Euro 2016 Top Goalscorer

In just under 1 months time, on June 10th, the Euro 2016 finals start and it should be a decent tournament. It has a newly expanded format with 24 teams and that’s a big jump as previously there were just 16 and back when Demark won it in 1992 just 8 teams participated. This makes some of the stats from the past tournaments less valuable. The last 8 tournaments and then winners and top goalscorers are shown below.

YearWinnerRunner-upLosing semi-finalistsTop GoalscorerTeam pos
1984FranceSpainDenmark/PotugalPlatini (9)Won
1988NetherlandsSoviet UnionItaly/West GermanyVan Basten (5)Won
1992DenmarkGermanyNetherlands/SwedenLarsen/Riedle/Bergkamp/Brolin (3)3 x SF/1 Loser
1996GermanyCzech RepublicEngland/FranceShearer (5)SF
2000FranceItalyNetherlands/PortugalKluivert/Milosevic (5)SF
2004GreecePortugalCzech Republic/NetherlandsBaros (5)SF
2008SpainGermanyRussia/TurkeyVilla (4)Won
2012SpainItalyPortugal/EnglandMandžukić/Gómez/Balotelli/Ronaldo/Dzagoev/Torres (3)

There have been a couple of shocks in this tournament with Greece and Denmark winning and also the Czech Republic, the Soviet Union and Portugal have made the final. The outrights market is headed by France and Germany, who are both priced 7/2 and whilst they both have strong claims for the title there are 4 knockout matches to overcome to win. Spain at 11/2 are interesting and after that plenty have decent e/w prices. Those outrights will be revisited before the tournament starts.

Euro 2016 Betting Odds - William Hill

Euro 2016 Betting Odds – William Hill

A market that often appeals in these tournaments in the top goalscorer market. All the top goalscorers are shown in the table above and Euro 2012 is worth ignoring slightly as 6 players shared the top prize and with a measly total of just 3 goals. With the expanded tournament this time round and a fair few weaker teams in the mix the top goalscorer is probably going to need 5 or 6 goals to win it. In 1984 and 1988 the goalscorer came from the winning team but since then Villa in 2008 and Torres in 2012, both with Spain, are the only two players to win the tournament and top goalscorer honours.

Lewandowski was top goalscorer in qualifying with 13 goals, followed by Ibranhimovic with 11 and then Muller with 9 but qualifying goals have not historically translated into tournament goals. Muller and Ronaldo are favourites at 8/1 and are followed by Griezmann (12/1) and Lewandowski (16/1).

It’s hard to know who will start for some teams and this is reflected in the prices. France have Griezmann, Martial and Lacazette in the top 15 players and Spain have Costa, Morata and Alcacer between 25 and 33/1. I didn’t think Torres would even be considered to have a chance of going to the Euros but he has finished the season well and people in Spain are bringing up his name.

It’s worth looking at the last few top scorers and see who they scored their goals against.

Villa (2008) – Russia (3) and Sweden (1) = 4

Baros (2004) – Latvia (1), Netherlands (1), Germany (1) and Denmark (2) = 5

Kluivert (2000) – Denmark (1), France (1) and Yugoslavia (3) = 5

Milosevic (2000) – Slovenia (2), Norway (1), Spain (1) and Netherlands (1)

Shearer (1996) – Switzerland (1), Scotland (1), Netherlands (2) and Germany (1) = 5

All of the above players scored against some of the easier teams and each player had one match when they scored at least two goals. With the expanded tournament all teams now have at least one easy match. Having said that all games are tricky and teams may score 6 goals in topping a group but unlikely its more than that. The groups are listed below and shows number of goals scored (F) and conceded (A) by each team in qualification.

Group A – France (n/a as hosts), Romania F11 A2, Albania F10 A5, Switzerland F24 A8

France are the favourites here, the host nation and up against Romania, Albania and Switzerland which is why Griezmann is such short odds and if he is the penalty taker for France his price of 12/1 is probably fair. Romania were very tight at the back in qualifying especially away from home so don’t expect many goals against them.

Group B – England F31 A3, Russia F21 A5, Wales F11 A4 and Slovakia F17 A8

Harry Kane could get a few goals here and any Wales goals are likely to come from Bale. He is 66/1 with some bookmakers and he has scored in big games for Madrid this season and could easily get 3 or 4 in the group. Russia have Artyom Dzyba who has a goal every other game for Russia and at 80/1 looks worth a speculative e/w bet.

Dzyuba

Group C – Germany F24 A9, Ukraine F14 A4, Poland F33 A10 and Northern Ireland F16 A8

I suspect people will be looking at Northern Ireland to leak some goals and they let in 8 goals during qualifying. However, Poland let in 10 and Germany 9 and of sides qualifying for the tournament only the Czech Republic, who leaked 13 goals, let in more than those 2. This could be the highest scoring group.

Group D – Spain F23 A3, Czech Republic F19 A14, Turkey F14 A9 and Croatia F20 A5.

Spain let in just 3 goals in qualifying and they will keep the ball and keep scores down. They also have no fixed option upfront so tricky to know who they will go with but this group could have goals aside from them as Czech Republic, mentioned above, let in more than any other finalist in qualifying.

Group E – Belgium F24 A5, Italy F16 A7, Republic of Ireland F19 A7 and Sweden F15 A9

Belgium have lost Kompany but centre-back depth is not a problem for them, although full-backs might be. Italy, you’d expect to tighten up in the finals but with Republic of Ireland and Sweden someone here could get some goals. De Bruyne as 50/1 and has scored some important goals for Manchester City but will Hazard be on the penalties? Belgium are another team that you would want to see how they setup as if De Bruyne plays behind the forward with freedom he could easily get some goals.

