Football Betting Previews - Author

Italy U21 v Spain U21 Betting Preview
This will be the third UEFA U21 Championship Final between the two nations, and it is also a repeat of the Euro 2012 final as well, with Spain and Italy going head to head there. Both of the young sides have been defensively sound throughout the U21 Euro Championships, but Spain are the reigning champions and go as favourites to win this year. But Italy are the most successful nation in the history of the tournament, so will they be able to frustrate and upset the Spaniards? The final is being played that the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.

Italy U21 v Spain U21 Betting Odds at online bookmaker Paddy Power
Spain U21 4/5, Draw 12/5, Italy U21 15/4

Online bookmaker Promotion
There is some great sub-market betting coverage on the final of the 2013 UEFA U21 Euro Championships at online bookmaker Paddy Power. If there are more than three goals in the final, then the bookie will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on that match. This offer applies to single bets placed before kick off only and applies to 90 minutes betting only. The maximum refund is up to £100 per customer.

New customers registering an account with online bookmaker Paddy Power can get up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus. The bookmaker will match the value of your first settled stake on a new account with a free bet.

Italy U21 v Spain U21 Recommended Bet:
The Italians have only conceded one goal in the Championships so far and they were relatively comfortable through their group. Italy scored an important victory in their opening match, in what was billed a group decider. The young Italians scored a 1-0 win over England, setting themselves up to take the group by the scruff of the neck. They looked in total control when they beat host nation Israel 4-0 in their second group match, but there was still some drama to come for the Azzurrini. Their final group match was against Norway, which was a group decider, and the Italians were losing until a dramatic 94th minute equaliser. That was a massively important goal as it mean that they avoided Spain in the semi finals. A goal from Liverpool striker Fabio Borini was enough to see Italy edge past the Netherlands instead.

Italy will be lining up a shot at their record sixth UEFA U21 Euro Championship title. But they will be underdogs against a Spain U21 side which is looking every bit as good as their full international counterparts. Spain opened with 1-0 win against Russia and Germany, before turning up the heat and crushing the Netherlands 3-0. It was the same 3-0 by which they beat Norway in their semi final match, so they are on cruise control. Not only have the Spanish U21 side not conceded a goal in the tournament so far, they actually have not conceded a goal now in their last thirteen international matches. With Italy only conceding one goal on their way to the final, it could at least be a tight affair.

There is immense talent in the Spain U21 side and they are living up to their billing as favourites. They have the tournament top scorer to call upon as well, with Alvaro Morata netting four goals in four games (scoring in three). The Real Madrid striker has opened the scoring in three of Spain’s four matches now, so he makes a good bet to warrant a wager on the First Goalscorer market at a price of 4/1 with online bookmaker Paddy Power. Over in the Italian ranks, the talent Isco looks to be a big threat from the Azzurrini, but where Spain have had one man score half of their tournament goals, Italy have had six different goal scorers in their run to the final so far.

The outcome of this could all be down to the resilience of Italy, will it be enough to frustrate Spain U21? This is a repeat of the 1986 and 1996 finals, with the honours standing at one apiece (both meetings though being settled on a penalty shoot out).

Form
Italy U21 LWWDW, Spain U21 WWWWW

Mexico v Italy Betting Preview
Winner of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico take on Italy in Group B of the Confederations Cup. The Italians are there courtesy of finishing as runners up at Euro 2012, the winner of which gains entry into the FIFA tournament. But because Spain won Euro 2012 and are current World Cup holders as well, the Euro 2012 entry spot went to Italy. An interesting match in prospect between two sides who are pretty resilient and both have a solid amount of potential in their ranks.

Mexico v Italy Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet Victor
Italy 13/10,Draw 9/4, Mexico 5/2

Online bookmaker Promotion
There are two 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup football betting promotions to enjoy at online betting site Bet Victor. If Brazil go on and win the tournament, then the bookmaker will refund all losing Outright Tournament Winner bets as a free bet. The maximum refund is up to £25 per person/household.

Also available is a second promotions running for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. If there is a red card shown during any match of the Confederations Cup, then Bet Victor will refund all losing Half Time/Full Time, Correct Score, First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer and Scorecast bets on that particular match. So great coverage all around and new customers registering an account with Bet Victor can get up to a free £25 bet as a welcome bonus.

