05/09 - Thursday Accumulator
We’re into the international break and that means many qualifying matches ahead of Euro 2020, with nine games taking place on Thursday 5 September.
We have lined up an accumulator with unibet which pays out at decimal odds of 3.23 and here are the five teams we have identified:
Armenia v ItalyITALY to beat Armenia at 1.25
Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, with the Azzurri now in rebuilding mode and they have enjoyed four successive victories during Euro 2020 qualifying.
Roberto Mancini’s team have scored thirteen goals and conceded just once, with the latest of these being a 2-1 victory over Bosnia. The evergreen Leonardo Bonucci continues to captain the team, with the majority of the squad operating for leading Serie A clubs.
The Azzurri head to the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, having previously demonstrated their away credentials when winning 3-0 in Greece.
That victory in Athens saw the Italians score three first-half goals and they are likely to play with plenty of early intensity in this clash.
Armenia have won two and lost two of their games and one of their defeats included a 2-0 home reverse against Finland.
There is a heavy reliance on captain Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the midfield area and it’s hard to see them denying Italy their fifth straight win of the campaign.
Faeroe Islands v SwedenSWEDEN to beat Faroe Islands at 1.20
Sweden sit second in their Euro 2020 qualifying group and will want to make short work of a Faroe Islands team who have lost all four of their games so far.
The Swedes have already beaten Romania and Malta at home, while they claimed an exciting 3-3 draw away to Norway, with the Scandinavian team likely to win with something to spare.
Let’s not forget that Janne Andersson’s team were able to go deep in the 2018 World Cup before losing to England, with the players performing very well in this post-Zlatan Ibrahimovic era.
Union Berlin’s Sebastian Andersson has received a call up for his bright performances in the Bundesliga, with Emil Forsberg a talented midfielder and the defence looks very solid.
Israel v North MacedoniaISRAEL to beat North Macedonia at 1.83
This is probably the riskiest selection on Thursday’s accumulator, although Israel performed very well when enjoying a 4-2 victory over Austria, with Eran Zahavi bagging a hat-trick and likely to be a big threat in this game.
Andi Herzog’s team sit second in Group G and will feel they have a very solid chance of qualifying after managing two wins, a draw and a defeat so far. Although they were heavily beaten 4-0 in Poland, they did manage a 3-0 triumph in Latvia.
North Macedonia did manage a 1-1 draw away to Slovenia although they have been beaten at home to Poland and Austria, with the visitors likely to struggle in Beersheba.
There is much reliance on captain and striker Goran Pandev although the 36-year-old is no longer at the peak of his powers and we expect home advantage to count here.
Norway v MaltNORWAY to beat Malta at 1.062
Norway look like a fairly safe bet to claim a victory against a Malta side who have got one win on the board although that was against the Faroe Islands. The Maltese have been beaten in their other three matches and ten goals have been conceded in total.
The Norwegians have enjoyed draws against Sweden and Romania, with 3-3 and 2-2 scoreline illustrating that they are capable of running in the goals and we should expect a comprehensive win here.
Head coach Lars Lagerback has previously performed well in charge of the Swedish national team and now knows his team can ill-afford any slip-ups, with the team sitting fourth behind Spain, Sweden and Romania.
Romania v SpainSPAIN to beat Romania at 1.45
Spain rarely let punters down when it comes to this type of game and they’ve shown their class so far. It has been four straight wins for La Roja, with Robert Moreno able to call upon a star collection of players that includes Sergio Ramos, Paco Alcacer and Thiago.
The Spanish are among the favourites to win Euro 2020 and it appears they have improved their situation since a limp showing at the 2018 World Cup which wasn’t helped when manager Julen Lopetegui was axed after it was revealed he would shortly be joining Real Madrid.
As for Romania, they have a chance of finishing second in this section although it’s a tall order to get anything from this game and they have previously conceded five goals in four matches.
Their only home game so far was a 4-1 triumph over the Faroe Islands, although Cosmin Contra has already admitted that it will be a tall order to get anything from this match.
06/09 - Friday Accumulator
There are nine Euro 2020 qualifying matches taking place on Friday, with nations all over Europe competing and hoping to reach the finals next summer.
We’ve gone through the Euro 2020 coupon for Friday and picked out five teams which can be combined together to get an accumulator running:
Austria v LatviaAUSTRIA to beat Latvia @ 1.11
Austria sit third in Group G after two wins and two defeats, although this match represents an opportunity to strengthen their claims to reach the Euro 2020 finals. They are a short price to overcome their opponents at the Stadion Wals-Siezenheim in Wals-Siezenheim.
Franco Foda can call upon several quality players including Marko Arnautovic who recently left West Ham for China, with the forward joined by captain Julian Baumgartlinger who is the captain and also a key player for Bayer Leverkusen.
Latvia have no hope of qualifying for Euro 2020 and they have lost all four matches to date. There have already been defeats away to Poland and North Macedonia, with the team unlikely to match the home side over ninety minutes.
Germany v HollandGERMANY to beat Netherlands @ 1.90
This is probably the most exciting match-up of the international break, with Germany looking to continue their 100% record in qualifying by beating a Netherlands team who they have played several times recently.
