Euro 2012
2012-06-08 - Poland vs Greece
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: Euro 2012 Group A
Friday 8 June 2012 - Kick Off 5pm
This game is live on TV
Preview
The Euro 2012 tournament is finally upon us and the co-hosts Poland will be opening it up against Greece with some real expectations on their shoulders. However, they would do well to remember what happened to the co-hosts at the last European Championships when both Austria and Switzerland were knocked out at the group stage and that should focus Poland into not believing the hosts are guaranteed a safe passage through to the next stage.
Poland do have the hopes of the nation resting with them as many would have looked at the group and considered a place in the Quarter Finals as the minimum of what the side should achieve. However, this is one of those games that they know they cannot afford to lose if they are to achieve those goals and that brings a different kind of pressure on itself.
They will look to Robert Lewandowski to supply the goals to send them through after the striker had a very good season for Borussia Dortmund and he has also been grabbing the attention of some of the top clubs in Europe. He has yet to transfer his club form to his country and that could be the key to this game.
With a lack of competitive games in the last couple of years, it will be interesting to see how Poland begin this game, particularly against a tough Greece side that is looking to replicate the success of the national side in 2004.
Back then, Greece surprised the whole of Europe by winning the tournament in Portugal as the 100-1 shot and, while that is unlikely to be repeated, they will feel they can get back to the Quarter Finals at the very least. They finished top of a qualifying group that included Croatia and they remain a team that is tough to beat.
The Greeks have also picked up some decent friendly results and they will be hoping for performances to match 2004 rather than 2008 when they lost all 3 group stage games and exited the competition at the first hurdle.
Head to Head
These two teams have met three times since 2000 and it is Poland who hold the edge with 2 wins and a draw in that time, all games being friendlies.
Poland have not conceded a goal in those games and won both games they played at home.
Prediction
The opening games of these major tournaments are generally tight and low scoring affairs as neither side will want to start off with a loss that puts them in a big hole with just three games in the group stage.
Poland are under a lot of pressure to perform and it is interesting to note the struggles of the hosts in opening games over the last few years in the European Championships. Four years ago, both Austria and Switzerland were beaten in their opening games as were Portugal in 2004.
Belgium and Holland won their games in 2000, but England, Sweden and West Germany all failed to do so and it seems the pressure and anxiety may play a part.
Greece are also no mugs having drawn in Croatia during the qualifying campaign and they were unbeaten in their section, while they still have some members of the Euro 2004 winning team in their ranks. They will be able to expend their experience to their team-mates having beaten the hosts Portugal in the opening game in that tournament before going all the way to the winners enclosure.
This is likely to be a low-scoring game, but I am going to back the pressure to be the winner and with both teams looking to avoid defeat, I think there is every chance Greece can avoid defeat in this game. I have a feeling the Greeks will get through to the Quarter Finals from this group and they will likely need a result in this one to do so... Therefore I am going to back them to avoid defeat at the least in this one.
The Pick :
Poland 1-1 Greece
FIXED ODDS BETTING TIP :
I'll back Greece +0.25 Asian Handicap @ 2.25 (188Bet)
