So group A went along as expected and we were lucky enough to get most of our betting tips spot on, see if for yourself. On to Group B now where all four teams involved are in with a shot to qualify for the knockouts. A special shout out to Albania though who played like their lifes depended on it and not only scored their first ever goal against Romania but also registered their first ever win in a major tournament.

It will still be difficult for the Albanians to go through as one of the four best 3rd placed teams but like every neutral fan we hope they make it. Anyways lets out the various stats and bets you should be making ahead of tonight’s Group B fixtures.

All out betting tips will be highlighted*

Group B
Pos.	Country	Games	Won	Draw	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Points
1	England	2	1	1	0	3	2	+1	4
2	Wales	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
3	Slovakia	2	1	0	1	3	3	0	3
4	Russia	2	0	1	1	2	3	-1	1

Remaining Fixtures: –

Match 27

Russia X Wales

20th June 2016

Stadium Municipal, Toulouse

Match 28

Slovakia X England

20th June 2016

Stade Geoffroy Guichard, Saint Etienne

Overall Group Summary: –

• England are currently heading the table with 4 points of two games & have assured themselves of a top three finish.
• Wales are second in the table thanks to their win against Slovakia.
• Slovakia suffered a defeat in their first game but bounced back with a win against Russia & sees them tied on points and GD with Wales.
• Russia are at bottom of the table with a only point they earned against England to their names.

Permutations & Combinations: –

• England have more or less ensured themselves a berth in the knockouts as at least one of the best 3rd placed teams  however they’ll be wanting top the group which is possible with a win or draw which then will depend on how the other game in the group goes.
• For Wales they can’t settle for anything less than a win against Russia. A point will be enough to qualify however a win for Slovakia against England would see them slip to 3rd and as a result they’ll be handed a more difficult tie in the round of 16’s.
• Slovakia who had been written off as the weakest team in the group have put themselves in contention for the knockouts thanks to their win against Russia. They’ll however need at least a point against England to qualify.
• For Russia the equation is simple, if they are to have any chance of a knockout berth then they’ll need a win against Wales however the good news is that a win can help them sneak into the top 2 if England win their game.

Group based Betting Tips: –

• Wales to top the group – 6.50 (Betvictor)
• Straight Forecast – Wales/England – 9.00 (Bet 365)

There isn’t a lot of options when it comes bets on Group B in general. As you can see I’ve placed my money on Wales to win the group. Even though i personally want England to win the reason for us to back Wales is because their final opponents Russia have hardly been convincing so far and England’s final opponents Slovakia have looked determined.

The odds on offer for Wales to top the group is also worthy, so consider placing your money on Wales. Other than that the other bets on offer are either too low or just too risky.

Individual Team Betting Tips: –

England

To be fair England have been playing with plenty of flair & passion. They were unlucky to have dropped two points against Russia despite being the better team by some margin. In their second game against Wales also they were the better team but this time had to depend on a injury time goal to grab the three points.

The team has been creating plenty of chances however the likes of Harry Kane & Raheem Sterling have gone missing and will surely be on the bench in their final game against Slovakia. Hodgson may even be brave enough to give some of the players a start in the final game which will mean the likes of Henderson, Milner, Wilshere & the heroic duo of Jamie Vardy & Daniel Sturridge starting the game.

Betting Tips: –

• Top Scorer

1. Jamie Vardy – 3.75 (Paddypower)
2. Daniel Sturridge – 4.00 (Skybet)
3. Harry Kane – 6.00 (William Hill)
4. Wayne Rooney – 7.00 (William Hill)

• Overall Goals Scored/Conceded

1. 5-8 Goals Scored – 2.10 (Skybet) – 3 goals scored till now
2. 9-12 Goals Scored – 3.00 (Skybet)
3. 7+ Goals Conceded – 3.25 (Skybet) – 2 Conceded till now
4. 5-6 Goals Conceded – 2.10 (Skybet)
5. Over 7.5 Goals scored – 1.73 (Skybet)
6. Over & Under 5.5 Goals conceded – 1.83 (Skybet)

• Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

England are not exactly the favorites to win the competition at least according to the bookies i.e, but they are ranked 4th being Germany to do so. Their defense is still suspect with the duo of Kyle Walker & Danny Rose more interested in attacking than defending which’ll get them into trouble against the better teams. Chris Smalling is another who has been flying under the radar but has been uneasy in the partnership with Gary Cahill.

