Euro 2008: Group B second round betting

Germany are a standout 4/5 to continue where they left off against Poland and clinch their second win of Euro 2008 against Croatia on Thursday. Click here for a free £25 to bet on Euro 2008 with Blue Square Joachim Löw's men were typically efficient in their 2-0 win opening group win as Lukas Podolski scored twice to get Germany's campaign off to a promising start and, although Croatia are unlikely to make the same mistakes that gave Poland coach Leo Beenhakker sleepless nights, the class will out against the table-clothed ones. Croatia may have played England off the park at Wembley in qualifying but they did not look nearly as bright against Austria on Sunday. Their cutting edge has been blunted by the absence of the injured Eduardo and, after requiring a third-minute penalty by Luka Modric to overcome the lesser of the lowly tournament co-hosts, there is little to suggest they can cope with the quality among Germany's ranks. Germany have a glittering line-up of talented individuals, particularly up front, and they can be relied upon to get the better of Slaven Bilic's men, who do not have the same strength in depth as their opponents. This will probably be a cagey game, with Croatia likely to defend in numbers and play for the draw in the hope of overcoming the lesser lights of Poland in their final group game. But with Michael Ballack, Sebastien Schweinsteiger and Torsten Frings in support of Miroslav Klose, Podolski and Mario Gomez, this column's tip to get to the final, along with Portugal, can be trusted to bank another three points in what has all the makings of a close game. In Group B's other game, Poland, so impressive in qualifying, look to make amends for their opening defeat to Germany by quashing any hopes of qualification for co-hosts Austria. The Austrians, who lost 1-0 to Croatia in a dour opener, will hope to avoid the fate of fellow hosts Switzerland who were knocked out last night. If Austria can get a result against the weakest of the three teams they will play then all will depend on their match-up with near neighbours Germany. If the Germans beat Croatia tonight as expected, then they will have qualified and will field a weaker team against Austria, and the Austrians could do the unthinkable and reach the knockout stages in that scenario by taking points off Germany. First off they have to see their way past Poland. Take Austria to buck recent trends against the Poles - they lost twice (3-2 and 3-1) in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers - and to come out on top in front of their home fans. You should also expect goals as Poland have scored at least three times in their last four meetings with Austria. Verdict: 3pts Germany @ 5/6; 2pts ht/ft Draw/Germany @ 7/2; 2pts Germany 1-0 @ 11/2; 1pt Austria @ 12/5 Click here for a free £25 to bet on Euro 2008 with Blue Square