Euro 2008 Gambling Preview - Holland vs. Russia Sportsbook.com

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

EURO 2008: Holland has their hands full

Undefeated Holland at 1.70 odds is a solid favorite over Russia (4.75 odds) in a quarterfinal match of Euro 2008. The odds for a tie are 3.30.



This game is being played in Basel, Switzerland and it’s set to begin Saturday at 2:45 pm ET. You can bet on the game here as well as on the tournament winner, top scorer and more.

Holland made it to this point by surviving Group C, otherwise known as the ‘Group of Death’. And while Italy, France and Romania were the other members, it was Holland who was perfect at 3-0, and they are the favorite to win the tournament at 7:2.

The road for the Russians was not paved as easily out of Group D. There were the last of the eight finalists to punch their ticket, and they only made it after a 2-0 win over Sweden on Wednesday. It was their first quarterfinal berth in 20 years.

Russian player Andrei Arshavin was happy with the result over Sweden, but he knows his team must player even better against Holland.

"We played very well, we attacked very well. At 1-0, I thought we sat back a bit, which I didn't like, but when we got the second goal I thought we could have gone on to get more. I hope we can do the same again against Holland but they are the strongest team in the tournament."

One issue that has come up recently is that a new turf has been installed at Basel’s St Jakob-Park stadium and Holland coach Marco van Basten is not happy about it.

“I saw the Champions League final in Moscow (where the turf was also changed shortly before the match) and the players were slipping around a lot. It is not good for the quality of football. It is a concern."

Ultimately, the new turf should not decide the winner of this match. Holland has been very impressive with nine goals in their first three games, seven of them by different players. They beat former powerhouses, Italy and France, by scores of 3-0 and 4-1 respectively. Then they took care of Romania 2-0 despite playing second stringers.

Russia plays an attacking brand of football with good pace and movement throughout the team. They still need to play consistent defense, as evidenced by their earlier 4-1 loss to Spain, but they are a good tournament long shot at 12:1.

The last time Holland won the Euro tournament was in 1988, ironically beating Russia in the finals.

Will they do it again? Login to Sportsbook.com and you decide.