Hotly tipped Germany take on Denmark in a crucial clash in Group B at Arena Lviv in Ukraine this Sunday with plenty on offer for the winner.
Despite two wins from two and a blazing start to their Euro 2012 campaign, Germany are yet to confirm their place in the knock-out stages of this exciting tournament in Poland/Ukraine. This Sunday they take on a Danish side who themselves are still in with a chance of qualifying from Group B.
Germany have been one of the most impressive teams in the tournament so far, opening the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal. They then went on to totally outplay Holland in their second match, running out 2-1 winners over their bitter rivals. On that particular night, they could have had more than two goals and Holland were relatively lucky to get back into the game thanks to a goal from Robin Van Persie.
It’s really no surprise that Group B has been renamed the ‘Group of Death’ by pundits and football experts alike, with all four teams still in with a chance of advancing. Germany lead the way with six points, however a loss to Denmark and a win by Portugal over Holland would see Germany, Denmark, and Portugal all even with six points. With a number of different scenarios on the cards which includes head to heads and goal difference separating the teams, it’s obvious to say that Sunday’s games will lie on a knife edge.
Denmark will count themselves unlucky after Portugal grabbed an 87th minute winner to make it 3-2 in the Dane’s last game out. During that match they displayed plenty of resolve and ability but lack of concentration in the final minutes saw Portugal have a number of guilt edge opportunities to grab the winner. It was left to Portuguese sub Silvestre Varela who drilled the ball passed the Danish goalkeeper to take all three points from the tie.
Germany head into this game as odds on favourites at 4/6, the draw is available at 13/5 while Denmark are rank outsiders at odds of 9/2. The Germans need just one point to guarantee a place in the knock-out stages but those who may think they will sit back and draw the Danes onto their defence are very much mistaken. This German side is probably one of the most attacking of recent times and with Mario Gomez storming into the lead in the race for the Golden Boot, goals can be expected from Sunday’s game in Lviv.
Germany to win with a clean sheet stands out at odds of 17/10 after a staunch defensive display against Holland last week in which they keep an electric strike force of Van Persie and Huntelaar relatively quiet for the majority of the match.
Punters have been making big bucks on Mario Gomez since the start of the tournament and there’s no reason to expect things to change. The Bayern Munich striker is currently 9/2 to score first in Sunday’s game, a bet which shouldn’t really be ignored considering his form this season.
Denmark may benefit from Holland’s lessons that the German counter-attack needs to be snubbed and snubbed early if they are prevent leaking goals like the Dutch did. The Danish conceded three goals against Portugal and it could have been more if Ronaldo had been in his usual form, after the Real Madrid striker missed a number of guilt edged opportunities.
It’s really difficult to see any other result in this game other than a German win but to their credit Denmark have been comfortable rubbing shoulders with the bigger nations in the tournament after their opening win over Holland.
Strangely enough, all three clashes between Denmark and Germany in major tournaments have ended 2-0, with the facts showing that Denmark won in the 1986 World Cup and Euro 1992, while Germany triumphed in Euro 1988. A 2-0 win for Germany is available at odds of 13/2.
The ever controversial Nicklas Bendtner seems like the big hope for Denmark this Sunday. He became the fifth Danish player to score a brace at the European Championship finals, a feat in itself. The Sunderland striker is available at 9/2 to score the first goal of the game or 5/4 to score anytime during the ninety minutes of action on Sunday.
Verdict:
It will certainly be no walk-over for Germany in Lviv on Sunday but big concerns lie over the Danish back four and against the current Germany offence that is very worrying. Germany seem like a team possessed and a number of failed Champions League finalists from Bayern Munich seem out to right a wrong in this tournament. This seems like a bridge too far for the Group B underdogs but they will cause problems for the Germans at some stage during this game. Back Germany to win at 4/6 but if you’re looking for more value then take the Germans -1 at odds of 9/5.
