Euro-2016-Group-A-France

Euro 2016 – Group A featuring France

So we are almost halfway through the 2016 European Championships aka Euro Cup and we have to say it’s been an exciting tournament thus far with lots of games being decided in the final few minutes. With only the final round of matches left in each group now is the time to go big or go home if you’re a bettor. This will be a series of 6 posts were we’ll be looking at the each group on what has happened thus far and the bets you should be making in the final round of matches. We will start with Group A which features France. All our Betting Tips have been highlighted like this*

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Overall Group Summary: –Remaining Fixtures: –  Match 25 Romania X Albania 19th June 2016 Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon Match 26 Switzerland X France 19th June 2016 Stade Pierre Mauroy

  • France have already qualified for the knockout & have also assured themselves a top two finish thanks to their two wins.
  • Switzerland have also assured themselves a top three finish and quite possibly an entry to the knockouts thanks to their 4 points till now.
  • Romania have just one point against their name thanks to the draw against the Swiss.
  • Albania are yet to register a point.

Permutations & Combinations: – 

  • If France are to draw or win the game against Switzerland then they’ll top the group and ensure a easier fixture in the round of 16’s.
  • As for the Swiss a win against France would help them top the group but they do need atleast draw to safely guarantee a top 2 finish & qualification to the knockouts.
  • For Romania a win is a must if they are to have any hope of qualification, if they win their final game against Albania by 2 or more goals and if the Swiss suffer defeat against France by two more goals then the Romanians will qualify as the group runners-up. However since four out of the 6 third place finishers also qualify for the knockouts it’s essential for Romania to win so as to remain in contention.
  • For Albania the equation is simple, win their final game and hope all the planets align perfectly for them.

Bets you might want to hmm… Bet on!

  • Romania to not qualify for the knockouts – 1.85 (Betfair)
  • Top 4 Exact Bet-
  1. France
  2. Switzerland
  3. Romania
  4. Albania

Odds :- 2.20 (Sky Bet)

  • Romania to finish 3rd – 1.95 (Betway)
  • France X Switzerland
  1. Draw – 3.00 (Bet 365)
  2. Under 2.5 Goals & Draw – 3.5 (William Hill)
  • Romania X Albania
  1. Draw – 3.60 (Ladbrokes)
  2. Draw & 0-0 scoreline – 8.50 (Skybet)
  3. Under 1.5 goals – 3.00 (William Hill)

*All of the above mentioned bets are our choices hence not highlighting them individually. As you might notice all the must place bets are on Romania and that’s because they are the only team with everything to play for. No i haven’t forgotten about Albania but their chances to qualify for the knockouts are slim even if they manage to beat Romania. Romania & Albania have both struggled in front of goal and have failed to score from open play. Romania off course have two goals against their name both of which were penalties.

Expect this to end in a 0-0 and if goals are involved i wouldn’t bet on anything more than 1. France & Switzerland have ensured themselves a berth in the next round but the onus for both will be to top the group. Apart from a few flashes of brilliance can see this match heading to a draw that may or maynot see the teams scoring.

Individual Team Betting Tips: –

France

The hosts have delivered when it comes to the points as they’ve won both their games and look on course to a easy knockout stage fixture. However it must be noted that both their opponents till now have pushed them to the limit & the Blues have required heroics in the dying stages of both games to get them out of trouble. Their next opponents Swiss will undoubtedly be tougher opponents however it may not be a match that’ll see the true strength of both teams as both will be happy for a draw. Betting Tips: – 

  • Top Scorer
  1. Dmitri Payet – 3.00 (Betvictor)
  2. Antoine Griezmann – 3.00 (Betvictor))
  3. Oliver Giroud – 3.00 (Betvictor)
  • Overall Goals Scored/Conceded
  1. Under 10.5 goals Scored – 1.91 (Skybet) – Currently just four
  2. Between 5 -8 goals Scored – 3.00 (Skybet)
  3. Exactly 2 conceded – 8.50(Skybet) – Currently just one
  • Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

France are currently the 2nd most favored team to win the competition however if they are to finish as they group champions then a tough match-up awaits them against the 3rd placed team in either groups c,d or e which as of this moment looks like either Northern Ireland, Czech Republic or Sweden put we can still see them doing well put not beyond the semi-finals.