The missing firing duo of Harry Kane & Raheem Sterling is another story but that seems to have been addressed with the introduction of Jamie Vardy & Daniel Sturridge. If England are to top the group them face the 3rd placed team in either groups A/C/D i.e, Albania, Northern Ireland or Czech Republic. As runners-up of the group they’ll face the runner-up of Group F which as of this moment looks like Portugal and will want to avoid that confrontation atleast in this stage of the tournament.

Despite popular i’ll back them to reach the semi-finals from then on it’s unpredictable and i’ll place some money on England to win the competition but a semi-final berth looks the safest bet.

1. Round of 16’s – 3.20 (Paddypower)
2. Quarter – 3.40 (Coral)
3. Semi’s – 5.00 (Coral)
4. Runner-up – 9.00 (Coral)
5. Winner – 8.00 (Betvictor)

Another interesting bet i came across was the amount of group points they’d score:

1. 7 Points -1.67 (Betfair)
2. 5 Points – 3.20 (Betfair)

Wales

The likes of Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey & Joe Allen will make one forget that Wales are a team who are competing in their first ever European Championships. They did well in the opener versus Slovakia but were their 2nd team by a large margins against England. A draw could take them through to the knockouts but a win can maybe help them top the group and a easier fixture for the round of 16’s.

The lack of creativity was apparent in the game against England and the likes of Gareth Bale needs to prove his tag as the most expensive player in the world.

Betting Tips: –

• Top Scorer

1. Gareth Bale – 1.08 (Paddypower)
2. Hal Robson Kanu – 10.00 (Paddypower)
3. Aaron Ramsey – 34.00 (Betvictor)

• Overall Goals Scored/Conceded

1. 5-6 Goals conceded – 2.00 (Skybet) – 3 goals till now
2. 7+ Goals conceded – 2.38 (Skybet)
3. 5-6 Goals scored – 3.00 (Skybet) – 3 till now
4. 3-4 Goals scored – 2.25 (Skybet)
5. Over 5.5 Goals scored – 2.20 (Skybet)

• Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

Wales should get the better of a Russian side how have been poor till now. If they are to win and England are to either lose/draw against Slovakia then Wales will go through to the knockouts as the group topper and will have a fairly easy route to the quarter while and runners-up finish might see them face a Portugal side who themselves have been poor so far.

Either way as predicted i expect England to stutter against Slovakia and Wales to win against Russia so as of now Wales should make it into the quarters but not more than that.

1. Round of 16’s – 2.20 (Betway)
2. Quarter – 4.33 (Betvictor)
3. Semi’s – 23.00 (888 Sport)
4. Runner-up – 51.00 (888 Sport)
5. Winner – 126.00 (888 Sport)

Slovakia

Slovakia have been proving time and time again that they are not “underdogs” and can hang with the best the most recent example being their win against Spain in qualifying. Slovakia were unlucky to have not gotten any points from their opening game against Wales but bounced back with a inspiring performance against Russia and have three points from two games so far.

Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik has been the stand out player from the Slovakian contingent both as a playmaker and in front of the goal. The Slovakian defense also deserves a mention for their brilliant performance in protecting their lead against Russia.

Betting Tips: –

• Top Scorer

1. Marek Hamsik – 2.50 (Coral)
2. Valdimir Weiss – 4.00 (Betvictor)
3. Ondrej Duda – 8.00 (Netbet)

• Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

Slovakia will need atleast a point against England to have a chance at qualification but it’s not something that they are not capable off. If the stars align perfectly i.e, if they beat England and Wales X Russia ends in a draw then they’ll proceed to the knockouts as the group champions.

