Group B features England, Russia, Wales and Slovakia and is one of the most open groups of Euro 2016. England will be well backed to win the group but as our Group B odds comparison shows, it isn’t beyond any of the sides to qualify and perhaps even top the standings to earn a plum draw in the next round. Read on as we give you the full lowdown on Group B, with live odds comparison for some of the biggest markets as well as the latest odds and tips for some of the key games, as well as the “to qualify” and “group winner” betting.

Roy Hodgson’s side are the clear favourites with the bookies when it comes to who will top the pile after the first phase. They can be backed at best betting odds of 9/10 with a range of bookies to top Group B, whilst Russia are next in the pecking order at 10/3 with Bet365, followed by Wales at 11/2 with Coral and outsiders Slovakia bringing up the rear at odds of 10/1.

Most of the other Euros groups have one clear favourite, with, for example, hosts France as short as 2/5 to top Group A and Germany the same price to come out on top in Group C. At the other end of the spectrum, Slovakia are the shortest priced fourth favourites and so in many ways Group B is the most difficult to predict, especially for those wanting to opt for a forecast.

That said, we fancy a young and dynamic England squad can live up to their potential and scrape through as group winners. It seems unlikely they will win every game, though they will start all three clashes as favourites. They can be backed at odds of 6/5 in their opener against Russia, 5/6 against Wales and just 4/6 against Slovakia but we think they will probably draw at least one of their first two games.

They are young enough to play without fear and having come through qualification with a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 their ability against the lesser sides is established. At the time of writing they have no major injury concerns and, boosted by a brilliant 3-2 win in Germany, they will come into the tournament with real confidence. We predict England will top Group B with seven points, the “derby” game against Wales likely to prove their toughest test.

Wales will come into these championships feeling they have nothing to lose and confident that they can make the next phase at the very least. Their qualification campaign, in which they finished second behind Belgium by just two points, was based on two things: defensive excellence and Gareth Bale.

Wales rely on their Real Madrid talisman more than any nation depend on a single player and if Bale is at his best then they can be a match for anyone at Euro 2016. They scored just 11 goals in qualifying but conceded only four and that is the template for how they will go about things in France. The key game for them may come against Russia, on the 20th June and although they are priced at odds of 5/2, we fancy they can cause an upset to pip an average Russian side to second spot in the group.

Russia, who finished second in Group G of the qualifiers, well behind Austria, are managed by Leonid Slutsky, having dispensed with former England boss Fabio Capello. They have some decent players but having performed poorly at the 2014 World Cup and only qualified for the Euros thanks to a strong finish to the campaign, we think they will come unstuck in France.

For all that Slovakia may be the “best worst” side at the Euros we see them struggling here and odds of 10/1 for them to win Group B do not appeal at all. Even odds of 6/4 for them to qualify look far too short and we think the best they can hope for is a draw against Russia at 45/17, although they could perhaps hold Wales to a 0-0 bore draw at long betting odds.

Overall though we think Group B will finish England, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, with a top/bottom forecast of England/Slovakia worth a punt at betting odds of 3/1 with Sky Bet.

Whatever you want to bet on for Group B, however, be sure to use our live odds comparison to guarantee the best odds with the least effort.

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