Germany vs. Austria Betting Preview - Euro 2008 Sportsbook.com

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

EURO 2008: Germans face must-win game

The Euro 2008 favorites must win on Monday or they could find themselves heading home at the end of group play.

After a disappointing 2-1 loss to Croatia on Thursday, the Germans need a victory against the tournament co-hosts from Austria to advance. Germany is expected to win as 1.30 favorites but they’ve struggled at the Euros, going just 1-4-3 since winning it in 1996.

Bet on both of Monday’s crucial Group B games as Poland takes on Croatia on ESPN Classic, with Austria and Germany on ESPN with both games starting at 2:45 pm ET.

As the final days of group play come to a close, you can still bet on the tournament winner, top scorer and more in our futures odds.

Oddsmakers don’t expect the Germans to have much trouble with the co-hosts as Austria is listed at 10.00 odds. The odds for a tie are set at 4.30 odds.

Even if Germany is able to find their way into the round of 16, the loss to Croatia certainly didn’t do them any favors. Croatia has clinched first place in Group B, meaning the group’s second place team faces Portugal in the quarterfinals.

A quarterfinal matchup between Germany and Portugal would see another powerhouse team go home before the semifinals. Group C features four of the world’s Top 12 teams and two will be going home after Tuesday’s games.

The Germans, ranked 5th in the world, were the pre-tournament favorites here at Sportsbook.com at 7-2 odds. Portugal, 11th in the world and at 15-2 odds to win it all, was listed only behind Germany, Spain and Italy on the list of favorites.

And while the fans like to look ahead, the Germans can’t afford to until after Monday’s match. They need a strong outing to not only advance, but build confidence for any future games in the tournament.

Germany will be without striker Bastian Schweinsteiger for Monday’s game. The substitute was ejected from the game with Croatia when he received a red card, which is accompanied with an automatic one-game suspension.

The loss of Schweinsteiger could prove crucial if the Austrians keep the game close. It was Schweinsteiger who seemed to energize Germany’s attempted comeback, creating several chances and almost scoring himself to tie the game in the closing minutes.

Now, he must watch as his team plays a scrappy Austrian team that doesn’t have the star players of the powerful nations but has proven difficult to beat.

In their opening match, Austria out-played Croatia but lacked a finishing touch which led to the 1-0 defeat.

Trailing 1-0 to Poland on Thursday, Austria kept pressing and earned a penalty kick in the final seconds of stoppage time. Ivica Vastic capitalized to give the co-hosts the 1-1 tie and a chance to advance with an upset of Germany in front of their home fans.

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