*I have to say, betting International Football is one of my favorites to gamble on. A couple
unders on the card for the first round of matches. Part of the reasoning is due to the fact that there is a lack of cohesion at times during the first round of the international games. Players are all coming off important games with their club teams and then get thrown into playing with an entirely new set of players that they don’t play with all that often. For some teams, it takes a while for them to settle and produce that flow offensively.
*WCQ: Republic of Ireland to WIN (+115) vs Azerbaijan
The last time these two teams played was on September 4th during the previous international break. It finished 1-1, and the Irish supporters were livid with the outcome against lower-level opposition. In this game, Ireland had 21 shots to Azerbaijan’s 10, with 59% possession. Now, this is an important game for Ireland and one they desperately need to win to have any hope at qualification. They are helped by having many Premier League players opposed to Azerbaijan who have a team with no significant high-class talent. Both teams are yet to grab a win in the group yet but expect Ireland to take advantage of a weak Azerbaijan side and grab this all-important victory.
*WCQ: Hungary Win or Draw & Under 2.5 Goals (-115) vs Albania
Both of these teams are very sound defensively when coming up against similar level opposition as we see here. Aside from against the two frontrunners of this group, England and Poland, Albania is yet to concede a goal against any other side, while Hungary has only conceded three with a very impressive EURO 2020 run lodged in-between. The last game between these two finished 1-0 to Albania. A total of only five shots on goal were created that day, in a game decided by an 87th-minute winner. Albania sits second in the group but three points for Hungary could lift them a point above the Albanians. So with that, expect Albania to play pretty defensively and gladly take a draw against a good Hungary side away from home. The Hungarians will be playing the game with no fans in the stadium, which in my opinion only will help this one become a very low-scoring affair. I could see Hungary snatching this one in the same fashion as Albania did in September, in a match where a win is needed much more for Hungary than it is for Albania.
*WCQ: Austria to Win to Nil (-118) vs Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are just not good. They have only scored four goals in the group so far with three of them coming against last place, Moldova. The other goal came in a 3-1 defeat to Austria in the last game these two sides played. No doubt that the Austrians win this game, but I also have no doubt that the Faroe Islands will be kept off of the scoresheet. Obviously, one main reason is just that Austria has such quality in their team as opposed to the players of Faroe Islands. In their last matchup, Austria had 27 shots to nine and controlled 71% of the possession. Yes, Faroe Islands did grab one against Austria last time, but it happens, and all that could lose this bet is a mistake or unlucky bounce leading to a goal. Other than that, this bet is safe.
*WCQ: Switzerland to Win & Under 3.5 Goals (-130) vs Northern Ireland
These two sides faced off very recently in September and the contest ended 0-0. Switzerland did miss a penalty but they also only created three shots on target. Three shots on target are pretty worrying when we are looking to get a win from them. But, Northern Ireland didn’t manage a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes and only had 25% possession in that time. There was absolutely no goal threat from the Northern Irish. Considering this game was away from home for the Swiss, the result wasn’t a bad one. Switzerland are second in the group behind Italy and are yet to lose a game so far. In four games played, they have only conceded one goal and scored four. So, they rarely concede and are also pretty minimal on the scoring front. At home against a very underwhelming Northern Ireland side should see a comfortable performance lead to an easy 1,2 or 3-0 win.
*WCQ Can’t Lose Parlay: (Serbia to Win) + (Scotland vs Israel Under 1.5 First Half Goals) (-118)
LOVED these two picks separately but the odds were just not good enough to be giving them out as picks. BUT, adding them together creates a parlay that CANNOT lose. Let’s start with Serbia to win against Luxembourg. The odds for this separately sit at (-250). Serbia are yet to lose a game in the group, including a difficult match against Portugal. They are solid. They have the talent and cohesion to be a very good team. The last match between the two in September finished 4-1 to Serbia and they absolutely controlled the game. Eight shots on target to Luxembourg’s one, 54% possession, and a dominating scoreline. Serbia will be too much again for the weaker Luxembourg.
Now for Scotland vs Israel under 1.5 first-half goals. The line for this one sits at (-334). I have hit on 3/4 when picking Scotland games to be 0-0 at the half. They are just that team. These two teams have played three competitive games in recent times which have all ended the half with one goal or less. The games have all ended up finishing in two goals or less. Both teams are solid defensively and although they both contain some attacking talent, the creativity and chemistry aren’t fully there. This could come down to the reasoning given at the beginning of the piece, and I don’t see this trend going in any other direction. I expect a 0-0 first-half scoreline, and I will also be betting that at (+150), but under 1.5 first-half goals is VERY safe and will definitely hit.
