Saturday Games And Predictions.

REASON FOR SWEDEN VS LUXEMBOURG BETTING TIPS

As you might expect, Sweden are massive favourites to win this game against one of the minnows of European football. However Luxembourg are a little bit better than many people realise and they come into this match following two outstanding defensive performances last month. That alone suggests they should be able to keep the score down.

Their 0-0 draw in France last time out was one of their best ever results and it’s very likely we’ll see another ultra-defensive approach here. Luxembourg have done pretty well in this campaign, given they are in a tough group with some of the major European powers. They’ve only suffered defeat by more than a 2 goal margin in 1 of their 8 group matches. In 2017 alone, they’ve pushed France pretty close twice and have recorded international wins over Belarus and Euro 2016 finalists Albania.

Therefore Sweden can’t afford to take this lightly and it’s hard to see them running riot. If a team of the creativity that France are blessed with found Luxembourg tough to break down at home then Sweden won’t find it easy and backing Luxembourg +4 Goal Handicap at 7/10 looks to offer value.

This is a big game for Sweden though and they should secure maximum points. If France drop points in Bulgaria, Sweden would take top spot in the group with a win heading into what is shaping up to be a massive final clash against the Netherlands in Amsterdam early next week. It’s essential there are no slip-ups here and backing Sweden to Win & Under 3.5 Goals at 8/5 looks good given Luxembourg’s recent defensive prowess.

My Tip: 1&Under3.5

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REASON FOR BULGARIA VS FRANCE BETTING TIPS

France are being tipped as potential winners of the 2018 World Cup but they still have plenty of work to do to ensure they get there. They come into this match in top spot in Group A but with Bulgaria boasting a 100% home record in the group, this could be a really tough game. The French will almost certainly fall to 2nd behind Sweden if they fail to win it and at the very least, there is the potential for goals at both ends in this one.

Bulgaria have had a bizarre campaign in many ways, winning all four home games but losing all four away matches. They still have a mathematical chance of making the top two but anything short of maximum points will effectively see them eliminated. That should help ensure we see an open game with both teams going for the win.

Matches involving Bulgaria in this group have produced plenty of goals. Their group games average a huge 3.75 per game and they’ve only failed to score in 1 of their 8 fixtures. They’ve already beaten Sweden 3-2 and Holland 2-0 at home so even against the stronger sides they are a threat and you have to really like the look of backing Both Teams to Score at 11/8.

Midfielder Georgi Kostadinov is one man who has caught the eye. He’s scored in 3 of his 6 appearances for Bulgaria, all of which have come in this campaign and that makes backing Kostadinov to score anytime at 9/1 look like it could be worth a flutter here.

France though are a class act. Bulgaria’s need for maximum points may actually help them as they’ve struggled in a few games where teams have parked the bus against them up. Their 4-0 win over the Dutch was an indication of how good they are when they have to space to play in.

They have an abundance of attacking options with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar, Kylian Mbappé and Dimitri Payet competing for starting positions and they should have enough quality to see off Bulgaria over 90 minutes. You can get France to Win & Over 2.5 Goals at 8/5.

My Tip: 2

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REASON FOR BELARUS VS NETHERLANDS BETTING TIPS

The Netherlands were the highest profile absentee at Euro 2016 in France and the way things are shaping up, there will be no orange invasion of Russia next summer either. Failure to win in Borisov will almost certainly see them eliminated on Saturday night and even if they do win, they may still need a huge margin of victory over Sweden when the sides meet in Amsterdam next week to stay alive.

With Sweden hosting Luxembourg on Saturday, it seems certain that Holland’s hopes of a play-off place will come down to goal difference and that’s only if they win their final two games. Therefore they have serious motivation to go for goals here and they may have to gamble a bit. That should offer Belarus the odd opening at the back and given the Dutch have kept just 1 clean sheet in 8 matches during this campaign, backing Both Teams to Score at 11/8 looks good.

Belarus though are unlikely to be able to keep things tight at the other end. They are bottom of this group, below even Luxembourg who beat them last month. 6 of their last 9 internationals have ended in defeat and they’ve only won 1 of their last 12 World Cup qualifiers. With nothing really to play for and a few established players missing from the squad, it’s hard to look past an away win.

