The second round of Group B EURO action begins with Germany vs Croatia and Austria vs Poland. Germany defeated Poland 2-0 while Croatia beat Austria 1-0 in their opening matches. A win for Germany or Croatia will get them into the EURO Quarter Finals. SBGglobal.com has Germany as -140 moneyline favs over Croatia +350 with a draw listed at +235. Get your Germany vs Croatia: Bet on EURO 2008 Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com
Germany defeated Poland 2-0 thanks to Luka Modric’s penalty kick and his second goal of the night in the 70th minute. Germany planted 9 shots on net and had held 48% time of possession. They started off strong in the first half, but were later dominated in the second as the Poles fired shot after shot on goalie Jens Lehman. This victory continues Germany's impressive unbeaten record against the Poles, which now stands at 12W-4D-0L, and saw them replace Croatia at the top of Group B. Germany feel they still need to make improvements on their game, “When it came to the execution of the passes, perhaps some precision was lacking, and sometimes the ball was lost. These are the things that you always focus on this is the very first match of the tournament. We are happy to have won it, but this is nothing but the first step.” Coach Joachim Low stated. The Germans are capable of controlling the pace of the game. As substitute striker Gomez and midfielder Schweinsteiger performed great in the first match, it is widely believed that Coach Loew will make a minor change to send both to the pitch, while putting speedy Podolski backward as a winger to create more scoring chances for teammates.
Croatia beat host team Austria 1-0 thanks to a 4th minute penalty kick from Luka Modric. They will now focus on beating the Germans as they did at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, rather than the defeat at the EURO 1996. Croatia is 2W-0D-5L against the German side. Croatia play a great tactical game and have many talented individuals who can be you one on one. Croatian striker Mladen Petric was confident in his team. "We're confident in ourselves, we know we're strong enough, and we have the quality to beat any team," he said. Croatia is by no means an easy win for Germany. The team coached by former Bundesliga player Slaven Bilic eliminated England during the EURO qualifying round, and many experts see them as the dark horse in the 2008 tournament.
Head to Head: 7 matches played
- Germany leads 5-1
- 1 game ended in draw
- Germany scored 17 goals
- Croatia scored 8 goals
Group B: Germany vs Croatia
When: Thurs, June 12, 2008 12:00 PM ET
Line: SBGglobal.com
Pick: Germany -140
Point-Spreads.com Germany vs Croatia: Bet on EURO 2008 now at SBGglobal.com
Point-Spread.com expert capper Scott Burgess is on a 7W-2L winning streak in EURO 2008 Betting, two wins were underdog picks!
The Bottom Line: The Germans played a solid game with lots of offense and great defense. Croatia started out good but let their game slide in the second half, they will be crushed by the Germans if they don’t play 90 minutes of quality footy. Get your Germany vs Croatia: Bet on EURO 2008 Prediction in now at SBGglobal.com and receive a 30% sign-up bonus on your initial deposit!
