The bottom of the bracket in Euro 2016 is sure to be incredibly weak. One only needs to look at the odds to win this tournament for the four teams in this bunch to know that at least two, if not three teams which have little chance to actually hoist the trophy will get into the knockout rounds.
Euro 2016 Group F Odds at BookMaker.eu
Portugal +108
Austria +167
Iceland +575
Hungary +1400
ODDS ANALYSIS
Portugal is the favorite to win this group, and it's basically a 50/50 proposition whether it will or won't. However, when you peel back the onion just a bit and look beyond Cristiano Ronaldo, just how good is this team? Sharp bettors should realize that the Portuguese are almost 25 to 1 to win the Euro Cup, and that should be enough of an indication that they probably won't finish on top of this group even though by name recognition rights, they probably should.
Austria is the most likely team to play the role of the fly in the ointment, but Iceland at +575 and even Hungary at +1400 aren't totally out of the equation either. If you're going to see a ridiculously shocking result in a group in Euro 2016, Group F is where it's going to happen.
GROUP F SCHEDULE
Austria vs. Hungary ( June 14 )
Portugal vs. Iceland ( June 14 )
Iceland vs. Hungary ( June 18 )
Portugal vs. Austria ( June 18 )
Iceland vs. Austria ( June 22 )
Hungary vs. Portugal ( June 22 )
THE KEY MATCH
Austria vs. Hungary ( June 14 ) – It doesn't get much more intense than this. Austria and Hungary have played against each other more times than any other two teams in Europe. Even though Austria has one of the up and coming teams in this tournament while Hungary barely snuck into the field, anything can happen when arch rivals play each other. It's a very dangerous match for the Austrians against the Hungarians, the latter of which have absolutely nothing to lose considering the fact that most believe they're going to leave France without a single point to their credit.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
There's only one name which Hungary is bringing to the table from a major, Champions League caliber squad, and that's Adam Bogdan. He's going to be pressured a ton in the pipes in Euro 2016, knowing that this defense in front of him is shoddy. If Bodgan can play out of his mind, Hungary could very well have a shot at getting through this group.
Austria has a slew of players who were stars in the U-20 team which finished fourth at the World Cup in 2007. Martin Harnik was awesome in that tournament up front, and he's now got 14 goals for his country in 56 matches. If he doesn't find the back of the net at least a couple times in France, the Austrians are in a lot of trouble.
Iceland has a few players who could really turn its fortune, but the man of the hour is Gylfi Por Sigurosson, a Swansea City midfielder who is incredibly creative at the front. The Icelanders aren't going to throw a ton of men forward in this tournament, but Sigurosson is a man who can really blast the ball from free kicks. He'll be incredibly dangerous on set pieces.
But when we're talking about the man of the hour in Group F, it's clearly Cristiano Ronaldo. He's one of the best in the world at finishing, and he's going to be asked to do plenty of that on a team which flat out isn't all that impressive around him. A Seleccao has asked CR7 to carry it in major tournaments for over a decade now, and this is going to be yet another example of that in Euro 2016.
EURO 2016 GROUP F QUICK PICK
Group F Projections
Iceland: 1-2-0 ( 5 Points )
Portugal: 1-2-0 ( 5 Points )
Austria: 0-3-0 ( 3 Points )
Hungary: 0-1-2 ( 1 Point )
It wouldn't be all that surprising to us if all of these matches ended in draws. Clearly, that won't end up being the case, but there's not a lot to choose from between all of these sides. Sure, Hungary is one of the weakest teams in the field, but Iceland, Austria and Portugal are all very tightly knit with one another.
If Austria manages to get all three points from Hungary as we expect Iceland and Portugal to do, this could be a very tight group with three teams finishing with five points at the top of the table.
The price on Iceland is just too good to miss here at +575. The Icelanders nearly beat the Americans a couple months ago on the road, and they could pull off a big shock here in France.
Euro 2016 Odds: Iceland ( +575 )
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