All articles by: Elliott Jackson

World Cup Qualifiers – Republic of Ireland vs Serbia – Match Preview

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Republic of Ireland vs Serbia – Match Preview – The top two in Group D go head to head as the Republic of Ireland host Serbia. With the home side just two points behind their visitors, three points would see Ireland leapfrog Serbia in to first place.

With 13 points from their first seven games, ROI sit in second spot, two points clear of third place Wales. With Wales winning on Saturday, and ROI only managing a 1-1 draw away at Georgia, the pressure is on for Martin O’Neill’s men.

Whilst they remain unbeaten so far in qualifying, they also find themselves without a win in three matches. Draws with Wales, Austria and Georgia have set back a fantastic start. A win for them would see them move in to first place and leave automatic qualification in their own hands, with two games remaining. Any dropped points however, would open the door for Wales to jump above them in to the play-off spot.

A key factor in Ireland’s unbeaten qualifying run has been their defensive solidity. Having only conceded five goals so far, it has made them hard to beat. Where they have fallen short however, has been scoring goals. With only nine goals so far, they find themselves with the third lowest amount in their group.

Mitrovic has scored 6 goals during qualifying for Serbia in Group D Photo Credit: skysports.com

Like Ireland, Serbia come in to the game unbeaten in qualifying. Four wins and three draws sees them top the pile, having scored an impressive 16 goals along the way. A comfortable 3-0 win last time out against Moldova will have them in good spirits, and they now only need seven points from their last three matches to book a place at next summer’s tournament. Although they can’t guarantee top spot with a win on Tuesday, it would be very hard to see them slipping up, if they were to grab three points at the Aviva Stadium.

These two met on the opening group game in September last year. An enthralling match saw Serbia come from a goal down to lead, only for Daryl Murphy to snatch ROI a late draw. Since that game, Ireland have failed to score more than one goal in a match, whilst Serbia have notched 14 in six games.

Walters will be key for Ireland’s progression to the World Cup Photo Credit: skysports.com

With so much riding on this game, I can see another defensive masterclass coming from the men in green. This match really does seem a must win for Martin O’Neil’s side, and when that is the case, they usually deliver. Whilst the stats would point to another draw, I think ROI may nick a result and move them in to first position in the group.

Prediction: Republic of Ireland 1-0 Serbia 

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE – ROI TO WIN 1-0 – 6/1

SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND DRAW- 100/30

SKYBET: LONG AND MITROVIC BOTH TO SCORE- 15/2

SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES- 25/1

SKYBET: TADIC TO SCORE FIRST AND SERBIA TO WIN 1-0- 30/1

SKYBET: WALTERS TO SCORE AND ROI TO WIN- 7/2

World Cup Qualifiers – Greece vs Belgium – Match Preview

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Greece vs Belgium – Match Preview – Belgium take a trip to Greece in a top of the table clash in Group H. A win for the visitors seal top place in the group, and a place in next year’s World Cup.

Belgium come in to this game unbeaten. Roberto Martinez’s men have impressed so far in qualifying, having only dropped two points all campaign. The Belgians are knocking in the goals for fun, with 33 goals scored and only two conceded in those six games.

Belgium’s only blip however, was against Greece, where they drew 1-1 at home. With the home side sat just six points behind, they can’t afford to slip up. Another victory would however all confirm top spot in the group, and leave the rest to fight it out for a play-off place.

Lukaku netted a hat trick against Gibraltar in the 9-0 win Photo Credit: skysports.com

After a resounding 9-0 victory over Gibraltar last time out, they are certainly in red hot form. Belgium’s top scorer Romelu Lukaku bagged a hat-trick, to take him third in the scoring charts for qualification. The Manchester United striker sits just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Robert Lewandowski, who have 14 and 11 goals.

Greece come in to the game knowing they need to get another result against Belgium. With them currently sat in second place, they’re desperate to secure a play-off place. They currently sit two points ahead of Bosnia, and three above Cyprus. Defeat here and a positive result for either of those sides could see them just above them and in to second place.

Greece, like Belgium have a very tight defence, having only conceded three goals in qualifying thus far. The main difference between the two sides however, is at the other end of the pitch. Greece have only notched ten goals in seven matches, compared to the 33 scored by Belgium. If they are to have any hope of securing a positive result, it’ll all depend on their ability to soak up pressure, and hit them on the counter attack.

With a key game against Cyprus after this match, it’s imperative they try and keep their fate in their own hands if they want to have any chance of qualifying. With the attacking strength Belgium have, I think it may be too much for them, a Belgium win to nil looks a good bet to me.

Prediction: Greece 0-2 Belgium

 

SKYBET: CORRECT SCORE BELGIUM TO WIN 2-0- 6/1

SKYBET: BELGIUM TO WIN TO NIL- 13/8

SKYBET: LUKAKU AND HAZARD TO BOTH SCORE- 11/2

SKYBET: OVER 2.5 MATCH GOALS AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE- 2/1

SKYBET: BELGIUM TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES- 9/4

World Cup Qualifiers – Wales vs Austria – Match Preview

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Wales vs Austria – Match Preview – Wales face Austria on Saturday in a huge match to determine who qualifies from Group D. With both sides on eight points after six games, one of these sides can take a huge stride towards Russia.

After such an unbelievable European Championships last summer, things haven’t gone quite as smoothly for Wales this year. The Welshmen have only one win so far in qualifying, and have drawn a number of games from winning positions. Although they remain unbeaten in those six games, five draws have left them four points adrift of the top two.

If Wales are to try and turn that deficit around, they need to turn draws in to wins. Out of those five draws, Wales scored first in four of them, meaning they have surrendered eight points from winning positions. Had they held those leads, they’d be already booking their hotels for next summer’s World Cup.

David Alaba will be key for the Austrians Photo Credit: skysports.com

Austria come in to this game in decent form, having not lost a game this calendar year. After starting off their qualifying campaign with a win and a draw, they then stuttered with damaging defeats to Serbia and the Republic of Ireland. Since then, a win against Moldova and an away draw against the Irish has put them back in contention, but like Wales, they can’t afford anymore slip ups.

Can Gareth Bale fire Wales to the World Cup? Photo Credit: skysports.com

With players such as Marko Arnautovic, David Alaba and Martin Harnik they are more than capable pf posing a threat. They do however lack a superstar, such as Gareth Bale. Wales will be praying the Real Madrid superstar can recapture his form from last summer and win them the game.

With both sides playing catch up, nothing other than a win will do for either side, which should make an enthralling, open game. When these two met last year in the reverse fixture, they served up four goal in a pulsating 2-2 draw. Meetings between the two teams have been scarce in recent years, with them only meeting twice in the last ten years. Wales record isn’t particularly great however, having not beaten Austria in a competitive game, since 1975.

In Wales’ six game so far in qualifying, their games have amounted in 14 goals. Compare this to Austria, who also have totalled 17 match goals. With both sides knowing any loss of points would signal the end of their World Cup hopes, I think both teams to score is a safe bet.

Prediction: Wales 2-1 Austria

 

SKYBET: WALES TO WIN 2-1- 8/1

SKYBET: GARETH BALE AND MARC JANKO BOTH TO SCORE- 5/1

SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE IN BOTH HALVES- 25/1

SKYBET: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 GOALS- 7/4

SKYBET: WALES TO WIN FROM BEHIND- 14/1

SKYBET: RAMSEY TO SCORE FIRST AND 1-1 DRAW- 33/1