Mexico v Italy Recommended Bet:
The Italians will be looking for a return to top form to open their group with. After taking a draw against the Czech Republic in their 2014 World Cup qualification group (a match in which the volatile Mario Balotelli was sent off for two bookings in the space of three minutes), the Italians followed it up with a friendly draw against Haiti. It’s certainly not panic stations though, as Cesar Prandelli’s men are well in control of their Brazil 2014 group ahead of Bulgaria. Italy have a good set up at the moment under Prandelli, and while they excel defensively, they are not a defensive side. They defend high up the pitch in eliminating time and space from their opponents. Not only that, they have great control in the middle of the pitch as the well, with superb ball retention.

The Italians are quite an adventurous side and they have quality with Andrea Pirlo pulling the strings from deep. The young strike duo of Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaarawy have the goals and pace to trouble a lot of defences. This is only Italy’s second attempt at the FIFA Confederations Cup, and the last time that they were in attendance four years ago, it was an aging squad which pretty much produced a tournament to forget. They are a totally different side from back then, are currently ranked 8th in the world and will be favourites to beat Mexico, who are a stubborn side themselves, but are struggling for goals.

Mexico are the draw kings of international soccer at the moment. In their last nine matches during 2013, they have drawn eight of them. They opened the year with six draws in a row. In those last nine matches, five of the draws were all goalless. With their failure to convert wins, Mexico have been struggling to get through to the 2014 World Cup, with just one win in six matches. In their last two matches, they have only managed 0-0 draws as well, coming against Panama and Costa Rica. While they have shown a lot of resiliency and potential in their ranks, their level of opposition has not been as high as it will be when they face up to Italy and Brazil. Still, at the end of the day they haven’t conceded a lot of goal, which is a positive, but with just six goals in their last nine games, they are struggling up top. El Tri need to find a better balance and this will be their fifth attempt at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

In the Mexico v Italy head to head, there have been eleven previous match ups. The Italians have won six of them, against a sole triumph for the Mexicans. The goals in the matches stand at 29 to Italy against nine from Mexico. The last time they met, in an International Friendly in Brussels, it was Mexico who took a 2-1 win. The two meetings prior to that had both been 1-1 draws.

Form
Mexico DDDWDD, Italay DDWWDD

Brazil v Japan Betting Preview
The opening match of the 2013 FIFA confederations Cup is on Saturday, with the host nation Brazil looking to quickly build up a head of steam. This is a warm up event ahead of next year’s World Cup in Brazil, but the Brazilians have been struggling to find consistent winning form of late. After taking just two wins away from their last nine matches, coach Luiz Felipe Scolari clearly still has a lot of building work to do. But the South Americans did conclude their warm ups with a 3-0 thumping of France, so are they going to be peaking at the right time?

Brazil v Japan Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Brazil 2/7, Draw 9/2, Japan 17/2

Online bookmaker Promotion
There is red card insurance available for all live televised matches with online betting site Ladbrokes. This insurance applies to live in play betting only. Get your money back as a free on a losing Next Goalscorer, or Correct Score in-play bets if there is a red card flashed in a televised match. Good coverage for live in play football betting. New customers registering an account with online bookmaker Ladbrokes can get up to three free £10 bets as a welcome bonus.

Brazil v Japan Recommended Bet:
Well, at least there may be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for Brazil, after a strong second half showing against France recently. That was their final warm up match ahead of the Confederations Cup. Since the last time that Brazil met Japan back in October of 2012, the form of the South Americans has been patchy. They beat Japan 4-0 on that occasion, but then they struggled to nail any form down following that. In the nine matches following their last meeting with Japan, Brazil have posted five draws and just two wins in their matches since, including a defeat and a draw against England. So huge room for improvement clearly. Going forward, Brazil look alright, and they have the phenomenal talent of new Barcelona signing Neymar of course. Defensively, there are holes to plug.

Regardless of form and trying to find the right tactics, Brazil go as strong favourites to win the opening match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. They are the title holders, after winning the last two editions back to back, three times in total in the history of the event. This is going to be massively important for them, not only because it is a dress rehearsal for the 2014 World Cup, but also because they have been void of competitive football, being the next World Cup hosts. Brazil have still be trading alongside Spain as joint favourites to win the 2014 World Cup and it is unlikely that Japan will pose them too many problems. The Asian nation completed their warm up for the tournament with a 1-0 win over Iraq, and that came after big celebrations after taking a draw against Australia. That result guaranteed them a place in next summer’s World Cup, becoming the first nation to qualify alongside Brazil.

