Euro 2008: Group betting - football tips

When it comes to tipping a winner for Euro2008 there are several countries that come into the equation, but for anyone looking for a more sure thing, group betting offers a far more straightforward opportunity to make money. Click here for a free £25 to bet on Euro 2008 with Blue Square Group A Such is the format of the draws in this tournament that three of the four group winners simply jump out at the page. In Group A, there is Portugal, who have already been tipped in this column to go the distance. Cristiano Ronaldo, Simao, Joao Moutinho, Nani, Ricardo Quaresma et al will have far too much pace and skill for Switzerland, Turkey and the Czech Republic. The Czechs should squeeze into second place on the strength of their impressive defence, which conceded just five goals in 12 qualifiers, but without the creative duo of Pavel Nedved and Tomas Rosicky, they will need Petr Cech to be on his mettle. Group B It's never a good idea to ignore the Germans, and there is even less cause to do so this year, as their strike force of Miroslav Klose, Mario Gomez, Kevin Kuranyi, Oliver Neuville, Lukas Podolski, to name but five, is the stuff of dreams. Their group is not as easy as it first appears as Croatia and Poland can both be unpredictable, but class will out over the course of their three games. Poland have been dire in recent friendlies, scraping 1-1 draws against Denmark and FYR Macedonia and a scrappy 1-0 win over Albania. Without Eduardo, Croatia are shorn of the man who scored 10 of their 12 qualifying goals, but they should nonetheless make it through as they have a solid unit and a midfield capable of passing teams to death - as England know all too well. The straight forecast is a great value bet in this section. Austria are the worst team at the tournament and are a banker to finish last. Group C Not for no reason is this section being referred to as the group of death. World Cup winners Italy and finalists France clash again, but their survival in the tournament will be questioned by Holland and Romania. Romania will probably come last but this group is too tough to call so best left well alone. Group D Many punters believe that this is Spain's best chance of winning the tournament but if they do they will have had to beat three of the best teams in Europe in the knockout stages - and given their pedigree of tournament underachievement it's a big ask. Fernando Torres, David Villa, Xavi, Cesc Fabregas and Carles Puyol make for an unbelievable fantasy league team but the likelihood of a tournament win is equally fantastical. They should seal the group though with Russia edging into second ahead of Sweden and Greece. The Scandinavians are an ageing force, with Henrik Larsson, Freddie Ljungberg, Olof Mellberg, Anders Svensson and Marcus Allback all now in their thirties and there is an over-reliance on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Russia, on the other hand are emerging as a footballing force, as evidenced by Zenit St Petersburg's Uefa Cup win this season. Striker Pavel Pogrebnyak top scored in their European campaign and will be a threat, as will Roman Pavlyuchenko, who scored twice in the 2-1 qualifying win over England. Their goals will be provided by playmaker Andrei Arshavin, who is being sought by a host of European clubs. For the record Greece offer no confidence whatsoever - they had their day in the sun four years ago. Group A verdict: 4pts Portugal to win @ 11/8; 2pts Czech Republic to qualify @ 8/11 Group B verdict: 3pts Germany to win @ 4/6; 2pts f/cast Germany 1st/Croatia 2nd @ 7/4; 5pts Austria to come bottom @ 8/11 Group C verdict: No Bet Group D verdict: 3pts Spain and Russia to qualify @ 11/4 Multiple group bet: 3pts Portugal, Germany, Spain to win groups A, B and D @ 7.25 Click here for a free £25 to bet on Euro 2008 with Blue Square