The betting challenge between JOE and Paddy Power continues and neither side has much to shout about so far. Can we stick it to the man this week?
Hands up, we didn’t cover ourselves in glory last week. It’s hardly a surprise to anyone who has been following our fortunes (poor choice of words there, Ed) to date but we are going to try and lay off some blame; the excitement of Euro 2012 kicking off frazzled our gambling brains. That’s our excuse and we’re sticking to it.
Not only did we think that Germany would draw with Portugal (cheers Mario!), we also fancied Robbie to nab the opener against Croatia. That bet didn’t last too long. As for our third punt, the football fever meant we got our dates mixed up so our final bet, on Andy Lee to beat Julio Cesar Chavez, won’t be settled until tomorrow night. Where there’s life there’s hope.
The good news was that Paddy was equally dazzled by the Polkraine action, and all three of his Euro bets went down too.
That catalogue of disaster leaves the running totals as follows:
 |
 |
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-€117.25 |
-€97 |
So, onto this week’s picks. Like the weather and the football, things can only get better, right?
JOE’s picks:
Brian O’Driscoll to score a try at anytime, New Zealand v Ireland, 9/2
Ireland’s greatest ever player, on what will probably be his last tour of New Zealand, is still the man most likely to get us on the scoreboard at Christchurch. We fancy BOD to give us something to cheer about on Saturday morning.
Clare to beat Waterford by 1-3 points, 4/1
The return of Davy Fitz to Waterford, at the helm of his native county, should be explosive. Nobody seems sure how this one is going to go but we think the Banner are on the up while the Déise may just be on a downward trajectory. It will be tight, and tense and we fancy Davy to be dancing a victory jig at the end.
Poland and Czech Republic to draw, 23/10
Ignoring last week’s flops, we have decided to try our luck at the Euros again. The Poles look set to be this year’s team that goes unbeaten but gets eliminated. After drawing with Russia and Greece a win against the Czechs will probably see them through. A heroic draw, and exit, is more likely.
Paddy’s picks:
Poland to beat Czech Republic 13/10
Judging by my performance last week I clearly know nothing about football….but I do know about momentum – I think. Poland have only managed two draws in their group so far but against Russia the other day they were by far the better team in the second half and deserved to win. Their fans will be going as bananas as usual and I think they’ll have too much for the Czechs.
Denmark & Germany to draw 12/5
I was delighted to see the lucky pants we sent to Nicklas Bendtner do the trick for the Danish striker when he scored a couple against Portugal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for the Danish to bring home the bacon. Germany only need a draw to go through, and as we all know what the Germans want, the Germans get.
The Dutch are the biggest disappointment of the tournament without a doubt and Arjen Robben storming off after being subbed in the Germany match said it all. They have a history of self destruction and I’d say things are tetchy at best in the camp. Portugal have looked pretty good so far and I think they’ll put a dodgy Dutch defence to the sword.
And don’t forget there’s a €50 Free Bet for All New Paddy Power Customers
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