U21 Euro Championship Pick - Belarus vs. Italy

Belarus opened their campaign with a humiliating 5:1 loss to host nation Sweden. The shaky start cast their U21 Euro Championships bid in doubt and with favourites Serbia after that on the roster they were further plunged into doubt in the soccer betting marketplace. Fortunately, the minnows managed to keep hope alive when they shared in the spoils with Serbia. Next up is Italy. The Italians opened to a draw with Serbia and followed up with a victory over Sweden. If Italy win this match, they will finish as group leaders but a draw will see them through to the semis.

Soccer Betting Line:

Belarus +1½ -135 +750 2½ O +110 U -140 Draw +350

Italy -1½ +105 -325 2½ O +110 U -140 Draw +350

Match Time: 02:45 Eastern Time Tuesday June 23 2009

Odds against Belarus

Belarus entered the U21 Euro Championships as the clear underdogs but in spite of the market’s take on them, they remained confident and optimistic. They bounced back from the humiliating loss to Sweden by playing a much more focused match against Serbia and earned the scoreless draw. For their second outing, they should be commended because Serbia are heavy favourites and just by managing to hang with them, they salvaged some pride. Overall, however, it is clear Belarus doesn’t have the quality to go deep into the tournament. Moreover, in order to qualify they would need to beat Italy by a three-goal margin. A tall order for such a miniature football nation.

Italy on the verge of a spot in the semis

Italy needs a draw or a win to qualify. The draw will be enough to see them through to the next stage a win will see them top their group. They are in an advantageous position and the match rests on their shoulders. Italy got off to a slow start when they drew scoreless against Serbia but they showed plenty of quality against Sweden, beating the host nation and playing at one point with ten men on the pitch.

Soccer Betting Verdict: The market favours Italy for the win and I have no doubt that the betting trend will fall in line. Italy are a quality side and they are heavy favourites in the tournament proper. Though they need only a point, there is no doubt they will play for the win. As such, Italy at -325 is a good play. Might Belarus have something to say about it? They might. Anything can happen after all. But at +750 underdog odds that would be a hallucinatory play. Realistically, No. It is an uphill battle for the Belarusians. Three goals is a whole lot to expect when they have only scored once and conceded five times thus far.

Soccer Free Picks: Italy -325| Under 2.5 -140