Japan’s form has not been great either really, taking just one win in their last four international matches. Prior to that run they did rattle off three wins in a row, but that has to be taken into full context because the victories came against Oman, Latvia and Canada. This is clearly the biggest, and sternest test that they will have faced in a long time, a real step up in class. The football ethics of Japan are good, they are quick and stroke the ball around. The quality in standard is unlikely to get them close to a victory against Brazil. The potential is there in the Brazilian squad, Scolari just needs to piece it all together.

The head to head between Brazil and Japan is all in favour of the South Americans. Nine times they have met before and seven of those games have ended in wins for Brazil, with Japan holding on for draws in the other two. The goal tally in those nine matches stands at 24 for Brazil and just four for Japan.

Form
Brazil DDWDDW, Japan WWWLLD

Spain v Uruguay Betting Preview
The reigning European and world champions Spain, will start their quest to get their hands on the Confederations Cup for the first time ever, when they take on Uruguay on Sunday. The two have already met during 2013, with Spain taking a 3-1 victory back in a friendly in February. The South Americans have been struggling badly to find consistency and form and they have lost their way since winning the 2011 Copa America, a win which saw them qualify for this tournament. La Celeste have talent in their squad, but can they raise their game to face the Spaniards?

Spain v Uruguay Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Spain 4/7, Draw 14/5, Uruguay 5/1

Online bookmaker Promotion
You can get up to a free £200 bet for your football betting with online bookmaker Bet365. New customers registering an account with the bookmaker will get the value of their initial deposit matched, up to a free £200 bet. There is also great coverage on football betting to enjoy as well, with their 0-0 Bore Draw Promotion. If a game ends goalless, then Bet365 will refund all losing bets placed on the Correct Score, Scorecast and Half Time/Full Time markets.

Spain v Uruguay Recommended Bet:
It was four years ago at the 2009 Confederations Cup that Spain had a long unbeaten run snapped. They were toppled against the odds by the USA in the semi finals, ending the Spaniard’s 35 match unbeaten streak. That was after winning all of their group games in the Confederations Cup and not conceding a goal. This time around they head to the competition on a 25 match unbeaten streak and the sign of Spain’s dominance in world football doesn’t look close to ending. Nineteen of the squad that they are taking with them were part of their title winning side at Euro 2012. Eighteen of their squad were at the 2010 World Cup. They are tremendously talented and their style will see them dominate matches through possession. The only aspect missing is perhaps a world class number nine goalscorer.

In order to get around this, coach Vicente del Bosque played with the false number nine at Euro 2012, and can’t decide what the best option between Cesc Fabregas, Roberto Soldado, Fernando Torres and David Villa. They’ll be envious of the duo of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani that Uruguay can field. The Spaniards played their way into control of their World Cup 2014 qualification group ahead of France, so with them likely to be back in Brazil next summer, this is going to be superb preparation. This is likely to be the group decider, with only Tahiti and Nigeria to come. This is only Spain’s second attempt at the Confederations Cup and the fluidity and style should be them to go far. They’ll likely get close to fulfilling their role as joint favourites. On the other side of the coin, Uruguay are struggling to find their identity, in a bit of a transition period between new and old.

La Celeste looked a world class side when they went deep into the 2010 World Cup and then took the 2011 Copa America title. It has been downhill since then for them. The squad has pretty much been aging at the same time, and with what seemed to be a youthful set up full of promise failing to deliver at the 2012 London Olympics, La Celeste are in an odd spot. Coach Oscar Tabarez has a brilliant tactical mind, but can’t seem to get the best out of his options at the moment. There was promise in a great display in defeat against Spain earlier in the year, but as they are struggling to reach the 2014 World Cup in qualification, they could use some confidence from a good run at the Confederations Cup. If their forwards fire then they may give themselves a platform. The overall form just isn’t there though.

In the Spain v Uruguay head to head, the South American nation have never recorded a victory against the Spaniards. The record stands at five draws and four wins for Spain. The friendly on Doha back in February was their most recent victory. In the nine previous meetings, Spain have scored 14 goals to Uruguay’s seven.

