Republic of Ireland vs Czech Republic
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I don’t like Internationals, first and foremost! Always, always, always approach these games with caution, even those that looked nailed-on! Many punters have found a graveyard on such days and today turning out the same wouldn’t surprise me.
Today’s secondary featured game is the International Friendly between Republic of Ireland and Czech Republic in Dublin.
The Irish are notoriously hard to beat on their own turf. They’re the type of side that will turn up and work hard in any game and I don’t expect an exception here, friendly or not. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that boss Trapattoni’s tactics are adventurous – far from it – but they do make the Irish efficient and that helps. The only notable absentee for the hosts is Wolves striker Doyle, who has failed to shake off an injury. In-form Robbie Keane and Shane Long are in the squad, however, and there’s definitely goals in that attack. McGeady, Duff, Hunt, McCarthy – there’s plenty of creativity in midfield. The superb Shay Given is back in the squad and can expect at least a relatively experienced defence in front of him, too. All in all, this Ireland side is very experienced and I think an experienced and gritty display here will see them edge the game.
The Czechs are slipping further and further down in my estimation and that’s not changed here. The number of quality players that they still possess can be restricted to Rosicky, Plasil, Cech, and Baros. The rest of their squad are “maybe” players or are too young, in my view. Now, Rosicky misses this game, which is a massive blow as he’s by far their best midfielder. I like Plasil a lot but it’s all down to him whether the Czechs achieve anything here or not and I doubt they’ll manage it with that in mind, truth be told. They’re still big, strong, and well-organised but they lack a cutting edge in front of goal. Lafata? Pekhart? They’re decent strikers but nothing more. This Czech squad has been sent to defend, primarily. There are some decent defensive players e.g. Sivok but I’ll be surprised if the Czechs manage to win the game with this squad.
On home turf, in front of their passionate fans, I expect the Irish to grind out a gritty win here and the odds are good enough to take a chance on.
Verdict: Republic of Ireland to win at 6/5.
Injury & suspension list, probable line-ups, players info and full team stats can be found at LeagueSpy.com.
Wednesday’s Picks
My tips:
Luxembourg vs Republic of Macedonia – under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Luxembourg have almost a full compliment of players for this game with only Kintziger, Kitenge, and Payal having failed to make the squad. They still boast Gerson, Peters, Bettmer, da Mota, Joachim, Hoffmann, Blaise, Collette etc. This Luxembourg side is packed with experience and that experience has aided the hosts in becoming a lot harder to beat over the past few years. You may or may not have noticed but this side rarely gets destroyed any longer. They hold their own and occasionally score a surprise result. I wouldn’t be particularly surprised if they managed it today, to be honest – they’re good enough to do it and their opponents really struggle on the road.
Visitors Macedonia welcome back legend Goran Pandev into the squad but I’m unsure as to how much effect he’ll have. He’s the heartbeat of the team, naturally, but he’s hardly flavour of the month at Napoli – he’s not scored since 22/01. Macedonia have also been hit pretty heavily by withdrawals and the squad looks decidedly weak, to be honest. Key defenders Popov and Noveski have both withdrawn from the squad, leaving Grncarov to carry the defence. Who else remains – Sikov? Add to that the fact that the vast majority of their midfielders aren’t even in the squad (e.g. playmaker Tasevski, battling Sumulikoski, Grozdanoski etc.) and that defender Lazarevski misses out too and you see how vulnerable Macedonia really are here. Hell, even Aco Stojkov from up front is missing in this game!
It’s hard to see Macedonia getting a win here unless Luxembourg are worse in this game than they have been for some time. I’d take Luxembourg with draw no bet cover but I’m just not convinced with their ability to take their chances so instead I’ll opt for under 2.5 goals, which should hold value here.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals at 4/5.
Accumulator fodder:
Bahrain, Iraq, Spain, Bolivia, Paraguay, Wales U21, Germany U21.
As ever, if there are any explanations required then please feel free to post a comment! For the remainder of my thoughts on today’s games, see below, although I feel compelled to write that the below are not necessarily my tips but merely my thoughts to prevent endless questions about my thoughts on certain games!
World Cup Qualifiers – Asia:
China vs Jordan (7) 1-0
Tajikistan vs North Korea (7) 0-2
Australia vs Saudi Arabia (6) 2-1
Oman vs Thailand (7) 1-0
Japan vs Uzbekistan (7) 2-0
South Korea vs Kuwait (7) 1-0
United Arab Emirates vs Lebanon (7) 2-0
Iran vs Qatar (7) over 2.5 goals
Bahrain vs Indonesia (8) 2-0
Iraq vs Singapore (8) over 2.5 goals
International Friendlies:
New Zealand vs Jamaica (6) 1-1
Georgia vs Albania (6) 2-1
Latvia vs Kazakhstan (5) 2-2 (played in Turkey)
Moldova vs Belarus (6) 1-2 (played in Turkey)
Hungary vs Bulgaria (7) 2-1
Montenegro vs Iceland (6) 1-0
Armenia vs Canada (6) 2-1 (played in Cyprus)
Luxembourg vs Republic of Macedonia (5) 1-0
Tunisia vs Peru (5) 1-1
Malta vs Liechtenstein (4) 0-1
Romania vs Uruguay (6) 0-1
Ivory Coast vs Guinea (7) 2-1
Egypt vs Niger (7) 1-0 (played in Qatar)
Philippines vs Malaysia (5) 2-2, at least one red card in this game
South Africa vs Senegal (5) 1-0
Morocco vs Burkina Faso (6) 1-0
Palestine vs Azerbaijan (6) 1-2 (played in Qatar)
Israel vs Ukraine (5) 1-1
Cyprus vs Serbia (6) 1-2
Turkey vs Slovakia (5) 1-1
Denmark vs Russia (6) 1-0
Germany vs France (7) 1-0
Switzerland vs Argentina (5) 1-1
Austria vs Finland (6) 2-1
Slovenia vs Scotland (5) 0-0
Croatia vs Sweden (7) 2-1
Greece vs Belgium (6) 1-1
Northern Ireland vs Norway (5) 0-1
Poland vs Portugal (7) 1-2
Wales vs Costa Rica (6) 2-1
England vs Netherlands (5) 1-2
Republic of Ireland vs Czech Republic (6) 1-0
Italy vs USA (5) 0-0
Spain vs Venezuela (8) both sides to score, at least one red card in this game
Bolivia vs Cuba (8) -1.5 handicap
Chile vs Ghana
Mexico vs Colombia (6) 2-1 (played in USA)
Paraguay vs Panama (8) 2-0
Ecuador vs Honduras (4) 1-1
El Salvador vs Estonia (6) 2-1 (played in USA)
UEFA European U21 Championship Qualifiers:
Azerbaijan vs Iceland (5) 2-1
Wales vs Andorra (8) 2-0
Germany vs Greece (8) over 2.5 goals
Scotland vs Netherlands (5) 2-1
England vs Belgium (6) 2-1
San Marino vs Cyprus (7) 0-1
International U21 Friendlies:
Turkey vs Denmark (5) 2-2
Bulgaria vs Poland (5) 1-1
Serbia vs Bosnia-Herzegovina (7) 2-0
Israel vs Ukraine (5) 1-1
Malta vs Hungary (6) 1-2
Slovenia vs Norway (5) 0-1
Slovakia vs Montenegro (7) 1-0
Russia vs Sweden (5) 1-1
Switzerland vs Austria (5) 2-1
Finnish Liiga Cup:
FC Lahti vs FC Honka Espoo (5) 1-2
Uruguayan Primera Division:
Penarol vs Bella Vista (7) 1-0
Enjoy your free betting tips!