This week’s international clashes bring together some of the world’s best sides, including the main contenders for the World Cup this summer. While there are some nations who are looking to rebuild after missing out on a place in Russia, there’s also a lot of pressure on sides who have two months to finalise a squad for the tournament. Can the likes of Gareth Southgate get enough out of this week’s two friendlies to pick out his squad?
That’s why these March fixtures are so important, while there are plenty of nations who have much deeper squads to worry about than England. The likes of Germany and Spain are going to leave out some top class talent this summer, and their clash on Friday will go some way to deciding that. Ahead of the international friendlies, you can see our betting tips and predictions below.
Friday 23rd March 2018
Netherlands v England (19:45) – England Draw No Bet (19/20 with Coral)
England head to Amsterdam with a few key absentees, but Gareth Southgate is sure to have more than a few willing replacements. While a trip to face the Netherlands is seen as a big game traditionally, there’s little about this side to be afraid of. Forward Bas Dost is a useful striker but he seems to have found his level in Portugal, while England still have some quality players to call upon.
While the Dutch have won eight of their last nine, they lost home and away to France in qualifying. They also lost 2-1 at home to Italy here in a friendly, and England should be able to capitalise against this Holland team who have plenty of work to do before the Euro 2020 qualifiers get under way. We’re backing a result for England, who are 19/20 with Coral on the Draw No Bet market.
Scotland v Costa Rica (19:45) – Scotland to Win to Nil (21/10 with Ladbrokes)
Scotland start life under Alex McLeish yet again, almost 11 years since he first stepped into the role. While he took them to the brink of qualifying for Euro 2008, the former Rangers boss soon departed to return to club football. He’s not exactly had a great run since then, but the SFA are clearly hoping that he can tap in to whatever made his Scotland side so competitive in a tough group.
Starting off at home to Costa Rica isn’t a huge test for McLeish, who is taking on a side who have lost to nil in four of their last six friendly trips. The Scots have turned their home form around of late, winning three of their last four under Gordon Strachan and securing a 2-2 draw with England. They should be more resolute defensively here, and we’re backing a home win to nil at 21/20 with Ladbrokes.
Germany v Spain (19:45) – Draw/Draw (4/1 with Betfair)
The 2010 and 2014 world champions meet in Germany this week, in a game which appears to be one of the highlights of the bunch. However, you have to wonder what kind of side these two are going to put out given their deep squads, with stars likely to be rested for the Champions League club matches to come.
These two are likely to be more patient on the ball, especially if a few players are stepping in from the fringes and carrying some nerves. We don’t expect either side to really go full tilt for the victory. With the Germans drawing four of their last five friendlies, we’re backing this one to finish level at the end of each half, which is a huge 4/1 with Betfair.
Tuesday 27th March 2018
Germany v Brazil (19:45) – Germany win (17/10 with BetVictor)
While the Germans might not enjoy the best of times against the Spanish, they’ll be reminded of one of their greatest World Cup moments in this one. Their 7-1 win over Brazil at the 2014 World Cup was an incredible collapse from the hosts, and a huge win for the world champions. The Samba stars are probably still not over that loss, given the expectancy around their home World Cup.
Just like in 2014, Neymar misses the Germany clash through injury. The PSG forward could be a big absentee from the World Cup if he doesn’t recover in time, and that’s bound to worry the South American giants. We think that leaves them vulnerable, and without Neymar we expect another win for Germany at very nice odds.
England v Italy (20:00) – Under 2.5 Goals (4/5 with Coral)
Italy need to recover from their play-off defeat to Sweden, but they still haven’t picked a new manager to lead them forward. Luigi Di Biagio steps up from the under 21s for this clash, and he’ll be boosted by the fact that his opposite number did the same and eventually took full control. Can the Italians start their recovery with a win at Wembley?
We can see Italy rebuilding from the back, before they start trying to fit together their impressive, young attacking talent. The visitors have seen under 2.5 goals land in their last five, and we expect a repeat in this one. After all, England are coming off two 0-0 draws at home, having kept four clean sheets in their last five at Wembley.
Spain v Argentina (20:30) – Both Teams to Score (4/6 with Betfred)
Lionel Messi and co. head for Madrid this week, as Argentina try and ramp up their push for World Cup glory. Their impressive attacking talent should make Jorge Sampaoli’s team a threat going forward, but they just need to sort out their defence in order to make them contenders this summer.
We expect that the hosts will grab a goal, having scored in 14 of their last 15 home internationals. Between these two there’s an incredible array of stars, and we expect goals at the Wanda Metropolitano as a result. We’re going with both teams to score here, given the impressive form of both sides.