The European Championship gets underway on June 10th and the continent’s top footballing nations will all travel to France as they seek to make a major impact on the world stage. This year, many believe that Roy Hodgson’s England are in with a sniff but it might be worth looking closer to home and specifically at Didier Deschamps’ imperious French side.
Meanwhile, Bookmakers.co.uk can keep people updated on the latest news, gossip and odds surrounding the tournament. Their bet calculator can help punters to figure out the latest prices on accumulators – crucial for those looking to place multiples based on the group stages. Here are three of the leading contenders for this summer’s tournament.
Germany
Joachim Loew’s men lifted the World Cup in Brazil two years ago and must be regarded as a serious force this summer. While it could be argued that Germany aren’t quite the ‘immovable object’ that they were in 2014, they are certainly strong enough to emerge victorious and win the European Championship – especially with goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in top form.
The Bayern Munich shot stopper has been linked with a move to Manchester City at times this season but rumours fizzled out after he signed a new contract extension at the Allianz Arena. On his day, Neuer remains the best goalkeeper on the planet and the ‘sweeper keeper’ will be looking to stay firm and help lead his nation to yet another major international title.
Belgium
Belgium were dark horses at the 2014 World Cup and gave a decent account of themselves as they reached the quarter-finals of the competition. Marc Wilmots’ men have plenty of potential but remain fairly inexperienced at the top level and that will be of some concern to those backing the Belgians. After all, they will be without the inspirational Vincent Kompany this summer and Belgium will miss his presence at the back.
Unfortunately, they were drawn into what is widely regarded as the ‘Group of Death’ along with Italy, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland but many will still fancy Belgium to win all three of their group matches. For those wanting to calculate odds on the Red Devils triumphing at the top of the group, visit Bookmakers.co.uk. Using a bet calculator, punters can figure out Belgium’s chances of achieving this feat.
France
As previously mentioned, France must be regarded as leading candidates for success this summer. Les Bleus have the best squad in the competition and French supporters are quietly confident of going all the way and prevailing on home soil. If nothing else, they’ve certainly got the talent to perform – now they just need to showcase their quality on the world stage.
Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Antoine Griezmann are likely to feature heavily for Deschamps’ side this summer and these three stars are capable of leading France to international glory. The French have a great record at major tournaments on home soil and, with a bit of luck, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see Hugo Lloris lifting the European Championship at the Stade de France on July 10th.