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Germany vs Austria Euro 2008 Odds

by Thomas Jensen on Monday, June 16th, 2008

The final matches of Group B will be played today with Austria hosting Germany and Croatia taking on Poland. Croatia has already clinched a spot in the quarterfinals while Germany and Austria are basically playing for the other spot. Germany needs a win or a draw to advance while Austria needs a win. Germany was thought of before the Soccer Betting Euro 2008 as one of the favorites to win the tournament but after a 2-1 loss to Croatia in their last match they are now facing elimination if they lose to Austria on Monday.

Euro 2008 Betting Preview
Germany vs. Austria
Monday, 11:45 pm Eastern – ESPN
Germany is -1 goal (-180) with a total of 2.5 over (-150) at SBG Global.
Three-way line – Germany -325, Austria +850, Draw +400

Austria is lucky to be in this position at all. They got a last minute penalty goal to gain a 1-1 draw with Poland in their last match. Their coach, Josef Hickersberger believes his team has a chance against Germany. "We're in excellent shape," he said. "We're better than we were in February and we have a decent chance. This is the biggest match of my life and it will be the biggest match of all time if we win. Germany weren't that good against Croatia and they have problems. One or two players are injured, they're not playing that well and we have home advantage. I'd put our chances at 40 per cent – people might think I'm pessimistic but that's quite good."

Germany is expected to have top scorer Lukas Podolski in the lineup on Monday. He has a foot injury but should play. Philipp Lahm is also expected to play. Head coach Joachim Low has said his squad will win on Monday. "I promise you the team will play differently. Thirty million people will be watching in Germany and we have to win for them and for our nation. The match against Croatia is a thing of the past. We'll have to push to the limit because Austria have improved in the last few weeks and months. They're a team of fighters but we will go the extra mile."

Austria upset Germany 3-2 in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. It is the most famous win for Austria against the Germans. It would be a major upset if Austria was to win on Monday. They are ranked 92nd in the world and really shouldn’t be able to compete with Germany. The teams last met in a friendly earlier this month and Germany won 3-0.