Top 5 Bets for the Euro 2020 Qualifiers: October 14-15

The second round of the Euro 2020 qualifies will resume today and England, Portugal and Spain will all be in action. Here are the top five bets for your consideration. Bet on football here.

Bulgaria v England – Both Teams to Score – 2.35 – October 14th

England will take on Bulgaria as Gareth Southgate’s men attempt to atone for what was a poor showing in Prague on Friday. The Bulgarians have not scored in their last two, but they have scored three in two at home, while they’re facing an England back-line that has not been at its best lately. The Three Lions are likely to adopt a more attacking approach after Friday’s let-down, but it is not easy to fancy them to keep a clean sheet either. More importantly, the chances of both teams scoring are inordinate than the current odds suggest.

France v Turkey – Home Win – 1.45 – October 14th

France will look to go top of Group H with a win when they host Turkey tonight. It has not exactly been a struggle for France during qualification, though they were expected to be out in front by the time match-day eight came around. That said, they only lost in the reverse of this fixture, whilst winning 100% of their other games in Group H. The Turks are not as menacing as the French who will have the home fans rallying behind them and that should see them win this one.

Ukraine v Portugal – Over 2.5 Goals – 2.20 – October 14th

Ukraine will host Portugal on Tuesday evening as the visitors look to close the gap between them and their opponents who lead the way in Group B. Portugal are yet to play away from home in Group B without conceding but on the other hand they have notched nine in two on the road during qualifying. They both have averages of 1.7 and 2.35 expected goals for their respective home and away games and therefore backing Over 2.5 Goals sounds like a good punt.

Sweden v Spain – Away Win – 1.85 – October 15th

Sweden will face Spain on Tuesday evening, as they attempt to confirm their position inside the all-important top two in Group F. Spain have been on a rebuilding mission and the results seem to be positive, as they currently lead their group by five points. When the pair met earlier in the group, Spain won by three goals to nil and we expect much of the same going into this one as well.

Greece v Bosnia – Herzegovina – Home Win – October 15th

Can Greece turn around a terrible streak with a home victory over Bosnia when they take on each other on Tuesday? The Italians have dominated the group, but both of these sides are off the pace. Greece are in terrible form and they sit seven points shy of the top two with just three games to play. Bosnia have failed to win any of their last four visits to Greece and we don’t think they have enough to change that here and the home side should be able to take advantage.

Big Game Focus: Brazil v Nigeria

 

Brazil’s poor form in friendlies continued after they were held to a 1-1 draw with Senegal in their last match. On Sunday they meet another African giant, Nigeria in their second warm-up game in Singapore. Can they get their first win in four friendly games? Here’s the Big Game Focus. Bet on the game here. 

Brazil are winless in their last three friendly matches. Two draws and a loss in their last three games means they are yet to register a victory since their 3-1 win over Peru in the Copa America final. The Brazil and Nigeria senior teams have only met once with the Selecao claiming a 3-0 victory in Abuja in 2003.

The Super Eagles drew 2-2 in their last friendly match which was against Ukraine. Nigeria have won just one of their last eight friendly matches but claimed a memorable win over Brazil’s arch rivals Argentina last year. Can upset the Brazilians?

Betting preview

Since losing to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup quarter-final, Brazil have lost just once. In that span they’ve won 13 games. The Super Eagles have won one, lost three and drawn four of their last eight friendly matches. Cameroon are the only African side ever to have beaten Brazil, a 1-0 victory in the 2003 Confederations Cup. For that reason, you can back a Home Win at odds of 1.30. 

The Super Eagles have scored in eight of their last nine matches, winning five, drawing once and losing thrice. Brazil have not kept a clean sheet in their last four matches. Both teams have scored in four of Nigeria’s last five matches. You can back Both Teams to Score at odds of 2.15. 

Four of Nigeria’s last five matches have seen Over 2.5 Goals. Three of Brazil’s last five friendly matches have seen three or more goals scored. Therefore, you can back over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.80. 

Team news

Brazil have no injury concerns after their friendly against Senegal.

Gernot Rohr could hand Peter Olayinka and Efosa Solomon-Otabor their debuts. Both men alongside Maduka Okoye could make their international bows in Singapore.

Possible line-ups

Brazil: Ederson, Alves, Marquinhos, Militao, Sandro, Fabinho, Arthur, Neymar, Richarlison, Jesus, Firmino

Nigeria: Uzoho, Ekong, Omeruo, Aina, Ndidi, Etebo, Simon, Iwobi, Chukwueze, Osimhen

Top 5 Bets for the weekend: October 12-3

The international break is here and there will be plenty of action in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. We have done our research on the top bets to keep a keen eye one. Bet on football here.

