Ecuador vs Argentina
FreeI think game of the day today is Ecuador vs Argentina in the South American World Cup Qualifiers. Both sides are feisty, tenacious sides and both could really use the three points in their attempt to qualify for the World Cup, particularly the hosts. Argentina have issues entering this game as they’re not at their most free-flowing, the hosts haven’t lost here in a qualifier since 2007, and they’re also playing at 2,850m above sea level. Argentina also have to bear in mind that they’ve not beaten Ecuador in their last two encounters, having drawn 1-1 in Buenos Aires and having lost 2-0 in Ecuador. The visitors have only had a few days to adjust to the massive difference in height above sea level, which is a real killer. It also pisses all over the 14 day period that FIFA apparently set in place that sides must adhere to for health purposes when travelling to Ecuador or Bolivia most notoriously, although Colombia, Peru and Venezuela aren’t that far behind in terms of metres above sea level. I think that secretly, Argentina will be more than happy to emerge with a draw here and I suspect they may get it. Ecuador are a good side that are hard to play against at any time. They enter the game off the back of a morale-boosting victory in Peru after the Peruvians had only lost one game in their last six in the World Cup Qualifiers. To maintain hopes of qualifying for the World Cup, however, they really do need three points to lift them up the table. Can they get it? Yes – they are capable. However, I just think Argentina are capable of scoring a few goals themselves on their day so I’m a little torn. I’m far happier to stay with 1-1 in this game, which is what tends to happen when the “bigger” South American sides visit Quito, so I think backing Ecuador to win with a +1 handicap bet at 4/9 could be very worthwhile. I expect a hot-blooded affair so you may well witness a few cards too. I also think staying under 2.5 goals is worthwhile, bearing in mind that neither side are scoring masses of goals at the moment.
Wednesday’s Picks
My tips:
There’s not very much I’m liking the look of today, unfortunately. The odds on the Lithuanian A Lyga are atrocious and the Romanian Liga games are largely unpredictable due to them being the final games of their season. Once again, we must place our hope in the International fixtures so I’ve listed some decent bets below for your viewing pleasure:
Ukraine vs Kazakhstan – home win with -2 handicap at evens. The Ukrainians are playing some very good football of late which is going by largely unnoticed, surprisingly. They played an excellent first half against Croatia in Zagreb last match before succumbing to weariness in the second half and emerging with a point rather than three. However, their performances have been convincing – a year ago, they wouldn’t have got half the results they have so far. Taking that into account, and the low quality and stamina of their opponents, Ukraine to win at least 3-0 seems a very good bet.
Finland vs Russia – home win at draw no bet (5/2) or Finland with +1 at evens. A lot of people are jumping on the Russia bandwagon, and partially with justification – Guus Hiddink has done marvellous things with this talented, hard-working squad. People will also start doubting the quality of Finland after they laboured past tenacious Liechtenstein last match in Helsinki. However, one thing you have to take into consideration is that there is no side that Finland would rather “do over” than Russia. The Finns have never forgiven the Russians for invading their country all those years ago and still harbour a good deal of hate for their neighbours. Both sides are well-placed in the group so neither will want to lose here. The Finns are very capable of playing football on their day, as Roy Hodgson emphasised on his tenure in charge of the country, with Finland being extremely unfortunate to not qualify for the European Championships under him. I can see this game being a draw, hence the two bets at the start of this introduction. I wouldn’t be surprised at a home win, in actual fact. Russia will have to play an impeccable game to win this match, something I don’t think they’re quite capable of at the present time.
Faroe Islands vs Serbia – away win, under 2.5/under 3.5 goals. In my mind, there’s no doubt that Serbia will win this game with their typically efficient style that has flourished of late and turned them into a formidable force. However, their biggest flaw is that they’re not big goalscorers. Torshavn is a tough place to go and play football, even against mediocre opposition. I can see an away win here, but a low one. I’d recommend going under 3.5 goals at 8/13 or under 2.5 goals at 6/4 if you want to stick your neck out.
Estonia vs Portugal – under 2.5 goals. At 10/11, this is possibly the bargain of the day. Portugal can barely score for shit at the moment under Carlos Queiroz and were frankly fortunate to win in Tirana last match with a last-gasp winner. I rate Albania rather highly on their own turf and whereas Estonia aren’t as good as Albania, they’ll still give the visitors a rough ride, especially as it’s legendary goalkeeper Mart Poom’s farewell fixture from football with his 120th International cap. Don’t get me wrong, I can easily see an away win here, but under 2.5 goals seems an absolute steal for a side that are struggling to score goals.