Form
Spain DWWDWW, Uruguay LWLDLW

Spain v Ireland Betting Preview
Ireland are in New York for an international friendly on Tuesday night (kick off 1am GMT Wednesday morning). Ireland take on the reigning European and World Champions, as part of the Spaniards’ preparations ahead of the FIFA Confederations Cup. For Ireland, this friendly will see coach Giovanni Trapattoni get a look at some squad players following a host of withdrawals from his squad.

Spain v Ireland Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Spain 2/7, Draw 15/4, Republic of Ireland 12/1

Online bookmaker Promotion
As always, there is coverage on all football matches at online bookmaker Bet365. If a game ends goalless, then the bookie will refund all losing pre match stakes placed on the Correct Score, Scorecast and Half Time/Full Time markets. Can the Irish keep out Spain? This great offer applies to all matches listed at online bookmaker Bet365, who offer up to a £200 free bet as a welcome bonus for new customers. Bet365 will match the value of your initial deposit with a free bet, up to the maximum of £200.

Spain v Ireland Recommended Bet:
The last time that Ireland ran into Spain, they were on the end of a heavy 4-0 drubbing in Gdansk at the 2012 European Championships. The Irish have a lengthy list of absentees, from John O’Shea, Wes Hoolahan, to Richard Dunne, Shane Long and more. So it will be an under strength side for this end of season friendly, being played at the Yankee Stadium in New York. Seven changes in all have been made by Trapattoni from the starting line up which he field against the Faroe Islands in Dublin on Friday night. The Irish won that 2014 World Cup qualifier 3-0, with Robbie Keane booking his place in history, by becoming the nation’s most capped player of all time. Keane netted a hattrick in the qualifier and will captain the side.

It was an important win for Ireland, as it kept them in the hunt for a second place finish in Group C behind Germany, so the intensity will probably drop for this one. The Irish are unlikely to get much out of this fixture, but Derby midfielder Jeff Hendrick gets a debut in a young midfield. This will be Ireland’s fourth game since the season finished, and to lump a long trip to America on top of that, they may struggle to get a foothold against the class of Spain. But Ireland are on a good unbeaten streak at the moment and shouldn’t be short of squad confidence.

Spain will probably be taking this a little more seriously as they hone their preparations for the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Spaniards take on Nigeria, Tahiti and Uruguay in their group out in Brazil, in a battle between continental champions. Spain scored a 2-1 win over Haiti in a recently friendly, looking in control and really not even bothering to play much in the second half, which helped a spirited fight from the Haitians. Spain have such a quality squad and the fight for places is on ahead of the Confederations Cup. The biggest jostling for a starting shirt is up front, between Cesc Fabregas, Fernando Torres, Roberto Soldado and David Villa. Spain go as red hot favourites for the win.

The two nations have faced off in ten friendly internationals before, with Spain winning five, and Ireland two. The last friendly produced a 0-0 draw, all the way back in 1985. Overall, the record between the two, including competitive matches stands at 14 wins for the Spanish and 4 for the Irish from 25 meetings.

The Spaniards have goals in them, and with withdrawals from the squad, and not really any break for the Irish, it is probably worth taking a comfortable Over 2.5 Goals for odds of 1/2 at online bookmaker Bet365.

Form
Ireland WDDDWW, Spain DWWDWW

England U21 v Norway U21 Betting Preview
The start of the young Three Lions’ campaign at the UEFA U21 European Championships didn’t go to plan. They took a hit in what was essentially the group decider against Italy, losing 1-0. A poor performance from England U21 where they lacked creativity and attacking power, has made their chances of winning the tournament very shaky. But still there is a chance for them to get themselves through, there are two chances left to right the wrongs of their opening match.

England U21 v Norway U21 Betting Odds at online bookmaker Paddy Power
England U21 3/4, Draw 13/5, Norway U21

Online bookmaker Promotion
Take some UEFA U21 European Championship betting throughout the tournament with online bookmaker Paddy Power.  If there are more than three goals in any match, paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets placed on that match. New customers registering an account with Paddy Power can get up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus.

