France and England Play Tough Away Euro Qualifiers on Friday
Published October 11, 2019 by Florin P
France hopes to regain the solitary lead in Group H by defeating Iceland, while England tries to fend off the runners-up in Group A.
Domestic football leagues are on recess, but there’s plenty of action continent-wide, as the Euro 2020 qualifiers return this weekend. This Friday, England and France will play difficult matches on the road, trying to consolidate their position at the top of the groups. Meanwhile, Portugal and Ukraine continue their race for the league of Group B and both are expected to pick up three points away from home.
France Hopes to Extend Invincible Run over Iceland
France plays against Iceland, a team they defeated in the last qualifying match by an emphatic score. They also have a crushing head to head record, with eight victories and two matches resulting in draws. Because they don’t have home pitch advantage, the reigning world champions are given odds of 9/20 by888 Sport. They have scored four unanswered goals in the last meeting and are optimistic about achieving a similar result in spite of playing thousands of miles away from home.
Iceland is famous for the manner in which the team plays in front of its fans and will try to extend the positive run. Against the reigning champions, they will feature the best starting 11, but this is unlikely to be enough to secure all three points. A draw would be regarded as a success given the quality of their opponents and this outcome is priced at 3/1. The odds of Iceland securing their first victory over France are slim, as reflected by the odds of 7/1 on an upset victory on Friday evening.
England Chases First Away Win over the Czech Republic
England’s travels to the Czech Republic for a match scheduled on Friday at 7:45 PM and they start with the first chance. Odds of 1/2 offered by 888 Sport are a clear indicator of the difference between these two teams, but the hosts won’t give up without a fight. England have played only four matches so far in the Euro 2020 qualifiers and won all of them, but they will be hard-pressed to extend the streak.
The hosts will be happy with a draw, as this would help them consolidate their second place, which is eligible for qualification. The Czech Republic is yet to draw a match in this campaign, but there’s plenty of value in the odds of 3/1 on points to be split. England travels without several of its key players and the midfield is the department that will feel this pressure the most.
Portugal and Ukraine are Huge Favorites in Group B
Ukraine is Leading group B with five points more than Portugal, but the runners-up have one game in hand. Both of them are expected to pick up easy points at home on Friday at 7:45 PM against Luxembourg and Lithuania. In order to get decent value, players would have to bet on the hosts to cover the -1.5 goals spread, which will lead to combined odds of even value at Winner Sports.