You can back the Netherlands to Win & Over 2.5 Goals at 17/20. Their last 6 internationals have all produced over 2.5 goals and they’ve netted 13 times in their last 4 matches.

While a lack of emerging young talent is a concern, they can still count on the services of skipper Arjen Robben. He really has led from the front of late with 8 goals in his last 9 international appearances and backing Robben to score anytime at 21/20 looks a very decent bet here.

My Tip: Over2.5

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REASON FOR SWITZERLAND VS HUNGARY BETTING TIPS

There are just two 100% records remaining in the European section of 2018 World Cup qualifying. One predictably belongs to defending World champions Germany while the other belongs to Switzerland. The Swiss have been faultless in this group, consistently doing just enough with minimal fuss and they look capable of racking up another win to nil here.

6 of their 8 wins in this group have been to nil and at home they’ve been particularly good. They are yet to concede a goal on home turf, racking up four wins including a 2-0 success over European champions Portugal, who they still hold a 3 point advantage over as a result. The rest of the group is pretty poor but it’s still somewhat cruel on the Swiss that even if they extend their 100% record here, they will almost certainly need a point in Lisbon next week if they want to avoid having to go through the play-offs.

Hungary may be 3rd in this group but it’s a distant 3rd. They trail the Swiss by a huge 14 points and have no chance of making it to Russia. Since making it to the last sixteen in France last summer they’ve really struggled and there’s nothing about them that suggests we could see an upset here.

They’ve endured a miserable 12 months losing 5 of their last 6 internationals to nil, including a shock 1-0 loss in Andorra. With Switzerland showing no signs of cracks, backing Switzerland to Win to Nil at 10/11 looks very good.

In addition going for Haris Seferovic to score anytime at 11/10 could be worth a bet. The Benfica striker scored 3 times in Switzerland’s two matches over the last international break.

My Tip: 1

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REASON FOR BOSNIA VS BELGIUM BETTING TIPS

Belgium have runaway with Group H under the guidance of former Wigan and Everton boss Roberto Martinez, but the Spaniard isn’t likely to take the last two qualifying games lightly as he will want his side to continue their good form for as long as possible. Bosnia and Herzegovina provide the opposition and the destination for this weekends game, with the hosts currently sitting in second place this should be a very competitive game.

A year ago the reverse fixture between the pair in Belgium turned out to be anything but competitive, as an Hazard inspired Belgium ran our convincing 4-0 winners in their own backyard. The captain scored one and created one during the ninety minutes, with Alderweireld and Lukaku getting their names on the scoreboard, as well as the unfortunate Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Spahić.

Five out of the last seven matches played between these two countries have witnessed both sides getting on the scoreboard, so Belgium’s clean sheet last time out was somewhat of a rarity in this fixture, and we don’t expect another one this weekend. The hosts have scored fourteen times in their last six matches and conceded five, while Belgium have netted nineteen goals, thanks largely to the 9-0 win over Gibraltar, and let in six.

Despite not having a club, veteran centre back Emir Spahić, scorer of the own goal when the pair locked horns last year, makes it into the hosts squad, but surely only for his experience and influence of the pitch. With the pace and power of Lukaku and Hazard up front, Spahić is best left on the bench, considering his advancing years.

Marouane Fellaini may be forced to play a little deeper and concentrate on braking up the play of the hosts with Nainggolan out injured, not a role the Manchester United man is used to or particularly happy playing in.

I'm confident in my first betting tip for this game, as i am going with both teams to score. This is a fixture than more often than not produces goals at both ends and with Belgium already qualified and Bosnia in need of the points, i'm hoping for an open, attacking game of football. The current odds on that outcome are priced at around 4/6, so there is decent money to be made if you place a bet in the region of £30. As for a final score, i am predicting a 2-2 draw with an any time goalscorer tip on the Roma striker Džeko.

My Tip: GG

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#Accumulator
Nigeria vs Zambia 1
BOSNIA VS BELGIUM GG
Sweden vs Luxembourg 1
Belarus vs Netherlands OVER 2.5
Switzerland vs Hungary 1