VAN THE MAN: Andorra will struggle big time to keep Robin scoreless (pic: Getty)

By Lee Dover and Sean Goff | World Cup betting

Group A

Serbia v Belgium (7.30pm)

Belgium are 17/10 to leap-frog Serbia when they play the Group A leaders, though the hosts are a tasty bet at 6/4 for the win.

Macedonia v Croatia (7.30pm)

Macedonia are priced at 7/2 to record their first win of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers in a home tie against a formidable Croatia team.

Wales v Scotland (7.45pm)

It’s all about bragging rights in Wales v Scotland, with Steven Fletcher (6/1 anytime) and Gareth Bale (23/10 anytime) hungry for goals.

Group B

Czech Republic v Malta (5.00pm)

Czech Republic are a slim 1/20 to avoid being totally humiliated and beat Malta to record their first victory in Group B.

Armenia v Italy (5.00pm)

Italy are 1/3 to beat Armenia, with over 2.5 goals in the tie a good call as the Azzurri aim to send a loud message to their Group B rivals.

Bulgaria v Denmark (7.00pm)

Bulgaria can continue their unbeaten streak in Group B, though Nicklas Bendtner (11/2 first goalscorer) could help power Denmark to victory.

Group C

Faroe Islands v Sweden (5pm)

Should be a penalty kick for the visitors especially if star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is leading the line. Ireland face the Faroe Islands on Tuesday.

Kazakhstan v Austria (5pm)

Two late goals saw the Irish grab three lucky points against Kazakhstan.  At 8/11 the Austrians will be happy to do the same and claim the three points.

Ireland v Germany (7.45pm)

Ireland have never lost to Germany on home soil (0-0, 5-2 in 1939) but there’s always a first time.  The home side are 11/2 to win and that tells its own story.

Group D

Turkey v Romania (6.30pm)

A huge 4/1 is placed on Romania to continue their 100 per cent record in Group D, though Turkey (4/6 for victory) will have other ideas.

Estonia v Hungary (7.30pm)

Estonia are still chasing their first points in Group D, while Hungary are 6/5 to take victory and keep up with the group leaders.

Holland v Andorra (7.30pm)

Odds-on favourites Holland should have little problem getting past Andorra, with over 5.5 goals at 10/11 a good shout for value in this tie.

Group E

Albania v Iceland (6.00pm)

To the victor go the spoils, as a win for either Albania (13/10) or Iceland (2/1) in this tie could see them top Group E over the weekend.

Switzerland v Norway (7.30pm)

Switzerland are the only team in Group E holding on to a 100 per cent record, and are 8/11 to continue their winning streak against Norway.

Slovenia v Cyprus (7.45pm)

Slovenia have lost their opening two games to Switzerland (h) and Norway (a) and desperately need all three points against poor travelers Cyprus.

Group F

Russia v Portugal (4.00pm)

Two European heavyweights clash when Russia host Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo 16/5 to nab the first goal and finally regain his smile.

Luxembourg v Israel (8.00pm)

Bar Russia and Portugal, no other team in Group F have won a game yet. A draw at 5/1 between Luxembourg and Israel is a good shout then.

Group G

Liechtenstein v Lithuania (6.30pm)

Lithuania’s Tomas Danilevicius wore his lucky Paddy Power pants and got a hat-trick for Juve Stabia at the weekend.  Liechtenstein better hope they’re in the wash.

Slovakia v Latvia (7.15pm)

Marek Sapara scrambled a 1-1 draw for the home side against Lithuania the last time but they’ll need everyone on board to justify their 4/11 price tag against Latvia.

Greece v Bosnia (7.45pm)

Greece is in ruin, but the national side is on fire. They are evens to maintain their 100 per cent start by beating Group G leaders Bosnia.

Group H

Moldova v Ukraine (7pm)

The visitors will be one for any  ’acca’ builder at 3/10 against another minnow of world footie.

England v San Marino (8pm)

If England don’t win this comfortably (4/6 on the handicap  at+5) expect #bunchoftwats to go into overdrive against the lowest ranked side in world football.

