Czech Republic vs. Switzerland Betting Preview Free Pick

[Shame About Ray]

The beautiful game of soccer brings the online football betting hamlet UEFA Euro Cup betting this month at BetUS Sportsbook. In what promises to be a breathtaking summer of soccer betting, the online sports betting faithful has three weeks of standout soccer bets to exploit for a winning edge over the bookies. The demand to win money consistently with soccer wagers is bigger now than ever before, and to help ye faithful online sports bettors, here is a daily instalment of BetUS winning soccer predictions, insider tips, and high quality analysis to help you beat the bookie through the 2008 UEFA Euro Cup championships.



Group A: Czech Republic vs. Switzerland
Match Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Time, Saturday June 7, 2008
Venue: St. Jakob Park, Basel, Switzerland

The much anticipated UEFA EURO 2008 opens in Basel on 7 June with the Group A encounter between the Czech Republic and tournament co-hosts Switzerland at St. Jakob-Park. Switzerland will be desperate for a positive start before a partisan crowd, but in Czech Republic they face daunting opposition. The Czechs finished as one of the seven groups winners in the qualifying run for this event and return to Euro Cup championship after finishing in the semi-finals in 2004.

Soccer Betting Lines:

Team: Switzerland PK -115
Money Line: +165
Total Points: Over 2 -105

Team: Czech Republic PK -105
Money Line: +165
Total Points: Under 2 -115

Draw +225

Spread Odds:

Switzerland -½ +165
Czech Republic +½ -200

Analysis: Pre-championship predictions have Portugal and Czech Republic as the two favourites in Group A, with Portugal favoured slightly above the Czechs for a top finish. With this a widely accepted prognosis, Portugal’s top finish almost preordained, Switzerland can realistically aim for a potential second place finish in Group A.

In order to realize this ambition a strong start against the Czech is crucial. But the Czechs have an excellent tradition in Euro Cup championships, having won the cup as part of the former Czechoslovakian team in 1976 and most recently reaching the final four in 2004. As the second favourites, overshadowed by Portugal, Switzerland’s task is daunting.

Betting Verdict: With that in mind, at first glance it may be surprising for some to see that both teams are tipped equally on the money line—as underdogs at +165 by the bookies. Now for most North American football bettors, this may appear to be a typo – but in soccer betting it is not unlikely to see two teams tipped on the underdog plane. The price tag aside, the fact that both teams are delicately placed in the underdog plane is significant when handicapping this match.

The reason for this is there is a real strong possibility of a tie match. The tough billing is another reason why they are tipped level on the money line – the odds would suggest anything can happen and I would agree. Why you may wonder since I had just said the Czechs were so great – second on the favourite list in this group? The answer is simply because objectively this is still an open match.

As the first match of the championships, the responsibility of kicking off the long awaited UEFA Euro Cup championships falls to co-host Switzerland and Czech Republic. The inauguration of the championship alone would be enough in certain matchups for bookies to be cautious with the money line, as the moment itself is daunting yet inspiring at the same time. In this case even more so as the Swiss are the home favourites and defensively solid, meanwhile, the Czechs enter the championship without midfielder Rosicky and Nedved and injury issues on the bench.

Certainly the opening match will feature careful play – a bit of a cat-and-mouse chase. The Swiss will be patient, avoiding too many unnecessary rushes to the net. Their defence is organized and solid. The Czechs will try to pick up tempo and probably make a few useless passes. The Czechs are seriously weakened by the absence of Nedved and Rosicky. Baros and Koller are not in the best forms either so fluidity on the pitch can be a problem. Too many attempts to feed Koller – the Czech leader in all-time scoring – could prove to be a more detrimental than winning tactic as the Swiss will try to exploit the open pitch for a counter attack.

Soccer Free Picks: Draw @ +225

As this is a very open match; practically anything can happen and the odds agree with that, we will definitely see a cautious match, since a single mistake could be fatal. Both squads have solid defense line-ups. With the backline the better part of both squads a low-scoring affair can be expected. This is further confirmed by coaches Kuhn and Bruckner who are old-fashioned focusing on defense. Indeed Czechs have a better squad but the Swiss are the home favourites.

So my suggestion is to try betting on the small number of goals but also the draw, especially as Switzerland will be happy to settle for the point.

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