BetUK Blog

Spain are the favourites to win Euro 2008 after beating Russia 3-0 in Thursday’s semi-final in Vienna. Second-half goals from Xavi, second-half sub Daniel Guiza and David Silva saw off the Russians for whom the heavily hyped Andrei Arshavin was a huge disappointment.

Spain’s excellent display combined with Germany’s unimpressive performance when beating Turkey in Wednesday’s first semi-final means the bookies fancy Luis Aragones’ men to lift the trophy on Sunday evening. Wow! Spain might finally win a major football trophy. You can bet on the game at BetUK here.

When Spain smashed Russia 4-1 in their first Group D game on 10 June they became one of the tournament favourites - and rightly so because with Villa/Torres up front the Spanish looked as if they had the attacking force of Euro 2008. But while they were impressive in the Group games things haven’t exactly gone according to plan since then and Spain had to beat Italy on penalties last Sunday in order to progress.

So, can Russia overcome the psychological barrier of being thrashed in a group game by the same team they meet in the semi-finals? There is one precedent in a European Championship for a team to have lost a group game and then turned the tables later on in the tournament, and that is Holland back in 1988, when they lost to the USSR and then beat them in the final.

On the other two occasions that this situation has arisen, Greece and Germany (albeit in extra time) franked the form against Portugal and the Czech Republic. It’s a 3/5 chance on BetUK that Spain will qualify for the final against Germany on Sunday. History actually tells us that Spain should be able to do it.

No favourite was able to win in regulation time in the four quarter-finals of Euro 2008 and three of those odds-on shots were eliminated, but that has not dampened punters’ enthusiasm for a supposed good thing when perceived bankers Germany tackle depleted Turkey in tonight’s semi-final in Basel.

Turkey will be missing four players due to suspension and another five are ruled out through injury. However, Turkey striker Semih, had a warning for all those who consider Germany shoo-ins for a place in Sunday’s final in Vienna.

“When our opponents are favourites it motivates us,” said the quarter-final hero.

You can bet on the game at BetUK here.

What an unbelievable Euro 2008 competition we have had - and it could get better if the Russians have anything to do with it.

Here’s the scoop – one of my pals who’s out in Switzerland tells me Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has promised the Russian players and coach ‘vast’ bonuses for further progression in the Euros. There is also a ‘goal bonus’ so expect to see some speculative long shots against Spain in the Semi-Final this Thursday evening.

On top of this, a Spanish amigo tells me there are some unhappy Spanish players after reading reports in their national papers that the country is ‘nervous’ rather than ‘expectant’ ahead of the game. It’s hardly surprising after their dismal record in major football tournaments in the last couple of decades.

Play has started at Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam of the year, and while Roger Federer remains favourite to win his sixth singles crown on the bounce, Rafael Nadal is the man the bookies fear most after a stunning sequence of victories this spring.

The rampant Spanish bull caused chaos in the Roland Garros and Queen’s Club arenas and bookmakers are worried that ‘Rafa’ may be similarly unstoppable at Wimbledon in the next two weeks.

BBC Sport asked 10 tennis experts who is going to win the Wimbledon singles titles. Among others BBC Sports presenter Sue Barker (who people forget is a former Grand Slam winner herself) has given her opinion as have former players Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski, and four of the best tennis journalists in the country too.

In the men’s event the experts overwhelmingly tipped Nadal to end Federer’s dominance. It came out as seven for Nadal, two for Federer while Tim Henman couldn’t decide between them (typical!).

You can bet on Wimbledon at BetUK here.

For the first time in a long time, Italy go into the Quarter-Finals of a major tournament as underdogs when they meet Spain in Euro 2008 tonight. That makes them a dangerous proposition. Roberto Donadoni’s side may have scraped through to the last eight only thanks to Romania’s inability to beat Holland’s second XI, but that’s no reason to write them off.

Italy’s path to a final rarely runs smoothly. In 1982, they nearly crashed out to Brazil only for Paolo Rossi to rediscover his scoring touch. In 1994, they lost their opening match to the Republic of Ireland only to reach the Final; and at the World Cup two years ago, a draw and sending-off in their second match against USA looked set to undermine their progress but they bounced back to lift the trophy.

The Italians thrive in adversity, which is why this match suits them perfectly. And in Gianluigi Buffon, they have the best goalkeeper in the world and a man who may finish as the tournament’s outstanding player.

You can bet on the match on BetUK here.

The Netherlands have been the outstanding team so far and they are worthy favourites against Russia in their Quarter-Final tomorrow. They tore France and Italy to shreds playing a brand of football that we haven’t seen from them for a long, long time.

It was just great to sit and watch those matches. The pace of the play, the standard of the play and the goals… we had everything in those two matches that you’d want from a football game.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has been absolutely fantastic for them up front. He’s been right at the hub and has linked everything together. We haven’t seen him in action for a while since he left Manchester United for Real Madrid, but he’s proved he’s still a fantastic player. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him find the net again tomorrow night.

Portugal deserve their tag as favourites for tonight’s quarter-final against Germany, but this is almost certain to be a tight game and it may take time to come to life.

Pundits are expecting a low-scoring contest with Under 2.5 goals currently 11/20 with BetUK. A better way to profit could be to back Draw/Portugal in the Half-Time/Full-Time market at 9/2.

All three of Portugal’s Euro 2008 matches have been level at half-time, while five of the seven knockout matches at Euro 2004 were tied at the interval, which is understandable given what is at stake.

Very few horse racing festivals can match Royal Ascot for excitement. For some people the biggest worries about what hat to wear or whether to leave the bottom button of the waistcoat undone, but for lovers of the turf they are the state of the ground or where our fancy is drawn.

At this stage we do not know the effect of the draw and cannot even guess at it but the going is shaping up to be seasonally fast with the new straight course draining very quickly. I am hoping it will not be too fast for French raider Coastal Path to lower the colours of reigning Gold Cup winner Yeats in Thursday’s Ladies’ Day feature at 3.45.

Master trainer André Fabre sends his four-year-old into Group One company for the first time and his colt has improved with each of his six unbeaten runs. He has thrashed the opposition in his two outings at Longchamp this year, including Le Miracle, who beat Yeats at the Arc meeting last year. Yeats may have been over the top for the season by then and has returned in winning form, but Coastal Path is fancied to progress still more, something that probably can’t be said for his seven-year-old rival. You can bet on the race at BetUK here.

Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 7-6 (8-6) 7-5 in a thrilling Artois final at Queen’s on Sunday, just seven days after winning his fourth French Open title.

Nadal trailed 0-3 in the first set before storming back and pipping his Serb opponent in the tie-break. Djokovic served for the second set but Nadal made him pay for his profligacy.

The French Open and Australian Open champions thrilled the crowd with some magnificent tennis, and Nadal, 22, will now be confident of becoming the first man to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year since Sweden’s Bjorn Borg in 1980.

If he does so he will deny world number one Roger Federer a sixth-straight Wimbledon crown. You can bet on this market at BetUK here.