Month: March 2024

Cracking match up in LA as these two sides meet up in an international friendly. Argentina is in CONMEBOL qualifying and sit top of the group with 5 wins and 1 loss. Recent friendlies have seen easy wins over Indonesia, Australia, Panama, Curacao and El Salvador. Costa Rica have been in Nations League action recently and have beaten Honduras but lost to Panama twice. Friendlies have seen wins over Saudi Arabia and El Salvador but a loss to UAE.

Team rankings:

Argentina – World ranked 1 with 1855 ranking points.

Costa Rica – World ranked 54 with 1453 ranking points.

Team news:  No Lionel Messi who has been out for a few weeks. Also absent is Paulo Dybala and Exequiel Palacios. Costa Rica miss keeper Keylor Navas, Celso Borges, Oscar Duarte, and Bryan Oviedo.

Coach information: Lionel Scaloni has been in charge of Argentina since 2018 and has transformed them into World Champions. Likes the high press and likes to defend into the other half. Gustavo Alfaro makes it two Argentines in the dug out. The much travelled manager is on his 18th job! having coached about half of the Argentinian Primera top flight teams.

Head-to-head statistics: 3 games – 2 wins Argentina and 1 6 draws.

Betting selection – Costa Rica are blooding a lot of newer players, and this should take time for them to gel. Argentina is missing top players obviously but they are in superb form. Odds are restrictive here with an Argentina win around 1.16 or 1-6. So, with them being in top defensive form (10 clean sheets in last 11 games) let’s try Argentina win to nil at 3-4 or 1.75 BetVictor.

Not many football internationals have started a full-on war, but this fixture has! In 1969 these two countries played three bitterly contested matches that triggered fighting between the two nations.

Head-to-head matches between the two countries has been keenly fought ever since (but thankfully no more wars have broken out!) Recent games for El Salvador see 4 games in Nations League but a poor run there with 3 defeats (to Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago and amazingly tiny Martinique) they then drew at home to Martinique also. Friendlies have seen losses to Argentina and Costa Rica while they have drawn with another tiny nation Bonaire! Indeed, to find their last win in any game you must go back 19 matches to June 2022 and a win over Grenada. Honduras have played 7 Nations League matches and have 3 wins (beating Grenada, Cuba and Mexico) draws with Cuba but losses to Jamaica, Mexico and Costa Rica.

Team rankings:

El Salvador – World ranked 81 with 1306 ranking points.

Honduras – World ranked 78 with 1311 ranking points.

Team news:  Last match saw 6 debut players for El Salvador as Coach Doniga tried a fresh approach. No injury problems for either side.

Coach information: Spaniard David Doniga has much experience as assistant but hasn’t held many top-level manager positions. He likes the 4-3-3 attacking formation but is held back here by a struggling team. Reinaldo Rueda is famed in South America and seems to be trying to get a full house of managing every country! He has helmed Colombia (twice), Ecuador and Chile. In Central America he has already managed Honduras – indeed he qualified them for their 1^st ever World Cup in 2010.

Head-to-head statistics: 19 games – 3 wins El Salvador, 10 wins Honduras and 6 draws.

Betting selection – Game will be neutral venue – with Houston, Texas hosting the match. El Salvador in terrible form and even though this game will be an intense clash I don’t see them getting a result at all, take 11-10 or 2.10 on Honduras at Ladbrokes.

Ukraine is technically the home side but due to the ongoing situation this final is in neutral Poland at Wroclaw Stadium. Ukraine finished their group in 3^rd behind Italy and England, and above Malta and North Macedonia. They finished unbeaten at “home” with 2 wins and 2 draws. In semi finals they overcame Bosnia & Herzegovina 2-1. Iceland finished 4^th of 6 teams. Below Portugal, Slovakia and Portugal but above Bosnia and Liechtenstein. Away form saw just 1 win and 4 defeats. In semifinal they defeated Israel 4-1

Team rankings:

Ukraine – World ranked 24 with 1553 ranking points.

Iceland – World ranked 73 with 1342 ranking points.

Team news: Winger Viktor Tsygankov is returning to fitness and may feature here after missing the semi win over Bosnia. Iceland has some injury problems with both Arnor Sigurdsson and Roy Revivo doubts, both were both stretched off in their ill-tempered semi win over Israel.  They already have doubts over key man Johann Berg Gudmundsson also.

Head-to-head statistics: 4 games – 1wins Ukraine, 1 wins Iceland and 2 draws.

Betting selection – Ukraine is looking to make it four straight qualifications for Euros with a win here. Iceland has one qualification and made it to quarter finals in 2016. With some injuries for Iceland I think they will struggle here and take Ukraine to win at 1.53 or 8-15 with Williamhill.