Group I

Finland v Georgia (4.30pm)

Finland are 10/11 to record their first win in Group I against Georgia, with a -1.0 handicap for the home team (5/2) offering more value.

Belarus v Spain (7.00pm)

Spain to beat Belarus offers little return (1/8), so search for more value in the European giants to score four or more goals at 23/10.

• Betting: World Cup qualifier coupon 

The Lowdown…

Sweden are already out of the competition with two defeats in their first two games so they have nothing to play for. France need only to avoid defeat to ensure they move on to the quarter-finals.

Match Bet…

Sweden have been in two competitive, entertaining games but lost them both. Some perspective is given when you see how comfortably France beat Ukraine and their goals against England were largely due to poor defending by Roy Hodgson’s men. Ibrahimovic has looked world class in patches across the two games but he hasn’t been the leader Sweden have needed. The team is fairly average and they’ll need their star man to be on top form if they want to have a chance of getting anything against an improving France.

Laurent Blanc’s men were the better team in both of their games but they have had some issues with their finishing. They do hold on to the ball well and with Ribery looking particularly good against the Ukraine, they’re going to create chances against a Swedish defence which has conceded five goals in two games.

Barring a night of disastrous finishing from France, Laurent Blanc’s men should move on to the quarter-finals with a comfortable win at 8/13.

A correct score stab in the dark…

With Sweden’s leaky defence and France’s diverse attacking options there should be some goals in this game. Sweden will provide a threat on the counter attack and from set-pieces so Les Bleus may not maintain a clean sheet. 3-1 to France at 12/1.

A goalscorer bet to look for…

With Sweden having nothing to play for, Zlatan Ibrahimovic can focus on what’s really important. Enhancing the eternal glory of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He has looked good in both games so far, he came close on more than one occasion against England and scored against Ukraine. With France such strong favourites in the match betting, Ibra can be backed at 8/1 to score first and 4/1 to score anytime.

Something a bit random…

Sweden have nothing to lose so could start positively. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them nabbing the first goal either. Of course having nothing to lose also means having nothing to play for so France should be able to recover and pick up the win any way. France to come from behind and win at 8/1.

• France v Sweden Betting

Roy Hodgson has some tough choices to make with all eyes on Wayne Rooney as England look to beat Ukraine and secure a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012. Paddy Power’s columnist Robbie Fowler has his say…

Wayne Rooney is  a fantastic player who has a bit of everything. That includes a nasty streak but sometimes the best players have it. His temperament and mentality can flare at any time.

But he is learning and getting better every season. He was only booked once in the Premier League last season. You’d never think that of Wayne Rooney because of what he’s done in the past.

I was probably more famous for scoring goals but I like to think I did okay outside the box, which is what Rooney is very, very good at. England will be better tonight for him being in the side.

His goals-per-game ratio is also top class. In 365 games for Manchester United he’s scored 182 goals. For England, it’s 28 goals in 74 appearances. 

RED DEVIL: Wayne Rooney was the only person surprised at this red card vs Portugal (pic: Inpho)

Andy Carroll did reasonably well against Sweden. He scored a great goal and his hold-up play was good, which is something that England need. Danny Wellbeck didn’t do it in the opening game. I wouldn’t be averse to playing Carroll up front with Rooney playing in behind and Ashley Young and maybe Theo Walcott out wide.

That’d give you pace down both flanks, Wayne playing in the hole and a big man in Carroll up front. Rooney can get you a goal from anywhere.

• Euro 2012 betting: Money-Back if Rooney scores anytime against France

Shevchenko – Ukrainian captain and not as bad as he showed at Chelsea

By Aidan Elder | Chief Sports Writer

Group D betting preview: Ukraine v Sweden – Kiev
Monday, 7.45pm (BBC1 and RTE2)

The lowdown

The co-hosts bring the curtain down on over two years of meaningless friendlies when they kick off their Euro 2012 campaign against Sweden this evening.

