were granted a passage straight to the finals as one of the best runners up. They won eight of their ten qualifiers to finish ahead of the likes of Hungary and Finland. Erik Hamrén is the coach and he has named the following 23 man party. The Swedes bowed out of the group stage in Euro 2008 despite winning their opening game. Their best performance came back in 1992 when as hosts, they reached the semi finals.
To Lift the Trophy 80/1 BetXchange, Hollywood
To Reach the Final 22/1 BetXchange, World Sports Betting
To Reach the Semi Final 15/2 BetXchange, World Sports Betting, Voltbet
To Win Group D 6/1 Hollywood
To Qualify from Group D 18/10 BetXchange, Hollywood
Note, odds are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change. Not all bookmakers had priced up at the time of writing.
Group D Verdict:
This looks really hard to unravel. England tend to do just enough to get through the group stage of major tournaments before bowing out to the first of the top nations they meet in the knockout rounds but I wouldn't necessarily rule out an improved display under new management. Ukraine might well find this tough but co-hosting this tournament is the proudest chapter in their football history and presumably they will have a terrific fighting spirit with a real togetherness in the composition of their squad. Sweden have had their moments over the years and despite not having the strength in depth in terms of quality, they are aren't exactly whipping boy material. That leaves France who were bordering on disgrace in the last World Cup and very poor in Euro 2008 but they look a different proposition under Laurent Blanc and they get the most tentative of votes to top this group.
Bet: France To Win Group D 7/4 Voltbet
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