Greece travel to Tbilisi to take on Georgia for one of three available Euro 2024 playoff places. The hosts finished 4^th of 5 teams in their group below Spain, Scotland and Norway. Ahead of only Cyprus. At home they won 1, drew 2 and lost 1. They beat Luxembourg in the Semi-Final 2-0 but were against 10 men for the last 35 mins (when 1-0 up) Greece finished 3^rd in their group, trailing France and Netherlands. They finished above Ireland and Gibraltar. Away form saw 2 wins and 2 losses. They beat Kazakhstan 5-0 in their semifinal.

Team rankings:

Georgia – World ranked 77 with 1312 ranking points.

Greece – World ranked 49 with 1453 ranking points.

Team news:  Wing wizard Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is back after suspension ruled him out the last match.  Greece at full strength here. They withdrew central defender Pantelis Haztsidiakos as a precaution in the last match to avoid a yellow which would have forced him to miss this game.

Coach information: Two legends of the game here. Georgia has Willy Sagnol as their leader while Greece is managed by Gus Poyet.

Head-to-head statistics: 8 games – 6 wins Greece and 2 draws.

Betting selection – Huge game here with crazy high stakes. The winner gets to Euro 2024 in Germany. Georgia have never qualified while Greece won the competition in 2004. Since then, however they have a group stage exit and a QF stage defeat. They have not qualified in last two tournaments. Take Greece to qualify at 4-6 or 1.67 bet365.

Not much on today due to a break within a break on international week. We travel to Algeria for a strange match up of two relative minnows with Bolivia taking on Andorra. The South Americans are in the middle of CONMEBOL qualifying and currently sit in 9^th of 10 teams with 1 win and 5 losses. A negative goal difference of -10 also. The section is so tough with all class teams and unlike UEFA has no dead weights. Recent friendlies see a mixed bag but all games very close. Wins over Saudi Arabia, draw with Chile but losses to Ecuador, Panama, and Algeria. Andorra finished bottom of their qualifying section with 2 draws and 8 losses from 10 games. A negative goal difference of -17 for them. Friendlies have seen a win over South Africa but losses to Gibraltar and Austria.

Team rankings:

Bolivia – World ranked 86 with 1284 ranking points.

Andorra – World ranked 164 with 998 ranking points.

Team news:  No injury problems for Bolivia. Andorra could lose midfielder Jordi Alaez who limped off before half time against S.Africa.

Head-to-head statistics: This is first ever meeting.

Betting selection – Unusual setting for the game in 19^th May 1956 Stadium in Annaba, Algeria. No home crowd and two teams who usually enter games as big underdogs. I take Bolivia to win at 1.57 or 4-7 Bet365

We head to South America due to a lack of top-level matches today due to International Break. To the Nacional Stadium in Santiago for Uni de Chile v Cobresal.  The home side have a perfect record of 4 wins from 4 games. Scoring 6 and conceding 1.  At home they have 2 wins both by a 1-0 scoreline. Cobresal are yet to record a win this season with just 1 point from 4 games. Away from home they have a record of 2 losses from 2.

Team news:  Start of the season so few injuries worries for both sides. Right back Juan Pablo Gomez is out for the home side while Cobresal have a clean bill of health and a full squad to choose from.

Head-to-head statistics: 20 games – 7 wins Uni de Chile, 5 draws and 8 wins Cobresal.

Betting selection – Clear game for both sides with no Copa Libertadores games awaiting either side. Two sides in complete opposite form with Uni de Chile going for 5^th consecutive win while Cobresal yet to register a victory. Take the home win at 4-5 or 1.80 Bet365

Huge game in Arlington, Dallas as USA host archrivals Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Nations league. USA will make it three successive Nations cup wins if they can lift the cup. In the semi finals this week Panama were knocked over easily by Mexico 3-0 while USA needed extra time to overcome Jamaica. They drew 1-1 but managed to score twice in ET to beat the Caribbean team. Recent meetings between the two sides have been very one sided with USA unbeaten in 6 head to heads.

Team rankings:

Italy – World ranked 13 with 1661 ranking points.

Ecuador – World ranked 15 with 1652 ranking points.

Team news:  Sergio Dest returns after suspension ruled him out the semi-final. No problems for Mexico.

Coach information: Gregg Berhalter has been the manager of US since 2018 so knows his team well. He plays a possession based game and likes to work out from the back. He has a very talented squad now and USA are getting stronger.  Jaime Lozano is only a young manager but already has a Supercopa MX title and the CONCACAF Gold Cup medal. He is of the Guardiola school of football so we should see Mexico trying to dominate possesion.

Head-to-head statistics: 20 games – 8 wins USA, 6 draws and 6 wins Mexico

Betting selection – Will be 100 KM per hour match for sure. Expect to see tackles flying in and everyone giving their all in what is a huge derby type game. I think that too much is at stake here and it will be too close to call. Take the draw at 5-2 or 3.50 with Unibet.

