Euro 2008 qualifiers

Tom Allen got his tip dead right for the Greece v Bosnia Euro 2008 qualifying match – Greece beat Bosnia 3-2. And with a nil-nil draw against Albania, Allen was correct Slovenia wouldn’t win – so good results this week for Tom.

Crucial qualifying games for EURO 2008 being played all over the continent this weekend. England and Scotland both face must win games but there is plenty going on elsewhere and there are a couple of bets that interest me.

The two games that warrant a punt both involve short price home teams but there is one I want to be with and one I will be against. Greece are worthy of support, even at 1.33 to see off Bosnia, while Slovenia are much too short to beat Albania.

The Greeks top Group C, having won six of their eight matches, and know they must keep on winning to repel the challenges of Norway and Turkey. A bizarre 4-1 reversal against their great rivals is the only time they have failed to collect all three points on home soil and Otto Rehhagel knows the defending champions cannot afford to slip up.

The likes of Charisteas, Krygiakos and Liberopoulos provide a genuine goal threat and they will be looking forward to getting stuck into the Bosnian’s. They let in nearly two goals per game and have virtually no chance of qualification.

Olympiacos won their very first Champions League game on the road in the most recent round of matches but it is at home where the Greek sides, and in particular the national team, are so strong and they look a really good bet. They travel to Istanbul on Wednesday and will want a cushion at the top to take with them.

Romania, Holland and Bulgaria dominate the qualifying picture in Group G and while the match involving Slovenia and Albania has very little riding on it, the visitors are fast becoming a difficult side to beat.

I see no reason why Slovenia are considered 1.50 shots, they lie just one point ahead of Saturday’s opponents and have played a game more, while the Albanian’s are extremely tough to break down. van Persie and co could only managed one goal in Tirana while the highly rated Dutch could also only squeeze past Albania 2-1 in Amsterdam.

When these two sides met in March a 0-0 could not have been pretty to watch but, by laying Slovenia on Saturday, that result will do very nicely indeed once again. Aside from a 1-0 win over Belarus, the hosts only have two wins against whipping boys Luxembourg to show for their efforts, as do Albania, and I reckon they should be around the 1.80. I will be opposing them, massively.