Collector’s Item yesterday. A match that went with the form. Ukraine v Sweden saw goals and no draw.
England looked good and it was a match I left alone, apart from a halftime/fulltime lay of England/England which was not a trade.
Today the dynamic changes as matches are reactive to results from the first fixture.
5pm – Greece v Czech Republic – 2.42 away
We’ve seen these 2 teams. Greece your typical unders merchants kept that run going and the Czechs I mentioned were tough to read. This is a match of little appeal as a spectacle or as a betting medium.
Basically both sides need a win. The Czech need is the greater. 2 defeats on the trot and it should be game over for this tournament.
Sorry folks, but I am stumped here! 2 poor teams . Czechs cannot lose this match – perhaps that is an angle in. Greece are nowhere near as strong offensively as Russia were but remember Greece have scored in their last 10 matches!!
745pm – Poland v Russia – 2.58 away – Russia impressed, albeit against a poor Czech side. Poland drew 1-1 with Greece. At first glance, that 2.58 for Russia looks quite tempting, or rather, the 3.25 for Poland looks layable. The dynamic of this match will be impacted by the 5pm result. These 2 teams have a slight advantage in that they will have a firm idea of what they need to do.
Poland kept 5 consecutive clean sheets before the Greece match. Indeed, Greece did not score until the 51st minute. This seems to be the foundation of Poland’s success?
Those clean sheets were largely in friendlies as Poland qualify automatically.
The Ruskies are unbeaten in 15 now, with 9 clean sheets and only ever conceding a maximum of 1 goal in matches. Head to heads have seen overs , albeit the last head to head was in 2007.Russia have scored 3 and 4 in their last 2 matches.
It looks to me like Poland will be unable to score more than one here, and Russia are more likely, than not, to score.
Instinctively I’d lay Poland here, despite home advantage.
Again, a match though whose tactics may change in relation to the earlier result. Remember in group matches, a team will do what it needs to progress, which suggests if a win is not required, a draw will suffice.