Nice match up in New Jersey as Ecuador meet up with Italy at the Red Bull Arena. Both sides have already played this week in USA. With Italy beating Venezuela 2-1 while Ecuador beat Guatemala 2-0.  Italy finished second behind England in their Euro 2024 qualifying group. They had 4 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses. Apart from the win over Venezuela they have only two other friendlies in the last two years. A win in Albania and a loss in Austria. Ecuador sit 5^th of 10 teams in the CONMEBOL qualifying league. They have 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss from their 6 games. Very close matches so far with just 8 goals in those games. Friendlies in the last year have seen wins over Australia, Bolivia and Costa Rica and a loss to Australia in what was a double header.

Team rankings:

Italy – World ranked 9 with 1718 ranking points.

Ecuador – World ranked 31 with 1519 ranking points.

Team news:  Italy are without defender Francesco Acerbi and midfielder Bryan Cristante. No injury problems for Ecuador.

Coach information: Italy have arguably benefitted from the loss of Mancini who left for the Saudi Arabian riches. Getting Luciano Spelletti was a masterstroke. His style is very fluid and although lately utilizing an attacking 4-3-3 he himself admits that rigid systems no longer exist in football. Ecuador are run by Spaniard Felix Sanchez Bas. He has won the Asian Cup with Qatar and has spent most of his coaching life in the Qatar national youth sides and the senior side. He seems a very technical coach and seems to have hands on at all levels.

Head-to-head statistics: 1 game – 1 win Italy

Betting selection – Both sides are playing well and New Jersey should see an exciting match. I take both teams to score yes at 1.95 Coral

US MLS continues with a fascinating tie at the Red Bull Arena in Harrison. Unfortunately, the great man Lionel Messi will not feature which is a huge blow to both sets of fans and Inter Miami themselves. The MLS season is only just beginning, both sides are in the upper reaches of the Eastern Conference. NY sit in 6^th with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss. Games have been tight with 9 goals in their 4 games (2.25 goals per game average) Inter Miami top the section with 3 wins and 1 draw and 1 loss so far. Their games have been crazy entertaining with 18 goals in their 5 matches (3.60 goals per game average)

Team news:  NY Red Bulls will be without Daniel Edelman due to suspension, while international call ups take Noah Eile, Cory Burke, Emil Forsberg, and Carlos Miguel out the team.  Inter Miami are without Messi as mentioned. They also must do without Robbie Robinson and Ben Cremaschi due to injury. Internationals affect them also with Drake Callender, Diego Gomez, Frederico Redondo and David Ruiz Called

Head-to-head statistics: 6 games – 4 wins NY Red Bulls and 2 wins Inter Miami.

Betting selection – Injuries and international call ups decimate both sides here and squad depth will be a key factor. I see goals here and the call is either o2.5 goals or both scores. I take the latter option at 1.72 or 8-11 at Betfair.

Legendary match up at Wembley as England host Brazil in what should be a great game. New Brazil coach Dorival Junior will make his debut. England remained unbeaten in their qualifying group with 6 wins and 2 draws from 8 games. Beating Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta. At Wembley they were perfect with 4 straight wins and a goals difference of +13! Brazil have been very disappointing in CONMEBOL qualifying. They are 6^th of 10 teams which is a disaster for them. 2 wins, 1 draw and 3 losses so far.  Away from the home they have 1 win and 2 losses. Recent form is awful with a home draw to Venezuela and a crippling home loss to archrivals Argentina at Maracanã. Coupled with away defeats in Colombia and Uruguay.

Team rankings:

England – World ranked 3 with 1800 ranking points.

Brazil – World ranked 5 with 1784 ranking points.

Team news:  England have several first teamers out with Trippier, Alexander Arnold, James, Grealish, Shaw unavailable.  There are a few doubts as well with key men Harry Kane and Buyako Saka not yet cleared to play. Brazil also have suffered withdrawals. Casemiro, Alisson Becker, Ederson, Gabriel, Marquinhos and Martinelli all unavailable.

Coach information: Gareth Southgate seemingly has a job for life with the England FA. However, the fans don’t feel he lets his teams go in tournament play. In qualifiers they destroy everyone and always qualify with ease. Come knockout stages the team doesn’t seem to ever reach full potential. He does have a good football brain though and does play several formations. He has a very deep squad also.  Dorival Junior replaces Fernando Diniz who was fired after a terrible run of results. He is quite a flexible manager and doesn’t seem tied to one formation. He prefers quick attacking football. With a Copa Libertadores and 3 Copa do Brasils under his belt he is a winner.

Head-to-head statistics: 26 games – 4 wins England, 11 Brazil and 11 draws.

Betting selection – Injuries on both sides and key men out. England in supreme form while Brazil struggling. Both sides will be boosted for this one. The fervent home crowd will be behind England. Some new manager bounce will affect Brazil. For me England will have too much for Brazil here and I take them to win at 1.95 or 19/20 10bet.