England U21 v Norway U21 Recommended Bet:
So England’s character will now be tested and they have to dig deep now to ensure progress through to the knockout stage of the tournament. The defeat against Italy ended two streaks for England’s young lions, it snapped a nine match winning streak and also ended a nine match streak without conceding a goal. So they have to start again to some respect, but they do still go as favourites for the match against Norway. That is because they beat the Norwegians twice during qualification to reach the 2013 UEFA U21 European Championships. Stuart Pearce needs to find a way to improve things quickly as they start the second round of matches bottom of the group without a point. It was a thoroughly disappointing performance against Italy which needs fixing. If England have any fire in their belly, they are going to need to call upon it.

Winning the group is not likely now for England, with Italy looking strong. A couple of victories really should see England through in second place and reach the knockout semi final stage. Their two wins over Norway in qualifying came by one goal margins, and that should give England some confidence. If England were complacent heading into the tournament, they won’t be now. Defensively they did not look too bad but are lacking major creativity going forwards. Pearce has already cited a bunch of key players who are missing as being the reason why they may struggle through the tournament. It is true, England’s U21 side isn’t at its strongest, because of recent call ups to the full England squad and injuries. Still,  England played some dire tactics against Italy, throwing aimless long balls forward.

Norway didn’t cover themselves in any kind of glory though in their opening match either. They needed an injury time equalising goal to rescue a point against host nation Israel. Norway are a gritty side as opposed to being one full of flair and lot of quality, but with a point on the board already, they may see England as vulnerable and be ready to take their chances. Norway finished five points behind England during their qualification campaign, then after losing the first leg of their play off against France, they exploded into offensive life, winning the second leg 5-3. That offensive power may be the exception to the rule for Norway, but they are more than capable of working hard and battling England toe  to toe in a physical match.

England are clearly lacking a creative and offensive spark and could get dragged into a low quality battle. Not only do they have to get something positive on the board, they need a huge performance improvement too. The Three Lions may be a bit shaky at the moment and a draw may not be a bad option to roll with in this one, offering at 13/5 value with Paddy Power.

Form
England U21 WWWWWL, Norway U21 WWLLWD

England U21 v Italy U21 Betting Preview
The introduction into the 2013 UEFA U21 European Championships couldn’t be tougher for Stuart Pearce’s England, as they have to face up to Italy. The Italians are the tournaments most successful side ever, but England are on a great run of unbeaten form and came through qualification for the tournament with relative ease. Can they go one better than in 2009 when they lost in the final?

England U21 v Italy U21 Betting Odds at online bookmaker Paddy Power
Italy U21 11/8, England U21 15/8, Draw 11/5

Online bookmaker Promotion
There is great UEFA U21 European Championship betting coverage available at online bookmaker Paddy Power for the tournament. If there are more than three goals in any match during the competition, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast single bets on that particular match. Great value for the Championships and new customers registering an account with online bookmaker Paddy Power can get up to a free £50 bet as a welcome bonus.

England U21 v Italy U21 Recommended Bet:
It is a great match in which England can test themselves at least. If they win this then they should coast to top spot in Group A. That is because this should very well be the group decider, being the top two nations in the four team group. The other two sides who are in the group, are hosts Israel and outsiders Norway. Israel haven’t had the test of competitive football to get to this point, and England beat the Norwegians twice during their qualification campaign, so it looks good for the Three Lions. The top two sides will move straight forward to the knockout semi finals, where there will be no easy match, with Spain, Germany, Netherlands and Russia battling it out there.

So a nice positive start will set Stuart Pearce’s men up very well here, and there will be big momentum to carry forward if they can topple the tough Italians. The Three Lions are in pretty good form, as they have won their last nine matches in a row and they haven’t conceded a goal in that run. So nothing wrong with their form, and they did come through their qualification group with seven wins from eight matches as well, conceding just three goals along the way. For all of their muscles flexed there, it was a different story in the play offs to reach the Finals, as they had to produce a lot of character and grit in their controversial two legged victory over Serbia.

England have won this title twice before, in 1982 and in 1984. In 2007 they made it to the semi final stage, where they lost to the Netherlands on penalties, and then went a step further in 2009 when they made it to the final itself where they lost to Germany. So are England simply trending towards the title? They do have stability at the helm with Stuart Pearce in place and just five of the 23 man squad that he takes with him to Israel have never played in the Premier League.

