It’s round four of the World Cup qualifiers this week and there’s a long list of teams in action across Europe to keep you entertained. One of the most heated clashes looks sure to be between England and Scotland. The two neighbours have had a long rivalry so there are plenty of bragging rights up for grabs. Kicking off at the same time, France take on Sweden with both nations level on points and goal difference at the top of Group A. Anything other than a first place finish in the group would be a huge disappointment for the French, so this is not a game they can really afford to lose.
Group D is looking like going right down to the wire with no less than four teams all looking capable of a top two finish. This could be a decisive week in the group so it will be fascinating to see how things shape up after Saturday’s action. First up it’s Austria against the Republican of Ireland and it’s the Austrians who need the points the most as qualification chances will be slim otherwise. Following this, it’s Chris Coleman’s Wales versus Serbia, a fixture which ended in a remarkable 6-1 thrashing of the Serbians, four years ago.
Friday 11th November 2016
England v Scotland (19:45) – England to win to nil (evens with BetVictor)
Gareth Southgate didn’t get off to a flying start as England interim manager as he saw his side put in two rather uninspired performances against Malta and Slovenia. Qualification still look very much on the cards for England but Southgate will be after a more exciting performance here against a Scottish side who were beaten 3-0 by Slovakia in their last qualifier. He’s named a squad without too many surprises and one with plenty of attacking talent. While the personnel is there though, it would be a surprise to see a radically different performance under Southgate than the two we have seen before.
England may not dazzle us here but they still should have the beating of the Scots who don’t look like the side we saw in the Euro qualifiers. They have several key injuries to deal with and will also be without the services of recently retired Alan Hutton. As well as this, they’ve failed to score in three of their last five games. It seems that Gordon Strachan’s preference for tall strikers means that Leigh Griffiths won’t get the chance to improve this record either. With goals not looking on the cards for the Scots here, an England win with a fourth successive clean sheet looks likely.
France v Sweden (19:45) – France to win with a -1 handicap (3/4 with Coral)
France have recovered from their opening game stalemate with Belarus and have since won two on the bounce including a tricky away match in the Netherlands. They are the strong favourites here but Sweden have only lost three of their last 16 matches and none of them by more than a goal. They don’t face a test as strong as France too often of course, but on the basis of what they have shown us the past year, they should be able to put up some sort of a fight.
While Sweden’s record in their last 16 games in a good one, since the Euros, they have been adjusting to life without Zlatan Ibrahimovic following his international retirement. Sweden lack any real replacement for him and their first choice striker at the moment, Marcus Berg, is out injured, along with Mikael Lustig and Martin Olsson. Their lack of cutting edge up front was all so apparent during their 1-0 win over Luxembourg and their fortunes look no better in the absence of Berg. Sweden have too many injuries to cause an upset here so France should be able to see this game out by at least a two goal margin.
Saturday 12th November 2016
Austria v Republic of Ireland (17:00) – Both teams to score (11/10 at Betfair)
Austria have won just one of their last seven matches but it would be wrong to think they will be easily pushed over by the Irish here. They showed plenty of spirit in their last two qualifiers against Wales and Serbia and would have collected a few more points with a little more luck. Problems still exist for Marcel Koller’s team, their defence has been especially vulnerable, managing just one clean sheet in their last 11 matches. Don’t expect things to change here either as Republic of Ireland are rarely unable to find the back of the net.
While Austria do concede their fair share of goals, they have at least been looking dangerous at the other end lately. The tall figures of Marc Janko and Marko Arnautovic will both give the Irish defence plenty to think about. It may be an Irish defence without Stephen Ward and John O’Shea too as both are doubts for this match. Whoever Martin O’Neil has at his disposal though, it’s hard not to see Austria scoring on home soil so there should be goals for both sides in this game.
Wales v Serbia (19:45) – Draw (11/5 with Sky Bet)
Wales will be looking for a result here after a surprise 1-1 home draw with Georgia set their qualifying campaign back a little. They face a Serbia side who are much improved from the side they beat twice in the Euro qualifiers. Wales do boast a good record in Cardiff, despite the recent slip up, and would make it five wins from six if they can claim the three points here. The return of Aaron Ramsey will certainly help their cause but the absence of Ben Davies due to an ankle injury is a serious concern.
Serbia may have conceded eight goals in their only two previous meetings with Wales but they seem a stronger side under the guidance of Slavoljub Muslin. The experienced manager is still unbeaten as he prepares for his seventh game in charge of the national side and will be confident of adding to his streak. He’s been helped by the creativity of Dusan Tadic who has been pulling the strings for Serbia lately despite being out of form for Southampton. Both teams have some quality names who could decide the game but with both sides desperate to avoid defeat, this one should head towards a draw.