After a weekend full of crucial Euro 2016 qualifiers at the weekend, things get a little less intense (in some places) with a round of friendly games on Tuesday night to round out the year for international football. The national teams will go into hibernation for the next few months, with no qualifiers due until March. This is the last real chance many of these sides will have to make an impression on their fans for a while, so they need to make their matches count.
Among these friendlies is a huge clash, the oldest game in world football no less. There will be nothing friendly about England’s first trip to Scotland in 15 years, with this likely to be a fierce occasion. There are also huge friendlies for the other big European sides, with the last two World Cup winners going head to head on Tuesday night, and a potential meeting of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal take on Argentina. Here we have previews of Tuesday night’s big games, including some very well priced betting tips you can take advantage of.
18th November 2014
Scotland v England (20:00) – England to win (11/10 with Ladbrokes)
As we said, this encounter makes a mockery of the term friendly. On one hand, the travelling supporters are going to be much more boisterous than in their qualifier against Slovenia, and this is arguably more important for them and the team with England almost through in their group, due to their opening day win and the level of teams in their group. Roy Hodgson’s men are almost guaranteed to finish inside the top two of that group, so their attention will be on big friendly games as they try to build a team that can put up a real fight in France.
Scotland aren’t in the same position in their group, they’re in a four way fight with Poland, Germany and the Republic of Ireland for the top three places. Despite that, they’ll be difficult enough opposition for England, and they’ll prove a different challenge to continental sides. England will know they’ve been in a game come the end of this one, but they should be able to get the win here. They’ve recovered well since a disastrous World Cup, and with a solid defence they should be able to hold out against the Scots.
Republic of Ireland v USA (19:45) – Draw (7/5 with BetVictor)
The first meeting between these sides in 12 years is hardly going to receive headline attention on Tuesday night, but it should be an interesting clash. Fresh from making the last 16 of the World Cup, the USA now have a higher prestige in the world game. They’ll be a tough test for an Ireland side looking towards Euro 2016 qualification. The Irish are locked in a four way fight in their group too, and their next game in March is huge home tie with Poland.
They’ll want to come in with a bit of momentum, but this is far from an easy clash. The USA have no qualification games to play for a while, so these friendlies are quite important to them. They don’t have too much going forward, but they showed during the summer that they have a strong defence. On top of that, they’ll know all about Ireland’s main man, Robbie Keane, given that he’s based in the US and plays for LA Galaxy. The US will come here with a game plan, and they’ll certainly take this game seriously, and despite a mixed recent away record, they should be able to come away from here with a draw.
Spain v Germany (19:45) – Germany to win (23/10 with Sky Bet)
This clash sees the world champions of 2014 travel to the world champions of 2010, and the current European Championship holders. Spain are in a period of transition after their recent group stage exit in the World Cup, but they’ve still got an impressive squad with a solid defence which could well frustrate this Germany side. However, they are going to be without injured Chelsea pair Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, which could leave them a little light going forward.
The Germans come into this game after facing Gibraltar, so the Spanish are the main game of this break for Joachim Low’s side. This is a big test for Die Mannschaft, especially given their form since winning the World Cup. They’ve lost to Argentina and Poland, and drew at home to the Republic of Ireland. They’ve looked less than impressive, and the Spanish will sense an opportunity to restore a little pride with a result here. They lost their big test since the World Cup against France, however, and we can see them slipping up here.
Portugal v Argentina (19:45) – Both teams to score (20/21 with Ladbrokes)
While Spain versus Germany might have the last two best teams in the World, this game has the last two winners of world player of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are set to go head to head on Tuesday night, as they look to lead their international teams to glory. They’ve only met once before on the international stage, almost four years ago, and both players scored that day, with Messi hitting a 90th minute penalty to win the game for his team.
They’ve both improved since 2011, and with each player constantly looking to outdo the other, it’s hard to see them not scoring here. While Portugal’s side is on the decline, with Ronaldo in the side they can match up to anyone on their day. All the focus will be on the two superstars, but the Argentines can call upon the likes of Sergio Aguero, Carlos Tevez and Javier Pastore as well, against a Portugal side who struggle defensively. Argentina aren’t defensively blessed themselves, so it’s likely that we’ll see goals. That makes Ladbrokes odds of 20/21 on both sides to score a fantastic bet, and one you should take advantage of.