Denmark v Switzerland – Double Chance (1X) – 1.30

Denmark will host Switzerland in a pivotal qualification tie in Copenhagen this weekend. The two sides are second and third respectively in Group D and they will be trying to outdo each other. Interestingly, Denmark have finished level in five of their most recent seven games overall since November last year. The Swiss also hold an undefeated record in Group D after four matches, winning two and drawing two of their opening quartet of qualification contests.

Norway v Spain – Both Teams to Score – 1.90

Norway are unbeaten in their last qualifiers but only sit fourth in Group F and play host to the three-time Euro winners and current group leaders Spain this weekend. Both teams scored in two of the last three meetings between these two nations and we are confident that both teams will score in Saturday’s match.

Italy v Greece – Under 2.5 Goals – 1.95

Italy will be out to make it seven Euro 2020 qualification wins from seven when they host an out of form Greece outfit in Rome. We expect Italy to ease to victory again against the Greeks, though we don’t envisage the winning margin to be quite so big. With the Greeks well-established defensive robustness away from home and Italy’s modest goal-scoring figures, Under 2.5 Goals looks the smartest way to approach this game.

Malta v Sweden – (-1 Handicap) Away Win – 1.25

Malta have lost their last five qualifiers and will be expected to lose a sixth when they take on Sweden. The visitors have won three of their last six and they have a 100% record against Malta that is expected to continue this here. Malta have failed to score in each of their last five matches and Sweden have kept two clean sheets in their last four attempts, and we don’t expect any drastic changes in their current circumstances.

Faroe Islands v Romania – Over 2.5 Goals – 1.75

Faroe Islands will play host to a Romania side looking to qualify for their sixth European Championship since 1984. The visitors have won all of their seven previous encounters against Faroe Islands and Over 2.5 Goals have been produced in five of the pairs’ seven meetings. Romania have scored Over 2.5 Goals in five of their seven games against Faroe Islands and that should continue in this fixture.

Big Game Focus: Italy v Greece

 

Group J leaders Italy will be looking to make it seven wins out of seven in the Euro 2020 qualification when they host an out of form Greece in Rome this weekend. Here’s the Big Game Focus with some betting tips. Bet on the game here. 

The Italians have been terrific in Group J so far. The Azzurri have won all of their six games, soring an impressive 18 goals and have one foot in next year’s European Championships. Although the Azzurri have been in good form, they have struggled in attack. Can they make it seven out of seven? Italy comfortably beat the Greeks in the reverse fixture between them in June.

Greece have endured a disappointing Euro 2020 qualification campaign. Their 2-0 win at Liechtenstein on match day one remains their only victory in Group J so far, and John van ‘t Schip’s men visit Rome with a dreadful record of just two wins in ten matches in all competitions.

Betting preview

Only three of Italy’s last 12 home matches in all competitions have seen three or more goals scored. Although Greece are enduring a difficult period, the 2004 Euro champions rarely get dismantled away from home. In fact, they have conceded more than two goals in only one of their last 20 international matches away from home. For that reason, you can back Under 2.5 Goals in this game at odds of 1.95. 

Torino striker Andrea Belotti has scored two goals in four appearances in the Euro qualifiers. The 25-year-old has been in good form for his club scoring five goals in seven Serie A appearances. Overall, he’s scored 13 goals in 17 appearances in all competitions this season. You can back Andrea Belotti as Anytime Goalscorer at odds of 2.05. 

The last time these two met, the Italians won 3-0. All the three goals were scored in a pace of ten minutes in the first half. Greece have conceded eight goals in the first half in their last five matches in all competitions.  Therefore, odds of 3.00 for First Half as the Highest Scoring Half look attractive. 

Team news

Azzurri captain Giorgio Chiellini will miss out through injury.

Konstantinos Fortounis is a long-term absentee and will be unavailable for the visitors.

Possible lineups

Italy: Donnarumma, Izzo, Bonucci, Acerbi, Spinazzola, Barella, Jorginho, Verratti, Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne

Greece: Barkas, Bakakis, Retsos, Siovas, Stafylidis, Kourmpelis, Bouchalakis, Fetfatzidis,Vrousai, Pavlidis, Koulouris

 

 

How are the Premier League top six fairing?

The International break is here and today we will take a look at how the Premier League has panned out with a special focus on the top six clubs in the league. Bet on football here.