  1. Round of 16’s – 5.00 (Betway)
  2. Quarter – 4.33 (Betway)
  3. Semi’s – 6.00 (888 Sport)
  4. Runner-up – 6.00 (Paddypower)
  5. Winner – 4.50 (888 Sport)

Switzerland

The Swiss had their doubters coming into the tournament but as of now no one can complaint about their results. They have more or less assured themselves of a round of 16’s berth and on Sunday all they need is a top point to assure a top 2 finish while a win will make them the group winners. The worrying part for the Swiss will certainly be their performance in front of goal have struggled to put the ball the Albanian and Romanian keepers. *Swiss have scored only 2 goals from their 34 attempts so far in this tournament & both of them have come from set pieces. Haris Seferovic has been most guilty in missing the chances but big names like Xherdan Shaqiri have certainly been missing so far.

Betting Tips: –

  • Top Scorer
  1. Admir Mehmedi – 4.00 (Betvictor)
  2. Fabian Schar – 5.00 (Betvictor)
  3. Haris Seferovic – 7.00 (Betvictor)
  4. Xherdan Shaqiri – 8.00 (Coral)

So far only Mehmedi & Fabian Schar have found the back of the net so far so one of the others who has opened their scoring yet can easily overtake both but another factor that’ll come into play is how far they’ll make it into the tournament. So as of now i would place money on Admir Mehmedi who is a striker as compared to Schar whose a defender.

  • Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

If the Swiss are to finish as the group runners-up then they are to face the runners-up of group c which as of this moment look like Poland. It promises to be a mouth-watering fixture but one were i wouldn’t expect the Swiss team to make it through. So as for the Stage of Elimination i would go for the round of 16’s.

  1. Round of 16’s – 1.80 (Sportingbet)
  2. Quarter – 3.60 (Sportingbet)
  3. Semi’s – 8.00 (Sportingbet)
  4. Runner-up – 26.00 (Sportingbet)
  5. Winner – 51.00 (Sportingbet)

Romania

For Romania it has been a story of so near yet so far, in the tournaments opener versus France they came agonizingly close to getting a deserved three points against France only to see their hardwork dashed  thanks to a moment of brilliance from Dmitri Payet. The same was the story in their second game where they couldn’t hold on to win despite taking the lead early on.

They’ll go into the final game against Albania knowing that only a win would provide them with a chance to get through to the round of 16’s as the best 3rd placed team or depending on the Swiss X France game as the group runner-up. Romania have scored two goals thus far but both of which have come from penalties while their defense have been resolute.

Betting Tips: –

  •  Top Scorer: –
  1. Bogdan Stancu – 1.10 (188 Bet)
  2. Nicolae Stanciu – 26 (Betvictor)

Thanks to Stancu’s two goals/ two penalties so far it’s much of a doubt as to who the Romanian top scorer will be. However there is one more game to go & it’s highly unlikely that someone from a team that hasn’t scored from open play till now will score three against against a defensively sound Albania. It will Stancu however the odds on offer aren’t great hence it’s better to look past Romania now.

  • Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

We won’t repeat what we’ve said but it’s hard to see a high scoring game between Romania & Albania and there progress is in doubt even if they should win the game. So it might be the end of Romania’s Euro 2016 but they’ve certainly made an impression of themselves.

