Tag: UEFA

Can Porto Savage the “Old Lady?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Porto has long since been considered to be one of the sleeping giants of European football. They went through a golden period in 2003 and 2004. Under Jose Mourinho, they won the Europa League followed by the Champions League. In fact, that win by Porto in the 2004 Champions League season can be considered to be the last time that any club won the competition that wasn’t on the “rich list” of European clubs.

Porto has twice won Europe’s premier club competition having also won in 1987. As top European clubs became richer, the leading teams left clubs like Porto behind. Juventus are also on the list of teams that were considered to be great once upon a time. They have to go back to 1996 for their last Champions League win.

Can Juve Roll Back the Years?

Juventus are definitely a side to be respected. They reached the 2015 Champions League final and gave the mighty Barcelona a scare before eventually losing 3-1. They travel to Portugal for the first leg of their last 16 tie with Porto. Porto crushed Leicester City 5-0 in their final group game.

Once again this highlights just how strong Porto are when at home. Juventus are clearly the favourites to progress over two legs. They have the advantage of being able to play the second leg at home in Turin.

Many people feel this could be their year. Barcelona appears to be out of the competition after losing 4-0 to Paris St Germain. Some experts remain far from convinced about Bayern Munich even though they demolished Arsenal 5-1. Juventus are one of those teams that could lift the trophy should the big three of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich slip up.

Where is the Value in Portugal?

Juventus, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are a list of four very dangerous dark horses that could go all the way. Despite this, Juventus seem poor value to travel to Porto with Bet365 offering just 6/5. Considering a draw will be a great result for Juventus or even a 2-1 defeat, this seems like poor value.

Benfica defeated Borussia Dortmund at home 1-0 in what appeared to be a similarly matched Champions League game to this one. Meanwhile, Porto can be backed at 13/5 with BetVictor and this seems like much better value. Porto has always been traditionally strong at home. It has always been their away form that has let them down.

Euro 2016’s Final Four: Where is the Value?

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s been one of the most entertaining yet unpredictable European Championships in recent memory, but Euro 2016 is now about to reach its climax. Following the departure of pre-tournament favourites Italy, Belgium and England, Europe’s top tournament is now just four teams away from a finale.

Naturally, with the field down to a manageable size and the form books giving us an insight into the likely winners and losers, the odds makers have been busy crunching the numbers over the last few days. Looking forward to not only the final but the overall winners, the likes of Coral and Winner Sport have set their final Euro 2016 odds early.

Will Wales Upset the Odds?

Undoubtedly the surprise package in this year’s tournament has been Wales. Despite a slip against England in the group stages, Gareth Bale and the boys have played far beyond expectations. However, while a win against Belgium was certainly one for the record books, the Welsh dragons will need to breathe some fire against Portugal if they’re going to make it into the final.

Although Ronaldo and co have been far from their best, there’s no doubting the quality in the side. Indeed, Bale will know all about the threat Ronaldo poses from their time together at Real Madrid and if Wales can’t contain the tempestuous talent, it could be a rough night in Lyon on July 6.

According to the odds makers at Coral, Portugal are currently the second favourites for the Euro 2016 title at 10/3, while Wales are out at 8/1. Of course, with pre-tournament title odds in excess of 30/1, Wales have already proved they’re capable of upsetting the odds, so a punt at 8/1 could certainly offer some value.

However, if there’s one remaining team that appears to offer the most in terms of value it’s France. Despite having the tougher of the two semi-finals, France were mightily impressive against Iceland in the quarters. Trouncing the mighty minnows 5-2, France looked as comfortable in front of their home crowd as they have all tournament.

With the nerves apparently settled and the goals flowing, 2/1 championship odds with Coral can’t be ignored. Indeed, even if you accept that Germany at 13/8 are the most likely to hoist the winner’s trophy, a lacklustre performance against Italy (Germany scraped through on penalties) will give France a lot of confidence heading into the July 7 showdown.

Don’t Discount Any Outcome

While the fans, pundits and bookmakers are currently sizing up the champions elect, there’s also money to be made in the finalists betting markets. Winner Sports currently has Portugal as the 1/2 favourites to make it Saint-Denis on July 10, while France and Germany are pick’em bets at 4/5 and 10/11 respectively.

Naturally, the old cliché that “football is a funny old game” is one that can’t be ignored this summer. Thanks to upsets from the likes of Iceland and Wales, fans around the world have been shown that literally anything can happen in this tournament and, more importantly, it still could.

Will Wales win? Can France use their home advantage to, well, their advantage? Or will a Germany/Portugal final be the most likely outcome? Whether you’re an odds lover or you like to rely on your instincts, there’s a lot of Euro 2016 value to be had when you visit our recommended sports-books.