Liverpool

Liverpool have had a brilliant start to their Premier League campaign after winning all eight fixtures so far. They sit eight points clear of Manchester City ahead of the international break. As a matter of fact they are the overwhelming favourites to win the English title for the first time since 1990. They seem to have picked up where they left last season and they will be hoping to protect the advantage lest they fall into the same trap as last season. In the meantime, they remain the best team in the division and they are setting the standards for others to follow.

Manchester City

Manchester City are the defending Champions and they have made their worst start to a season since Pep Guardiola took charge at the Etihad in 2016. Theirs has been a lack of consistency as they have looked unstoppable at times only to flop the next minute. City’s defensive shortcomings have been largely due to the injuries to Aymeric Laporte and John Stones. Guardiola needs to find a way to make City more robust at the back, especially at set-pieces, before they return to action at Crystal Palace if they are to challenge for the title this season.

Arsenal

Arsenal are sitting in third position after eight games, and this is excellent considering their squad that remains imbalanced and in need of extra defensive quality. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been their best player after scoring seven of the team’s 13 league goals so far. However, they need to change the reality of their winless run against the ‘Big Six’ opponents. In games against Liverpool, Spurs and United, Arsenal have taken just two points and they need to find a way to beat their biggest rivals to cement their top-four ambitions.

Leicester City

Tottenham have endured their worst run since the 2008-09 campaign after collecting just 22 points from their last 20 Premier League games. The alarming loss of form has seen Leicester City step up and take their spot in the top four. Brendan Rodgers has Jamie Vardy at his lethal best once again and the young contingent are also stepping up to offer support. It will be interesting to see how they hold on.

Chelsea

Chelsea have bounced back from their 4-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford on the opening weekend to climb to fifth position going into the international break. Frank Lampard’s Chelsea have been inconsistent, but with the transfer ban, he has had to trust youngsters such as Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. All three academy products have now been called into the senior England squad as a reward for their progress, which has been a highlight of Chelsea’s season so far. Lampard’s challenge is to build on the momentum and find some winning consistency.

Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace have equally done well for themselves this season and surprised a few on their way to sixth place. Black Stars striker Jordan Ayew is having a stellar start to the season, whilst the free signing of Gary Cahill has made Roy Hogdson’s team more defensively sound. The Eagles are unbeaten at home since Man City beat them at Selhurst Park in April. Unfortunately for Hodgson and co. Pep’s boys are the team they play directly after the break. Can they maintain an unlikely push for a Europa League spot?

 

Big Game Focus: Germany v Argentina

Germany and Argentina will meet in Dortmund for an international friendly match as these two clash in a rematch of the 2014 World Cup final. Bet on the match here.

Both of these sides did not have the best time at the 2018 World Cup, and they have never quite picked up in the last couple of months. Argentina are in the middle of a transition period, with some young talents being asked to step up.

The same could be said of the German squad as well as they are looking to promote a new group of players, after relying too much on the side who beat Argentina in the 2014 World Cup final. The fact that almost all of their players called up for this clash have less than 50 caps for the national side speaks to that.

Betting preview

The Germans have struggled at the back after conceding seven goals in their Nations League clashes with France and Holland. With Argentina’s fresh forward line they should find it difficult to contain them. Germany have scored twice in their last five internationals making odds of 1.65 for Both Teams to Score look attractive.

Germany have won four of their last five matches and they will have the added advantage of playing in front of their fans. Argentina have failed to win in two of their last three away trips and therefore backing a Home Win at odds of 1.75 looks good.

Four of Germany’s last five friendlies have seen exactly three goals scored and there is a good chance that this could happen again. This one looks ripe for goals and you can back Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.75.

Team news

Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger is expected to miss out here, as well as Manchester City’s Leroy Sane. Joachim Low has a big test to choose between the first choice keepers Manuel Neuer and Marc-Andre ter-Stegen for Bayern and Barcelona respectively.

Argentina have made a few changes to their squad here, and Erik Lamela is their most experienced midfielder. Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero have been left out of Lionel Scaloni’s squad, while captain and talisman Lionel Messi is still serving a three-month ban issued by CONMEBOL for comments made at this summer’s Copa America.

Possible line ups

Germany: Ter Stegen, Stark, Sule, Tah, Halstenberg, Havertz, Kimmich, Klostermann, Gnabry, Werner, Reus.

Argentina: Marchesin, Tagliafico, Rojo, Otamendi, Foyth, Acuna, Paredes, De Paul, Correa, L. Martinez, Dybala.