Although they wouldn’t have expected to be in this situation at this stage of the tournament it will be something both the players and supporters will be looking forward to eagerly.  After all it’s the perfect Hollywood story, a underdog facing off against a bunch of spoiled brats, so what will it be?

We expect Slovakia to go through atleast as one of the 3rd best placed team but it’s in the round of 16’s that their journey will end but they can look forward to better things to come atleast that’ll be case for Hamsik who’ll have plenty of buyers after the end of the tournament.

1. Round of 16’s – 2.00 (888 Sport)
2. Quarter – 6.50 (888 Sport)
3. Semi’s – 31.00 (888 Sport)
4. Runner-up – 67.00 (888 Sport)
5. Winner – 151.00 (Betvictor)

Russia

It’s fair to say that Russia have been one of the disappointments of the tournament and face the risk of an early exit from the tournament and which will most certainly end Leonid Slutsky’s dual role as Russian National Coach and Head Coach of CSKA Moscow.

Most expected Russia to get the better of Slovakia after their late late goal against England fetched them a point but they looked devoid of any fight in them and scummed to 2-1 defeat to Slovakians.

• Top Scorer

1. Denis Glushakov – 3.00 (Betvictor)
2. Vasili Berezutski – 2.75 (Coral)

Russia have managed to score a goal a piece in both their matches but the question is whether they’ll be able to score another. It’s a risky bet to place my money on since the two of the Russians that have scored till is a defender and a holding midfielder. So stay of the Russians.

• Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

A win would put Russia through to the knockouts as either the best 3rd placed team or a runners-up if England beat Slovakia. But they are going up against a Wales side who themselves have plenty to prove and in all fairness been playing better. So the best result Russians who conjure up is a draw which won’t be enough and end of their 2016 European Journey.

1. Group Stage – 1.50 (Betvictor) – Low odds but should be a definite winner
2. Round of 16’s – 4.00 (William Hill)
3. Quarters – 7.00 (William Hill)

Facts & Betting Tips from the final round of matches

• England X Slovakia

1. England are set to bring in 6 fresh faces into the starting 11 with the likes of Wayne Rooney,Kyle Walker, Harry Kane to start from the bench.
2. Vardy & Sturridge are expected to start upfront.
3. England have managed only 3 goals from a total of 35 shots so far.
4. It’s been more than a decade since England lost a game in normal time, their last defeat came in the 2004 Euro when France beat them 2-1.
5. Slovakia haven’t kept a clean sheet in the last six matches in any major tournaments.
6. The last game that Slovakia drew in a major tournament was during 2010 World Cup when their match versus New Zealand ended in a 1-1 draw.

Prediction: – (2-2), In a tournament where goals have been hard to come by i expect this game to break the chains and goals a plenty. If any team is to win it that’ll be England but we expect Hamsik and the Slovakians to give England a tough game.

Betting Tips: –

1. England Win: – 1.91 (888 Sport) – a small bet
2. Draw: – 3.25 (Betway)
3. Over 2.5 Goals: – 2.75 (William Hill)
4. Anytime Goal Scorer – Sturridge : – 3.25 (Paddypower)
5. Both Teams to Score: – 2.40 (Betvictor)

• Wales X Russia

1. Russia have won on their three previous meetings against the Welsh side.
2. Wales’ only win against the Russians till date was in 1966 World Cup qualifier. (2-1)
3. Russia have only of their last 7 internationals and that coming against Lithuania in  March in a friendly.
4. Russia’s last three goals in European competitions have been headed goals.
5. In both the previous games Wales have scored from their first shot on target both of them from Gareth Bale & being direct freekicks.

Prediction: – (2-0), All of tonight’s matches are unpredictable to call atleast when it comes to the scoreline, i do expect Wales to win it but how they might do so is a mystery. Russia have been poor and that’s the only reason why i gone with a clean sheet for Wales.

Betting Tips: –

1. Wales to Win: – 3.10 (Marathon Bet)
2. Anytime Scorer – Gareth Bale: – 2.80 (Paddypower)