Group F – Portugal F11 A5, Iceland F17 A6, Austria F22 A5 and Hungary F11 A9

Ronaldo could easily get a hatrick against one of these teams and come out of the group with 4 goals and a very good chance of the golden boot. You’d expect him to get a few and his price is likely to shorten so it might be better to back him on the exchanges with a few to trade out after the group stages and lock in some profit or a free bet.

Ronaldo

Top Goalscorer Choice (e/w at ¼ odds on 4 places) – Artyom Dzyba (currently 80/1), Kevin De Bruyne (currently 40/1) and Gareth Bale (currently 50/1) – All 1/4pt e/w

Better prices can be obtained at some bookmakers but these prices are fair.

Barcelona- A Clean Sweep?

After handing out yet another thrashing this weekend, this time at the hands of Celta Vigo in a 6-1 romp, Barcelona are looking in ominous form as we move into a crucial period of the season. As the Champions League kicks off again over the next few weeks, this chapter of the football calendar often determines how successful clubs fighting on all fronts will be come the end of the campaign. So what makes this years Barcelona side favourites to concur all before them?

We have seen Barcelona crush teams on numerous occasions over the past few years. However, this weekend it was not just the dominance on the score board, it was the manner in which they toiled with their opponents before eventually cashing in with six goals. We have all seen the Messi/Suarez penalty incident by now, and whatever your thoughts on it, only a side brimming with confidence would attempt such a risky trick. However, this incident perhaps even outshone what was a quite mesmerising team performance at the Camp Nou on Saturday evening. Neymar was showing off his full repertoire of flicks and tricks, while the conciseness of the passing was something to behold, causing everyone in the football world to stand up and take notice.

With a Champions League double header with Arsenal to contend with over the coming weeks, the Catalan side find themselves perfectly positioned in order to pursue success in all competitions. Currently three points clear at the top of La Liga, with a game in hand, as well as a Copa Del Rey final against Sevilla to look forward to in May, Barcelona look to be firing on all cylinders at just the right time. This is of course not mentioning the Club World Cup and Uefa Supercut trophies that they already collected at the end of last year. So the question really is who, if anyone can stop Barcelona? A Barcelona team who through Messi, Neymar and Suarez have 53 La Liga goals between them alone.

With not many giving Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side much hope against the Spanish giants in the Champions League, it would take a brave man to bet against the reigning champions. The likes of Bayern, Real Madrid and PSG are all possible challengers to Barcelona’s throne however. For those of you looking to cash in on a potential upset it is worth shopping around for the best odds, and bookies.com review all free bet offers to help you on your way. The fact that no team has ever successfully retained the Champions League trophy offers hope to all. With Real Madrid at 5/1 PSG at 12/1 these perhaps offer the best odds for an upset. PSG face an out of sorts Chelsea side who they knocked out of last years tournament, while Real Madrid face a Roma side who lack firepower.

Barcelona themselves travel to Sporting Gijon on Wednesday evening in La Liga, and will perhaps look to this fixture, as well as the following match against Las Palmas to rest key players ahead of a busy schedule in all competitions. However, with the likes of Messi, Neymar and Suarez to rely upon, Barcelona are never too short on a Plan B. With both Real and Atletico Madrid breathing down their necks, Barcelona will need to ensure that they pick up maximum points from such fixtures. Although they are showing no signs currently of slowing down, in their pursuit of glory.

17 Feb, 16 | Posted in: Previews | Comments Closed

Can Manchester United win the Premier League next season?

Manchester United have been much improve this year under new manager Louis Van Gaal and currently sit in the Champions League places with just a few matches left to play. The Red Devils have played some exquisite football in the second half of the campaign, and recent went on a six match winning run – beating the likes of Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City. We take a look at this United squad and give our thoughts on whether they can compete for the title next season or if Van Gaal needs one more years before they can regain their crown.

 

 

They have performed well in the big games this year

 

On the whole, United have been excellent in the key matches this season. They have beaten Liverpool twice and also picked up wins against Manchester City and Arsenal. Furthermore, they earned an impressive draw against Chelsea earlier in the campaign and recently, they were narrowly beaten by the Blues despite many predicting that Van Gaal’s side would pick up all three points. If the Red Devils can continue to pick up victories over their rivals next year, then they will stand a great chance of winning their 14th Premier League title.

 

 

 

They will be active in the transfer market

 

United must invest heavily in the summer transfer window if they are to challenge for silverware next season. Despite a much improved year, there are still obvious problems in the squad and it would be no surprise to see Van Gaal bring three or four players in over the summer. At the very least, the Red Devils need a commanding central defender, a box-to-box midfielder and a clinical striker. If United can lure the likes of Memphis Depay, Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan to Old Trafford, they will be very difficult to beat next year.

 

 

 

Louis Van Gaal is eyeing up a title before he retires

 

The Dutchman has two years remaining on his contract at Old Trafford and has already revealed that he intends to win the Premier League title with the club. United are more than capable of challenging for the league, and Van Gaal has adapted quickly to the Premier League’s style. The 63-year-old has started to build a strong team at Old Trafford, and it would be foolish to think that United won’t be major challengers next season. With a couple of incoming transfers, the Red Devils will push Chelsea for their crown.

 

 

3 May, 15 | Posted in: Previews | Comments Closed