The Italians made it through their qualification group with a W6 D1 L1 record and took a 4-2 aggregate win over Sweden in the play offs to make it to the finals. The Azzurri will be lining up their fifth title. Striker Manolo Gabbiadini was hot with six goals in seven appearances during qualification.

Scotland v Croatia Betting Preview
The Croatians have been talking up their chances well here, with the camp seeming to be expecting nothing less than a comfortable two or three goal winning margin at home against the Scots. This is pretty much a match between top and bottom in World Cup Qualification Group A and the Croatians are pushing hard for automatic qualification for Brazil 2014, whereas Scotland have already been eliminated from that race. So the Scots are playing on pride right now, and have found life hard in the group, going without a win so far.

Scotland v Croatia Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Croatia 2/7, Draw 15/4, Scotland 11/1

Online bookmaker Promotion
Croatia are firm favourites, going up against Scotland’s relative inexperience, so it may be worth looking at live in play betting for extra value. Online bookmaker Ladbrokes offer money back as a free bet on losing Next Goalscorer and Correct Score in-play bets if there is a red card shown in a televised match, which this in. New customers registering an account with Ladbrokes can get up to three free £10 bets as a welcome bonus.

Scotland v Croatia Recommended Bet:
So at least the Scots can only look up from their position at the bottom of the table. Not only though are they without a win, they have been hit tremendously hard by injuries as well, and Gordon Strachan is taking a depleted squad to Croatia for this one. Still, with all the talk of Croatia seemingly seeing this as an easy foregone conclusion, Strachan will have little need for a team talk. Major influences likes Darren Fletcher and Steven Fletcher are already missing and the injury list has just been piling up for Scotland. So there is an inexperienced feel to the squad now, but at least Strachan can perhaps look to the future and see some other players and how they cope under pressure. It looks as if it will be a tough night in Croatia for them. Coach Stuart McCall has already said that it will be incredible if they get a win.

So to the form and stats for Scotland, and they have won two, drawn two and lost four of their last eight matches now. Looking at World Cup qualification matches specifically, the Scots have not won any of their last seven. In that run of seven matches, they have taken five defeats and two draws. It gets a little bit worse as well when you look at their away form on top. Scotland have only taken one win in their last six away matches, and that was against the lowly Luxembourg. In the other five matches, they suffered four defeats and a draw, so certainly away form is not on their side at all in this one. However, there could be a bit of a positive to find here, as in their previous three meetings with Croatia, Scotland have taken a draw away from each of them.

Croatia are going to need to keep up their form as they duel with Belgium for automatic qualification at the top of the group. Both have secured five wins and a draw (the draw coming when they played each other). In their six qualification matches so far, Croatia have scored ten and conceded just three goals. Because of what is at stake for Croatia, it makes the job of Scotland just that much more difficult. In their last seven international matches, Croatia have not lost any, running up six wins in that period, so they are in great form and look a classy side. They have also won their previous three home matches in Group A as well for World Cup qualification, all of them coming with a clean sheet as well. With the Scots scoring just three goals in their six matches, a Croatia to win to nil bet for value around 5/6 doesn’t look too far out of the picture.

Stat Attack
Croatia have won six and drawn one of their last seven internationals
All three previous meetings have ended in a draw between the two
Jordan Rhodes has scored two goals in his last two starts for Scotland
Scotland have won just one of their last six away matches

Ireland v Faroe Isles Betting Preview
Although the result may look to be a bit of a foregone conclusion in this one, this is a game of big importance for Ireland. They have a chance on Friday to firmly plant themselves in the qualification race for second place, heading into the game level on points with Austria and Sweden in Group C. With them all a long way behind Germany, it is a three way race for second. Austria and Sweden clash on Friday in a massive match, and if there is a draw there while Ireland run up an expected win, Giovanni Trapattoni’s men would take a hold of second spot in the group.

Ireland v Faroe Islands Betting Odds at online bookmaker Sportingbet
Ireland 1/12, Draw 8/1, Faroe Islands 25/1

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Ireland v Faroe Isles Recommended Bet:
The Irish are red hot favourites for the win, but they will help themselves immensely if they can do it by a big margin. Ireland are in the negative in the goal difference column, starting this match a -1 which is a big deficit in a tight group. But this is their chance to correct all of that and run up a big score here. The only defeat that Ireland have suffered in the group so far was a 6-1 drubbing by Germany, and that is why they are faltering badly in the goal difference. However, they are firmly in the race for second spot and after taking a draw against England at Wembley in a recent friendly and following it up with a friendly 4-0 win over Georgia, Ireland could be ready to deliver.