  1. Group Stage – 1.91 (WilliamHill)
  2. Round of 16’s – 2.38 (WilliamHill)
  3. Quarter – 8.00 (888 Sport)
  4. Semi’s – 21.00 (888 Sport)
  5. Runner-up – 101.00 (Betvictor)
  6. Winner – 251.00 (Betvictor)

Albania

The debutantes may not have a point against them so far but have certainly proved that they belong on the big stage. A ten men Albanian side(Captain Lorik Cana was send off in the 1st half with two yellow cards) pushed the Swiss to their limit in the opening game only to fall short by a goal & in their second game against the hosts they held the French side to a 0-0 draw up until the 90th minute only to then see two added time strikes from the hosts deny them a deserved point.

Their final game Romania sees two defense minded teams go at it & Albania have every chance of getting a win or at least a point. Albania have also failed to find the back of the net till now & will need to find it atleast once if they are get the points against Romania. Betting Tips: –

  • Top Scorer
  1. No Scorer – 2.00 (188 Bet)
  2. Sokol Cikalleshi – 7.00 (Betvictor)
  3. Armando Sadiku – 9.00 (Betvictor)
  4. Ermir Lenjani – 13.00 (Betvictor)

As much as we want Albania to do well in their last game against Romania we can see it being a tight game with both the teams cancelling each other out. Like the bookies we can’t see Albania opening their account in terms of goals so it’s better to take the safe route of no scorer with odds of 2.00 from 188 Bet. If they are to score it must be from a set piece i.e, either from a penalty or from a freekick/corner. Armando Sadiku is their penalty taker & Ermir Lenjani is their freekick specialist.

  • Overall Finish/Stage of Elimination

Mathematically they do have a chance to qualify as the best third placed team but it seems highly unlikely and the group stage will be as far as they see will see of Euro 2016.

  1. Group Stage – 1.11 (Betvictor)
  2. Round of 16’s – 9.00 (888 Sport)
  3. Quarter – 34.00 (888 Sport)
  4. Semi’s – 151.00 (WilliamHill)
  5. Runner-up – 501.00 (WilliamHill)
  6. Winner – 1001.00 (Betvictor)

The odds on offer for Albania reaching the round of 16’s in really good and since they have a chance & have been playing well till now i will stick my neck out and place my money on them reaching the knockouts not because we think it will happen but because of the odds on offer.

Facts & Betting Tips for the last round of group matches

  • Switzerland X France
Switzerland-vs-France-Euro-2016-Group-A

Switzerland vs France – Euro 2016 – Group A

  1. The three times these teams have met before in major competitions France have dominated their opponents with 3 wins from 3 with the last of those being a 5-2 win in the 2014 world cup.
  2. The last time Swiss won a game against France was in 1992. (Scoreline: 2-1)
  3. Switzerland are set to make history by making it through the knockouts of this competition for the 1st time.
  4. Despite the firm opposition France are the only team in competition to have won both their game so far.
  5. Three of France’s four goals in this tournament have come on or after the 89th minute.

Prediction: – (1-1), A good game with both teams missing lot chances being missed by both teams with Xhaqiri finally coming back to form & Giroud scoring his second of the tournament. Betting Tips:- 

  1. Draw – 2.90 (Bet 365)
  2. Under 2.5 goals – 1.53 (888 Sport)
  3. Both teams to score – 2.38 (Paddypower)
  • Romania X Albania
Romania-vs-Albania-Euro 2016-Group-A

Romania vs Albania – Euro 2016 – Group A

  1. Albania are meeting familiar foes Romania whom they’ve met on 16 different occasions before Sunday and they’ve managed only 2 wins & lost 10.
  2. The last of Albania’s wins over Romania came in 1948, a 1-0 win.
  3. The last time Romania won a game in the Euro’s was in 2000 when they beat England 3-2.
  4. Albania despite their resolute defense have been poor upfront managing to make only 2 attempts on goal in their two matches so far.
  5. If Albania don’t score they’ll tie Turkey’s record of not scoring on their Euro debut.

Betting Tips: –

  1. Romania Clean Sheet – 1.57 (Bet 365)
  2. Under 1.5 Goals – 2.63 (Bet 365)
  3. 0-0 Draw Correct Score Bet – 7.50 (Bet 365).