The 2016 UEFA Euro tournament has reached the semi-final stage of the tournament, as the final four sides are just one win away from the final. Continue reading for our Euro Semi-Final Preview and Betting Tips.
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Portugal vs Wales (Thursday 5am AEST)
The Cinderella story for Wales continues as they pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament thus far by dismantling Belgium in the quarterfinals. The win is made even more impressive as Wales found themselves behind early and were able to regroup for the convincing 3-1 win. The Wales were at the odds of 80-1 to win the tournament before a ball was kicked and now they have reached the final 4. They have proved that a team with chemistry is better than a team with a lot of superstars and they will need to keep that going as they take on a Portuguese side that has been lacking chemistry but has had luck on their side as they have reached the semi-final stage.
Portugal are still yet to win a match in the opening 90-minutes of this tournament as they had three draws in the group stages before entering extra time in their two knock out games. They were able to clinch victory against Croatia in extra time but they were forced into penalties against Poland.
The story of this match will be Cristiano Ronaldo facing off against club team mate Gareth Bale and whilst these two players are unlikely to actually face off against each other on the field, the player that is able to have more impact on his teams success will be put in the spot light. However, for Wales it has been Aaron Ramsey who has been the best player as he has earned three man of the match performances in their five games.
Portugal has made it this far on the back of their defence and their ability to stay in the contest but they haven’t showed the killer instinct that is required by a team that is going to lift the cup. Due to this, we are going to back Wales to reach the final.
TIP: Wales @ $4.00 with Ladbrokes
France vs Germany (Friday 5am AEST)
The block buster match of the semi-finals is suitable for a final for these two sides with the host nation looking to see off the world champions and book their spot in the final.
France put on their best performance of the tournament in their last match as they clicked into gear to dominate Iceland. They found the back of the net on five occasions, which is something they had struggled to do leading up to that match. It was the first time Iceland had been put to the sword throughout the tournament as they were completely out classed. The French were able to create numerous opportunities and they capitalised on the majority of them. They will need to continue this into the semi-final stage against the Germans, as it will be hard to create chances against them.
The world champions were forced into penalties against Italy as they had their first goal scored against them in the tournament. However, the Italians had to score from a penalty goal, as the Germans still haven’t conceded a goal in open play.
At the beginning of the tournament we predicted the Germans to lift the cup and we will stick with them in this one. The French will have the advantage of playing in front of their home crowd but the Germans have winning experience and will find a way to get the victory.
TIP: Germany @ $2.84 with CrownBet
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Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
