Italy Euro 2008 Sports Betting Preview

Italy’s odds to win Euro 2008 do not reflect the poor state of Italian domestic football and an international team in a transitional period but as World Cup champions, you can never right off the Azzuri.

Italy’s four World Cups put them second only to Brazil on the roll of honour, but the Azzurri have won the European Championships only once, in 1968. Italy arrive at Euro 2008 as World Cup winners but concerns over the standard of football in Serie A, and question marks over the form of leading players, make the Italians a slightly risky bet even if Italy’s odds to win Euro 2008 are short.

Roberto Donadoni took over from Marcello Lippi as head coach after Italy won the World Cup in Germany in 2006, and immediately suffered the ignominy of 3-1 spanking at the hands of the revenge-crazed French in Paris. But the Italians pulled themselves together to win Group B, and are eager to emulate the French achievement of 2000 in being both World and European champions – not least as it was the Italians themselves who were defeated in that 2000 final in Rotterdam.

Solid and unmoving defence is the bedrock of the Italian football tradition, and this year’s model is no different. The loquacious Marco Materazzi partners Fabio Cannovaro in central defence – Cannovaro has struggled since his move to Real Madrid but he was player of the tournament at the World Cup and class does erode. In front of Materazzi and Cannovaro, Italy play three in midfield and three upfront – despite the retirement of Francesco Totti Italy have a variety of talented players from whom to choose, from the combative Gattuso to the more attack-minded Mauro Camoranesi. Luca Toni leads the line upfront, with the likes of Inzaghi and the ageless Del Piero playing off him.