To some stats, and Ireland have lost just one of their last six World Cup qualification matches, winning two and drawing five. But their home form hasn’t seen them on fire. They have not won any of their last six World Cup qualifiers at home, having taken two losses and four draws in that run. Still, there positives are there in the head to head against the Faroe Islands, who Ireland have met three times before. The Irish have won all three of those previous clashes and in those, they have scored eight and conceded just one. Ireland beat the Faroe Islands 4-1 earlier in their Group C meeting. There is a trend over the last two meetings between them, as both matches have been standing at 0-0 at half time.

Robbie Keane got himself a couple of late goals against Georgia on the weekend, and has netted two goals in two appearances against the Faroe Isles as well. Having lost their last eight international matches in row, no-one is expecting the Faroe Islands to sustain any kind of challenge. They have only scored three goals in those last eight matches as well. So there is every chance here for Ireland to put themselves in a great position. It should be a comfortable victory and it is all going to be about running up the goal tally in the race for second spot against Austria and Sweden. The four goals they scored against Georgia should put them in a great mood to produce a clinical and ruthless display.

Stat Attack
Ireland haven’t won any of their last six World Cup qualifiers at home
Faroe Islands are on an eight match international losing streak
Robbie Keane has two goals in two appearances against the Faroe Islands
Ireland have won all three previous matches against the Faroe Islands

England v Brazil Betting Preview
This is a match between two sides who both need to pick themselves up a bit. England were uninspiring in their midweek international friendly against the Republic of Ireland. Now they have to try and raise their game to take on a tougher opponent. It is off to the refurbished famous Maracana Stadium for Roy Hodgson’s men to try and take on the 2014 World Cup hosts. Just as much as England need to prove themselves with a good display here, the Brazilians themselves need to try and turn around some below par form as well.

England v Brazil Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Brazil 8/13, Draw 11/4, England 9/2

Online bookmaker Promotion
England weren’t looking too threatening in front of goal at Wembley against Ireland, can they do better on Sunday? There is a great promotion on offer for the match at online bookmaker Ladbrokes. If it is England who score the first goal of the match, then Ladbrokes will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Scorecast and Correct Score bets placed before kick off. Superb coverage and there are up to three free £10 bets on offer for new customers registering an account with the betting site.

England v Brazil Recommended Bet:
Roy Hodgson came under some heavy fire after England’s pretty dour performance against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley. He reverted to a 4-4-2 formation which offered little creativity and penetration and while England had some pace on the flanks, there was little end product from them. Despite having the lion’s share of possession in the game, they weren’t mobile enough and they couldn’t do much with the ball in terms of breaking down the Irish. So following a disappointing draw against Montenegro in their World Cup qualifying, England look to have hit a bit of a rut. However, the Three Lions did produce a win over Brazil at Wembley back in February. Somehow they need to get back on track, even if it is just putting in a good performance at the Maracana in Rio. They will be hope to be back there next summer for the 2014 World Cup.

But Brazil haven’t been in top stride for a long time now, having won just one of their last seven matches. Of course, they aren’t involved in competitive matches because of hosting the next world cup. But this is a tremendously important month for Luiz Felipe Scolari who is back in charge again. As well as taking on England, Brazil will face France and then contest the Confederations Cup as well. They need to find a system and confidence to get the best out of what is a very talented squad. After losing to England at Wembley, Brazil have drawn three and won one match. The draws came against Russia, Italy and Chile, with a victory over Bolivia. So they look far from their settled and fluent best, but on their return to the new Maracana, they will want to shine and have pace, power and creativity, if they can pull it all together.

In the England v Brazil head to head, there have been 24 previous matches played. England have taken just four wins to eleven by the Brazilians. The last time England were in Rio, that famous John Barnes goal set England on the way to an equally famous 2-0 win over Brazil. Twenty of all the meetings between the two nations have been international friendly matches, all four of England’s triumphs over Brazil have come those friendly games.