Ukraine intended to use the last couple of years to unearth some hidden gems to unleash upon the rest of Europe for this tournament, but that’s gone about as well as an anti-government protest in the streets of Kiev. They’re still very reliant on aging stalwarts Andriy Shevchenko and Anatoliy Tymoschuk and the fact that manager, Oleg Blokhin admitted his defenders “don’t even tackle properly” doesn’t inspire confidence. Still though, they’ve got that vague bonus of home support and could inspire the players to punch above their weight. A bout of food-poisoning disrupted preparations last week, but everyone has recovered and they’ve learned not to shop in the Aldi bargain bin.

Despite finishing second to the Netherlands, Sweden qualified automatically by being the best of the runners-up. They even beat the Dutch in the course of that campaign as coach Erik Hamren found a system that accommodated Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s colossal ego. They’ve a nice mix of youth and experience in the squad and they’re more attack-minded than the Swedes of the Lagerback era.

Match bet

Poland lived up to the general trend of the hosts not delivering in their opening game of the Euros and there’s a danger the occasion will be too much for Ukraine’s players. It’s actually their first game at a European Championships ever, so going for the draw could be the boring, but safest option.

A Correct Score stab in the dark

Both teams are better in attack than they are in defence. There have only ever been two 2-2 draws in the entire 150-game history of the European Championship group stages. That represents 1.34% of all games and looks like a statistical anomaly, so going for the high-scoring stalemate at 14/1 is worth a punt.

A goalscorer bet to look out for

Andriy Shevchenko may be 35, but he’s still a talismanic figure for the team. He missed a couple of gilt-edged chances in Ukraine’s 2-0 friendly defeat to Turkey last week and based on the probably flawed logic that the woeful misses are now out of his system, 15/2 for him to be First Goalscorer may not be a bad idea. It’s certainly a better idea than paying £30 million for him.

Something a bit random

Given their defensive issues, expecting goals probably isn’t a bad idea. The Match and Total Goals Double of Ukraine to win and 5 or more goals in the match at 14/1.

Robbie Fowler Says

Like Poland the other night, I can see Ukraine starting strongly. I’d expect the Swedes to come into it more as the game goes on and it could easily end up a draw.

• Ukraine v Sweden betting
• Euro 2012 Outright Betting
• Ukraine v Sweden match fact sheet

Karim Benzema – France’s main goal-scoring threat and Westlife choreographer

By Aidan Elder | Chief Sports Writer

Group D betting preview: England v France 
Monday, 5pm (ITV1 and RTE2)

The lowdown

Two of Europe’s great frenemies get to take their comedic disdain for each other to the football pitch in the opening game of Group D tonight in Donetsk.

The usual hype surrounding the England team has been muted this time around – meaning they’re expected to beat Spain just 1-0 in the final as opposed to the standard 3-0. Fabio Capello qualified the team in style, but then ruined it all my having morals and standards and stuff. The FA decided Roy Hodgson was the cheapest best man for the job. It’s early days, but the evidence suggests he’s doing well in his hiding to nothing.

In France, Laurent Blanc has done well to rebuild the team in the face of the Gallic hissy fits that plagued their 2010 World Cup campaign. After taking the reins and suspending everybody, he got his key players back onside and put their on the road to their current run of 21 games unbeaten. They’re still moody and unreliable, but they’re now more moody and unreliable as a team.

Match bet

England haven’t won any of their six opening group stage games at the Euros. France have tended to get off to a winning start. Recent form, history and the memories of Zidane puking his way to a French win in their meeting at Euro 2004 suggest Les Bleus are worthy favourites for the match.

A Correct Score stab in the dark

England allowed Norway (56%) and Belgium (59%) far too much possession in their last two games. If they do something similar tonight, they’ll concede at least once. The glass half full mentality might have you leaning towards England 2-1 at 12/1, but France 2-1 at 9/1 feels more likely.

