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Mixed martial arts Saturday Euros Qualifying Best Bets: Spain and Wales Feature in the Value Picks for Saturday’s Euros Qualifying
Euro Qualifying Best Bets: Saturday, 25th March
Visits to Croatia, Spain, and last but not least, Andorra, suggests we’ve got a hearty line up for Euro qualifying best bets to see out Saturday evening. No Gareth Bale, no Luis Enrique, and no goals in Andorran colours?
In this article:
- Croatia vs Wales Preview & Best Bet
- Andorra vs Romania Preview & Best Bet
- Spain vs Norway Preview & Best Bet
Croatia vs Wales Preview
Saturday, March, 25th, 19:45 (UK)
Zlatko Dalic put pen to paper to a contract extension through to 2026 as the steward of Croatia’s national team. The most successful coach in the nation’s history has just steered his tiny nation to a World Cup semi-final for the second time – a feat that’s not lost on the powers that be inside Croatia’s footballing authority.
The Qatari World Cup has been and gone, as has Gareth Bale’s international career. Croatia and Wales will need to dust themselves off and gear up to begin another qualifying process to rub shoulders with the continent’s best in Germany in 2024. Make no bones about it; this is a significant test for Wales right off the bat.
Group D includes the pairing that will meet in Croatia on the weekend, Tukey, Armenia, and Latvia. Before a ball is kicked in anger, you’d assume it’s a three-way tussle for the top two qualifying spots. So, this match-up on Saturday is very important. The two last met in 2019, again in Euro qualification, where the Croats saw off (2-1) Wales at home before sharing the spoils in Wales.
I expect Wales to arrive and present as hard to beat before anything else, focusing on not losing the game, remaining compact and difficult to break down whilst taking any opportunities that may fall their way. Set pieces and effective work in transitions and on the counter may be key for the Welsh eleven. In the home dressing room, though, this is one they have to win. And they’re more than equipped in terms of quality and know-how at this level to do so. Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovacić, and Marcelo Brozović decking out their midfield screams precisely that.
Croatia vs Wales Best Bet
Since Euro 2021, where Croatia wasn’t at their best, they’ve regrouped and gone on to put together a 5/7 winning World Cup qualification campaign, a collective Nations League league performance losing just once, and a second successive World Cup semi-final showing. So considering that, and despite this being a side that is ageing gracefully, it’s hard to back against them here in their backyard.
This won’t be a pushover. On the contrary, Croatia should find it challenging. However, in the end, I see them working a lead and holding onto it. Put simply, a gulf in quality throughout the pitch should be enough to overpower Welsh advances. If Croatia win by exactly one goal, the stakes are returned. Anything more, the bet wins.
- Selection: Croatia -1 Asian Handicap
- Best Odds: 2.05 (bet365)
- Stakes: 10/10
Andorra vs Romania Preview
Saturday, March, 25th, 19:45 (UK)
If anyone fancies a punt on the hosts, perhaps Andorra’s 1-0 defeat to Gibraltar in their most recent international would divert your attention. Furthermore, in the same international break in November, Romania eased to a 0-5 victory against Moldova.
The correlation between that win in Moldova and Romania’s opening Euro qualifier is that Andorra and Moldova shared a Nations League group in 2022. So, it’s probably wise to see how the two fared against each other in the hope of gauging what kind of level both Romania and Andorra are performing at in comparison to each other.
Well, if the two Nations League meetings are anything to go by, there will be a gulf in quality on Saturday, that’s for sure. Moldova beat Andorra 2-1 at home and drew 0-0 away in 2022. The bore draw saw Victor Stina sent off for Moldova just before halftime, though the Moldovans recorded more second-half shots (0-5 shots inside the box), more possession, corners etc.
This second-half showing followed a first where Andorra didn’t have one shot and stumbled to 29% possession. In reverse, in Moldova, it was a more even performance, but Andorra still fell to defeat.
Considering the ease with which Romania navigated Moldova last time out with a squad including some lesser experienced Romanian heads – Paraschiv and Rus opening their goalscoring accounts, for example – all signs point to an away win on matchday one.
Andorra vs Romania Best Bet
How to play it? Well, the Asian handicap is set at -1.75 and priced at 1.875. It’s a big handicap at a price that wouldn’t usually massively appeal. Yet, with what should be a mismatch and Andorra lacking in the final third, maybe a two-goal lead isn’t too much to ask for. Two goals will earn a half-win, and three will pay full returns.
Alternatively, Romania to win by -1 and Romania to win to nil comes out at 2.05 on Bet365’s bet builder. Of course, that carries an additional concern that Andorra may sneak a goal from a set piece or similar. Regardless, if you’re going to back against any international team scoring, Andorra is right up there amongst the least capable in front of goal.
- Selection: Romania Win to Nil + Romania -1 Handicap
- Best Odds: 2.05 (bet365)
- Stakes: 7.5/10
Spain vs Norway Preview
Europe, Euro Qualifying, Saturday, March, 25th, 19:45 (UK)
The absence of Erling Haaland has forced my hand here. Clinical for both club and country, Norway’s main man will remain in Manchester nursing an injury picked up in the FA Cup victory over Burnley. The Championship outfit bore witness to another Haaland hat-trick, a phenomenon becoming a familiar sight on England’s shores.
Regardless, in Spain, Norway will need to stump a big performance to get anything out of their first outing of the Euro qualifying campaign. The Norwegians have only successfully navigated the qualifiers once before – a stark contrast to Saturday’s hosts.
The Spaniards have had to deal with the fallout of underperformance at the World Cup since leaving Qatar. It was downhill ever since La Roja’s 7-0 pummeling of Costa Rica. After that, a 1-1 draw against Germany laid the foundations for Japan’s memorable Spanish scalp, plus a Moroccan win which equipped them with the belief to catapult to the last four.
In comes Jose Luis De La Fuente. Spain’s new manager has been involved with the national team since 2013. It has been an apprenticeship of sorts, cutting his teeth in the under 18s, 19s, 21s and even the Spanish Olympic team for six games.
Spain vs Norway Best Bet
Players will be fighting for the right to start in Fuente’s new-look Spanish outfit. Couple that with the need to respond to those back home after a miserable World Cup, and we may see a straightforward Spanish victory without Norway’s talisman.
Instead of delving into the stats to observe either nation’s recent history, the -1.25 Asian Handicap in Spain’s favour is more of a circumstantial selection, added to the superior squad lining up for the home side in sunny Malaga.
- Selection: Spain -1.25 Asian Handicap
- Best Odds: 1.80 (bet365)
- Stakes: 7.5/10
Odds via bet365 as at 07:00, March 22nd, 2023. Odds may now differ.
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