Reporting from Bet Chat HQ, Northern Ireland…
It’s that time of the year, isn’t it? I’m still stubbornly refusing to put the heating on due to tightness, but I could break any day now.
Still, on the plus side, one thing that’s pretty much always hot is my international accumulators, and we landed another win (plus the nearest of near misses) during the last break.
In this one, I have nothing for the first set of games (12 matches for a measly 5/2 return was the best I could come up with), but I do have a very tasty-looking collection for this Sunday.
The Bet
Please Note: These games take place on SUNDAY. All of these teams have matches before then, so make sure you are selecting the correct fixtures when you place your bet.
Hungary to beat Republic of Ireland (2pm Sunday)
The 4/5 on Hungary here is a wild price. While it’s true that Hungary are likely to have wrapped up a play-off spot by the time this match has been played, they will want to finish qualifying on a high and will be up against an Irish side who also have nothing to play for.
Hungary are just so much better than the Republic at present. They went 2-0 up in Dublin before getting a man sent off at 2-1 and having to settle for a draw. Home advantage should be telling here, especially given Ireland lost away to Armenia earlier in the group stage.
Portugal to beat Armenia (2pm Sunday)
This will almost certainly be a dead rubber, but Portugal have an excellent squad and their fringe players will be keen to impress, while also having far too much for the limited Armenians.
Serbia to beat Latvia (5pm Sunday)
The Serbians are under new management, so the players should be giving it their all, even if this is a dead rubber. Again, they’re the home team and have a much stronger squad than their opponents.
Ukraine to beat Iceland (5pm Sunday)
This match will almost certainly decide who finishes second in the group and bags a play-off spot, and there’s a decent chance that Ukraine will need all three points. They won in Iceland and should win again this time.
Israel to beat Moldova (7:45pm Sunday)
Another probable dead rubber that is made a selection by some really good odds (1/2 the home win). Israel battered Moldova on their own patch, both statistically and in the actual result, winning 4-0. There’s no reason why they won’t win comfortably here.
The best price for the acca is currently 5.86/1 (6.86) with Betfred and 11/2 (6.5) with Ladbrokes and Coral. While the dead rubber caveat is very much at play with this one (and I do prefer these accas mid-qualifying schedule), I think the odds more than make up for it on this occasion.
Good luck if you follow me in.