A goalscorer bet to look out for

Karim Benzema (24, 45 caps/15 goals) scored 32 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid last season and in a team where Cristiano Ronaldo tries to do everything himself, that’s no mean feat. He also scored two for France in last week’s friendly with Estonia. He’s a tempting 6/1 to be First Goalscorer and a more speculative, but interesting 18/1 to score two or more goals in the match.

Something a bit random

Franck Ribery is one of the world’s best players. Glen Johnston isn’t. They’re going to see a lot of each other tonight and Ribery could make hay. He’s 13/2 to be UEFA’s Man of the Match.

Robbie Fowler Says

The French look strong all over the pitch. England have their injuries and absentees. It kills me to say it, but they’ll have a little too much for us. 2-0 France.

• England v France betting
• Euro 2012 Outright Betting
• England v France match fact sheet

WARRIOR: Ireland’s Richard Dunne gets across to tackle Russia’s Aleksei Berezutskiy

He may be the best National Hunt jockey of his generation but when he’s not booting home the winners Ruby Walsh will be feet up in front of the TV watching the footie.

And the Kildare man is no impassive observer either at Euro 2012 as he told the Paddy Power Blog team fresh after giving Paddy Power punters the steer on swerving Maybe in the Epsom Oaks and lumping on Camelot in the Derby.

 ”I’m not a f****** soccer genius or anything but I’ll be watching it alright,” Walsh said. “I think England will struggle in Group D more than Ireland in Group C . Roy Hodgson is a good manager but it’s difficult to put a team together in such a short space of time.

“England will struggle to score goals. People confuse the Premier League. It’s not all about English players except for a few at Manchester United or Arsenal.

“You take Robin Van Persie out of the Arsenal side and they are half the team without him.

Goal scorers

“It’s a huge ask of Andy Carroll or Danny Welbeck to go to their first Championships and replace Wayne Rooney (suspended for the first two games) as England’s main goal threat,” said Walsh.

Ruby did fancy Frank Lampard to be England’s top goalscorer at Euro 2012 before a thigh strain ruled the Chelsea midfielder out of Roy Hodgson’s squad last week.

No divided loyalties

And while Ruby may spend most of his time riding big-race winners for Paul Nicholls in England, there is no divided loyalties when it comes to supporting Giovanni Trapattoni’s Boys in Green.

“Trap has made Ireland very hard to beat. It mighn’t be the most entertaining brand of football, but we have to be realistic,” he said.

“We are not Spain or Germany so we have to adopt a style that suits us. I think we’ll get out of Group C purely because we’ll be hard to beat.”

And that’s a viewed also shared by Paddy Power’s Euro 2012 columnist Robbie Fowler.

“I can see us getting five points. We could beat Croatia in the opener, maybe get a draw with Spain and draw or even beat Italy who could struggle to score goals,” Walsh said.

Going to war with Balotelli

And Walsh isn’t convinced that an Italian front line led by Mario Balotelli would cause Richard Dunne to hide under the bed ahead of what could be the pivotal game in Group C.

 “Look, going to a championship is like going to war and I’d f****** hate to go to war with Balotelli at my back.

“The Irish lads have great team spirit they’d fight in the street for each other, the English lads less so but the rest of them …”

And in case you think Walsh will slip into the ususal armchair punditry mode and play it safe by opting  for Spain at Euro 2012, think again.

“I don’t fancy Spain to win outright,” he told the Paddy Power Blog team.

Spain will miss key players

“Without David Villa they are a different side. No team has ever won three championships in a row and Carles Puyol is a big loss.

“He’s the backbone of the side and I don’t think his replacement Gerard Pique will be as effective.

Look, Enough pussy footing around now Ruby, who’s going to win Euro 2012?

“Russia can go far. They’re in a weak-looking Group A  and have a good chance of winning it and going on to win Euro 2012 outright.

 “They should have beaten Ireland 7-0 in Moscow except for the heroics of Richard Dunne and Shay Given.

“Germany are always good at tournaments and the Dutch have a chance if they go to play football but if they just want to start kicking everyone, they’ve no chance.”

• Euro 2012 team specials
• Euro 2012 match betting