England vs Andorra – home win with -4 goals handicap. At 5/6, this is another bargain today. Andorra are a woeful side at the best of times but against an England side that wins convincingly even when not playing well (i.e. away to Kazakhstan last match) under Fabio Capello, I can easily see 5-0 or more being a scoreline here. The hosts have got more than enough quality to dispose of their opposition today by a convincing scoreline and -4 goals handicap is certainly something to bear in mind.
Republic of Macedonia vs Iceland – home win at 5/6. Group 9’s 2nd place is very much open to four sides whereas first place is already claimed by Netherlands. Whereas it might not actually end up meaning anything other than salvaging a little pride, the Macedonians rarely fail to turn up for a game of football with anything less than 100% determination. The hosts are a nation who are in the ascension in my opinion, with growing numbers of their players plying their trade abroad in big leagues and thus enabling their national team to play a better standard of football. Iceland, however, are a side who are on the decline in footballing terms. They’ve not played good football for some time now and their better players are ageing and retiring. In my eyes, this is the perfect time for the hosts to get themselves going properly in this group by beating opposition that they’re more than capable of beating. Few sides win in Republic of Macedonia and I expect that to continue tonight. The game has under 2.5 goals written all over it but I fancy a big display from Goran Pandev with him to score the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win.
As ever, any queries/explanations required, feel free to email me at thefootytipster@gmail.com. For the complete picks listing, see below!
World Cup Qualifiers – European section:
Republic of Macedonia vs Iceland (7) 1-0, Pandev to score
Sweden vs Malta (9) 2-0
Ukraine vs Kazakhstan (9) 3-0
Finland vs Russia (4) 1-1
Faroe Islands vs Serbia (10) under 3.5 goals
Netherlands vs Norway (8) 2-1
England vs Andorra (10) 4-0
World Cup Qualifiers – South American section:
Ecuador vs Argentina (7) 1-1, at least one red card in this game
Colombia vs Peru (8) 2-0
Brazil vs Paraguay (5) 1-1
Chile vs Bolivia (9) 3-0
Venezuela vs Uruguay (7) 1-2
World Cup Qualifiers – North American section:
Honduras vs El Salvador (7) 2-1, at least one red card in this game
Mexico vs Trinidad & Tobago (8) 2-1
World Cup Qualifiers – African section:
Egypt vs Rwanda (9) 2-0
World Cup Qualifiers – Asian section:
Australia vs Bahrain (8) 2-0
Japan vs Qatar (9) 3-0
South Korea vs Saudi Arabia (6) 1-1
Iran vs United Arab Emirates (8) 2-0
European U21 Championship Qualifiers:
Bulgaria U21 vs Israel U21 (7) 2-1
Norway U21 vs Slovakia U21 (7) 2-0
Luxembourg U21 vs Hungary U21 (8) 0-2
International Friendlies:
Belarus vs Moldova (7) 2-1
Albania vs Georgia (8) 1-1
Estonia vs Portugal (8) 0-2
Italy vs New Zealand (9) 3-0
Lithuanian A Lyga:
Kruoja Pakruojis vs FK Siauliai (5) 1-1
Vetra Vilnius vs Banga Gargzdai (9) 3-1
Suduva Marijampole vs FK Tauras Taurage (8) 2-0
Ekranas Panevezys vs LKKA Teledema Kaunas (7) 2-0
Romanian Liga:
Universitatea Craiova vs FC Vaslui (7) 2-1
Gloria Buzau vs Gloria Bistrita (6) 1-2
Rapid Bucharest vs Politehnica Iasi (7) 2-0
Unirea Urziceni vs Steaua Bucharest (7) 1-1
Arges Pitesti vs Dinamo Bucharest (7) 1-2
FC Brasov vs Poli Timisoara (5) 1-1
Pandurii Targu Jiu vs Otelul Galati (5) 1-0
Gaz Metan Medias vs CFR Cluj (7) 1-2
CS Otopeni vs Farul Constanta (6) 1-1
Enjoy your free betting tips!