the long, empty spell between internationals and domestic action is almost upon us. with the last qualifying matches being played on monday and tuesday, the spots at the world cup are starting to fill up ahead of december’s draw. just who will make it through in these final two days, and which sides will secure a spot in the play-offs? ahead of these final, potentially crucial clashes, we’ve picked out a few betting tips from the biggest games for you to take a look at.
wales v rep. of ireland: republic of ireland looking to leapfrog welsh
the last two british and irish sides to play meet in cardiff on monday, with wales and the republic of ireland gunning for second place. both want to build on their appearance at euro 2016 with a trip to russia, but they’re realistically going to need a detour through the play-offs in november.
this isn’t quite a winner takes all game, but it’s close. the visitors will feel slightly more confident given that they’ve scored most of their goals away from home so far, but wales have hit form late in this campaign. this is a really difficult trip, and we’re likely to see a game quite similar to their dour 0-0 in dublin when the pair last clashed.
we think it’s worth backing against goals in this one, especially as both teams would defend deep if they scored. a 1-0 lead would be like gold dust for either, so they’re likely to put everything behind the ball if they score. that has us taking a chance on under 1.5 goals in this game at 2/1 with bet365. we’re also quite tempted by the draw, so we’re backing a 0-0 in this game which is priced at 8/1 with ladbrokes.
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there’s a fascinating clash in group b on tuesday, which is a must win game for european champions portugal. they face leaders switzerland at home, knowing that they have to take all three points to book a spot in russia. if they slip up, the team who won euro 2016 will be stuck in the play-offs to make it on to the biggest stage, which would be a setback for this improving side.
portugal have trailed in this group since early on, with switzerland making a strong start. they won the first clash but portugal have been racking up heavy wins since. given that goal difference will decide who progresses if these two are level on points, portugal have a huge advantage. will they be able to get the victory they need?
we think portugal will edge this game, especially given how well they are playing. they’ve won by at least two goals in every home game so far, which leads us to back portugal with a -1 handicap here at 3/1 with coral.
ukraine v croatia: europe’s closest group comes to a close
going into this month’s matches, there were just two points between the top four sides in group i. it’s arguably the most fascinating race for russia in european qualifying, which has marked out ukraine’s clash with croatia on monday as hugely important.
there’s so little between the sides in this group that recent matches have all seen under 2.5 goals. that’s occurred in seven straight games in this group, with croatia possessing one of the best defensive records in europe. we’re backing a low scoring affair once again, and we think backing under 2.5 goals here is the best way to go.
holland v sweden: can the dutch keep their hopes alive?
two sides who have seen better times meet on tuesday, as holland host sweden. the pair aren’t exactly in their golden age at the moment, but they’re both still in contention for a place at the world cup. can the dutch bounce back after missing out on euro 2016?
at this rate, the dutch will have to settle for a place in the play-offs, which they’ll get if they beat sweden. while the home side haven’t been at their best in this campaign, they have won 12 of their last 13 home world cup qualifying matches, so we’re backing that run to continue on tuesday. with sweden losing three of their last five on the road in this competition, we expect them to struggle in this trip.
holland seem like good value to win this clash at 8/13 with betfred, and that’s our main tip on this game. we also predict a high scoring game when these two clash, with neither that solid at the back. we’re going for a home win and over 2.5 goals to be scored, which is available at the bigger price of 3/1 with betfair. that’s landed in holland’s last seven home victories world cup qualifying, so we think it’s a great bet.
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