Frank Lorenzo
Serbia (+130) vs. Denmark (+260) (Draw +220)
Group I appears to be the most even in the qualification for Euro 2016. On Friday, Serbia will host group leader, Denmark, at 2:45 p.m. Eastern at FK Partizan Stadium in Belgrade. If Serbia can pull out a win, they would catapult into the qualification zone.
Due to playing at home, the Serbians are slight favorites heading into the game, rated +130 in the moneyline; a Denmark win will pay +260 and the draw +220.
Given Serbia’s recent origins as an independent country, these teams have never squared off in a UEFA competition. But the small nation is proving that they are a major player in world football, dropping just one of their last six games (2W, 3D, 1L), which includes a draw against France (1-1).
In their first (and so far only completed) game of qualification, Serbia traveled to Armenia and picked up a draw. The Serbians will likely feel short changed by the result, as they dominated play and missed a number of good chances. (Serbia’s second match – a home game against Armenia – was abandoned by the referee due to rioting by the fans.) In the standings, Serbia is in fourth place with one point and zero in the goal differential. However, if they beat Denmark at home, they will be back on track with four points and, depending on the result from Portugal-Armenia, could even reach first place.
The Serbian coach, Dick Advocaat, is aware that Friday’s match is key for his team’s chances at qualification, and that they will only take hte full three points if they improve their play.
“I wouldn’t say it was a fiasco (the draw against Armenia), but this wasn’t one of our better matches. Armenia defended well, and it was very difficult to get through them. We should get better than this. Me and my players understand that there will be no easy games, and we need to get ready for the next match,” said the coach.
On the other side, Denmark (1W, 1D, 1L) is tied for first in the group with four points. But they haven’t shown any brilliant soccer, so far, and sit at the top largely because they have played more games than anyone else in the group. In their last match, Denmark lost an all-important home game to Portugal.
Bet Serbia at home.
