Mr Predictor November 15th ENG
International football is back this weekend as we take a break from the domestic leagues. The qualification process for Euro 2016 is reaching a crucial point, so which teams will continue to cruise and which ones will fall further behind?
Luxembourg vs Ukraine – Saturday 15th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
This game looks to be rather uneven, with Luxembourg bottom of the group on one point and Ukraine with six. If we look at the FIFA rankings it doesn’t look too good for Luxembourg either. They are rated 126th whilst Ukraine are up in 19th. Ukraine are also in good form. They have kept four cleansheets in their past five matches and have managed to win four of those. This will be too hard a challenge for Luxembourg and I can see a comfortable victory for the away side.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Luxembourg 0 vs 2 Ukraine (Long List selection 5)
England vs Slovenia – Saturday 15th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
England are doing their best to forget an abysmal showing at the Brazil World Cup in this qualifying campaign, and so far they have three wins out of three. Since Brazil 2014, England have played four games, kept cleansheets in all of them and have scored nine along the way. Slovenia meanwhile are in second place behind England with six points. However their form is not so impressive. They have only found the net three times in their past five matches and have felt defeat in three of them. I think the pace and power that England have will see them win again, whilst their defence should stay tight for the fifth game in a row.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: England 2 vs 0 Slovenia (Long List selection 4)
Austria vs Russia – Saturday 15th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
This is a tough one to predict as both teams are so even. That is shown in the FIFA rankings, with Austria rated the 29th best team in the world and Russia the 30th. In the group, it’s first vs. second and on paper there’s not much to split them. The Austrians are in great form, winning three out of their past five and being unbeaten through the past eight. They haven’t conceded more than one goal in a game since Sweden put two past them in October 2013, so Russia have their work cut out. Fabio Capello’s men are unbeaten in their last five as well, but three of those were draws. A draw is a perfectly sensible bet in this one, but I just feel that Austria will come out on top.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Austria 1 vs 0 Russia (Long List selection 1)
Spain vs Belarus – Saturday 15th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
The Spanish are still recovering from a very poor World Cup and have yet to convince they have put the dark days behind them in this campaign. They have managed to pick up two wins, but they suffered a shock defeat to Slovakia as well and they can’t seem to get the best out of Diego Costa, despite his dominance in the Premier League. Belarus are poor though and according to FIFA’s rankings they are 106th in the world. They played each other in World Cup qualifying and Spain won 2-1 and 4-0. I can see a big scoreline in this match.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Spain 3 vs 0 Belarus (Long List selection 4)
Belgium vs Wales – Sunday 16th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
Belgium’s draw with Bosnia earlier in qualifying has left them playing catch-up, although they do still have a game in hand. They’ve been fairly solid at the back and with players like Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Divok Origi up top, they are always a threat going forward. Will Wales be concerned? They should be, but they should also be confident knowing they are the group leaders and in good form. I do like this Wales side, with Gareth Bale a moment of magic is never far away, but you have to say things could have worked out differently in the 2-1 wins over Andorra and Cyprus. Home advantage and a stronger squad depth will see Belgium record a victory.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Belgium 2 vs 0 Wales (Long List selection 4)
Czech Republic vs Iceland – Sunday 16th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
Now this will be a very interesting game. Both teams have made the perfect start and boast three wins out of three. Iceland in particular have surprised as much as they have impressed, especially in their 2-0 victory over the Netherlands. Their attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has been in fantastic form for club and country, scoring the two goals that sent the Netherlands crashing. They are also unbeaten in their last five games, but only one was away from home, so how will they perform here? I think it is very likely that these two will cancel each other out.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Czech Republic 2 vs 2 Iceland (Long List selection 3)
Israel vs Bosnia-Herzegovina – Sunday 16th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
Israel will welcome Bosnia into this game with high spirits. They have won two games out of two, whilst their counterparts have only two points from three games. The FIFA rankings actually say Bosnia & Herzegovina are better than the Israelis and with the likes of Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic you can understand why. Whilst Israel have done well, this is by far their biggest test, having beaten the smaller nations Cyprus and Andorra. I feel that Bosnia will turn the corner in this game and will return home with their first win of the campaign.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Israel 1 vs 2 Bosnia (Long List selection 2)
Italy vs Croatia – Sunday 16th November – Euro 2016 Qualifying
This is a top of the table clash with both sides on nine points each in Group H. Croatia are at the summit thanks to their 6-0 win over Azerbaijan but they will lose that privilege if they slip up here. Both teams were in exactly the same form before Croatia’s friendly with Argentina, with four wins and one loss in the five before that game. As expected, Italy have been keeping things tight and have only let in two goals since the World Cup. However, before the Argentina game, Croatia hadn’t conceded any in four matches. This is a tough one to call and a draw is likely. The last time they met was at Euro 2012 and that ended in a 1-1 stalemate. I think it’s a safe bet to go for the same scoreline this time.
Mr Predictor’s Verdict: Italy 1 vs Croatia 1 (Long List selection 3)
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