The Dutch were able to finish above Die Mannschaft and France when it came to their Nations League group, with Ronald Koeman having radically improved the fortunes of the national team, although Germany got their revenge with a recent 3-2 win in Amsterdam.
Joachim Low will now hope that home advantage in Hamburg can secure another victory and he’s got a wealth of talent to call upon. Although De Lijt, De Jong and Van Dijk are quality operators, the Netherlands side are still a work in progress.
San Marino v BelgiumBELGIUM to beat San Marino @ 1.004
This is a straightforward selection, with Belgium arguably the best team in Europe right now thanks to their possession of players such as Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku.
Roberto Martinez’s team have won all four of their qualifying matches, scoring eleven goals and conceding just once. It’s inconceivable that a San Marino team shipping an average of five goals per game can get anywhere close.
Slovenia v PolandPOLAND to beat Slovenia @ 2.20
This is a trickier selection for the Euro 2020 accumulator although it boosts the odds as a result. Poland had a miserable 2018 World Cup although they remain among the strongest teams in Europe and they are spearheaded by captain Robert Lewandowski who remains potent for Bayern Munich.
The Poles have won all four matches in qualifying and they are yet to concede, with Jerzy Brzęczek’s team enjoying 1-0 victories away to North Macedonia and Austria.
Kamil Glik continues to be a solid operator in defence and it’s hard to see how Slovenia can get the better of this team, with the home side’s only victory coming against whipping boys Latvia.
They were only able to muster a 1-1 draw against North Macedonia and it’s likely that they will be outclassed during the ninety minutes here.
Wales v AzerbaijanWALES to beat Azerbaijan @ 1.25
Wales sit fourth in Group E after three games played and it’s a tall order for them to qualify after experiencing defeats away to Croatia and Hungary. However, Ryan Giggs’ side should be able to enjoy a victory in this clash, especially with Gareth Bale in the team.
The Reds have already beaten Slovakia in Cardiff and this should be an easier assignment, with Giggs looking to engineer a second successive appearance at a European Championship finals after predecessor Chris Coleman managed to steer the Welsh to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.
As for Azerbaijan, any hopes of qualifying are already slim and they have suffered three defeats in their three games, conceding ten goals although they did manage to hold Croatia to a 2-1 reverse.
07/09 - Saturday Accumulator
Qualification for the 2020 European Championship continues on Saturday 7 September, with seven matches taking place across the continent and there are many teams who are operating as strong favourites to win their respective games.
While you won’t get rich backing them as singles, there’s the opportunity to put several teams in an accumulator and we have identified five sides who will pay out even money to the unibet customer if they win.
England v BulgariaENGLAND to beat Bulgaria @ 1.10
Gareth Southgate continues to do a sterling job in charge of the English national team. This managerial role used to be a poisoned chalice although the former Middlesbrough coach has been able to bring through young players and still create good results for the Three Lions.
Southgate is now spoilt for choice when it comes to talented English players, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho just three who have caught the eye recently. Similarly, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson bring plenty of experience.
England are making qualification look easy and this should continue against a Bulgaria side who are yet to land a win. They have drawn two and lost two of their games, with their best effort being a 1-1 draw away to Kosovo.
Iceland v MoldovaICELAND to beat Moldova @ 1.22
Perhaps Iceland have gone off the boil since their exploits at Euro 2016, although this proud nation still managed to make the 2018 World Cup and can no longer be described as a European minnow.
They come into this match on level points with France and Turkey which suggests a battle for the top two places and this should be three easy points for a side who have already enjoyed home wins over the Turks and Albania.
Moldova have won one and lost three matches to date, with that sole victory coming against Andorra and they only managed to score one goal in that clash.
Lithuania v UkraineUKRAINE to beat Lithuania @ 1.30
Andriy Shevchenko has done a brilliant job with the Ukrainian national team in this qualifying stage, winning three and drawing one game to date. The most eye-catching victory was the 5-0 thrashing of Serbia, a team who had previously competed well in the 2018 World Cup.
There was also a goalless draw away to Portugal and we’re expecting the team’s good form to continue in this clash against a Lithuanian team who are yet to record a victory. Their only home game so far was a 1-1 draw against Luxembourg and that hardly suggests an ability to compete.
Ukraine can call upon West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko for inspiration again, while the several players who operator for Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk make sure that this is a team who are now difficult to beat.
France v AlbaniaFRANCE to beat Albania @ 1.10
Although Les Bleus are trading at 1.10 to win this game, we still think this is a good price considering that they are a ridiculously strong team with the ability to score many goals against this kind of opposition.
Didier Deschamps will be looking for a straightforward win and the team’s previous home match saw them triumph 4-0 against Iceland, with Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann looking to boost their international goal tallies.
Griezmann has recently completed a move to Barcelona and is thriving, while Arsenal’s Matteo Guendouzi could get an opportunity to appear in midfield considering that Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante are absent.
Turkey v AndorraTURKEY to beat Andorra @ 1.04
We need one more pick to boost our accumulator a little bit more and Turkey look like a rock solid pick to claim a three-point haul against one of the European minnows. The home side are in a three-way tie with France and Iceland, having won three of their four games.
This includes a 2-0 win over Les Bleus to make a real statement of intent and we’re confident that there will be no slip-ups against a team who are used to experiencing heavy defeats when it comes to international competition.