EURO 2008 Group D action gets started, Tue, June 10 with Greece vs Sweden and Russia vs Spain. Spain has two wins over Russia with one game ending in a draw.It's deja vu as Spain faces Russia in their opener just like at EURO 2004. Oddsmakers at BetUS.com have Spain as -150 moneyline favs over Russia +440 with a draw at +245. Bet on EURO 2008: Spain vs Russia now at BetUS.com
Spain finished in first place Group F Euro qualifying after going 9W-1D-2L in 12 matches. They scored 23 goals and allowed 8. Spain start each national competition with lofty goals of winning it all. They then provide the type of play that makes you believe they can actually do it. Then they crash and burn in a disappointing manner. Spain’s star studded squad will be headed by Luis Aragonés. Fernando Torres had a steelar season for Liverpool FC in which he scored 24 Premier League goals means he will more than likely be given the lone striker position. David Villa, Spain's top scorer in qualifying with seven goals, will come on for Fabregas should they need an extra forward to attack. They’ll have a senior goalie in net, Iker Casillas, will make his fourth international tournament start. Midfielders Xavi and Iniesta are also capable of scoring goals, managing seven between them in qualification. Spain haven’t fared well the last couple international tourneys, but with an easy Group D ahead they will be better off this year.
Russia finished in second place, to Croatia, in Group E Euro qualifying after going 7W-3D-2L. They scored 18 goals and allowed 7. Russia made it in, not by playing good, but because other top teams in EURO qualifying lost. Russia will be guided by Coach Guus Hiddink who knows how tough it’s going to be getting out of Group D. Russia will be missing two key forwards in Andrei Arshavin and Pavel Pogrebnyak, Arshavin is serving a two-match ban, while Pogrebnyak was ruled out of the finals on Saturday because of injury. But they still have a talented youthful squad. From the coaches mouth "We have Roman Pavlyuchenko, Dmitri Sychev, Roman Adamov. Pavlyuchenko, of course, is one of the best players in the Russian league. He has scored a lot of goals. The most important thing for him is to feel the confidence and to score as soon as possible. We also have Konstantin Zyryanov, who is performing brilliantly at the moment. We also have a European-class goalkeeper in Igor Akinfeev.” Bet on EURO 2008.
Head to Head: 3 matches played
- Spain leads 2-0
- 1 match ended in a draw
- Spain scored 2 goals and allowed 0
- Sweden scored 0 goals and allowed 2
Group D: Spain vs Russia
When: Tue, June 10, 2008 3:00 PM ET
Line: BetUS.com
Pick: Spain -150
The Bottom Line: Spain are chalked full of talent, with El Nino up front and other top players in their respected leagues scoring goals, it's all Spain. Russia won't make it past Spain but they have a slim chance against the others in Group D. Bet on EURO 2008: Spain vs Russia now at BetUS.com and recieve a 50% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
