World Cup Qualification Matches Resume on Thursday Evening
Published March 22, 2022 by Florin P
Bet on the second to last act of the World Cup qualification semifinals, as eight teams try to secure a place in the grand final.
Football fans were delighted to see top European teams play amazing derbies over the weekend. It is time for the national teams to mesmerize them with games that’ll bring the strongest squads into the spotlight. The race for a World Cup berth resumes on Thursday, with Italy and Portugal matches stealing the show.
Italy is a Huge Favorite against North Macedonia
The World Cup qualification promotion semifinals pit Italy against the determined team of North Macedonia. Home pitch advantage and an overwhelmingly superior squad grant the Italians the first chance to pick up all three points. They won the last 9 matches played in Palermo and odds of 1/5 offered by bet36 sports suggest a 10th consecutive win. The visitors will defend for as long as they can, hoping to push the match into overtime, but we don’t expect them to resist.
High-Scoring Match Expected in Portugal
A string of friendly games against weak opponents undoubtedly reinforced the Portuguese’s confidence in their backline. They were able to keep clean sheets in four consecutive matches, but otherwise, their defenses are far from ironclad. Turkey hopes to capitalize on this context and maintain the high-scoring steak, with 10 goals in the last three matches. Bet365 offers odds of 2/5 on the hosts to prevail while pricing a surprising away victory at 6/1.
First Goal Matters in Sweden vs Czechia Match
The second semifinal features Sweden and the Czech Republic, in the most evenly matched of the day. The Scandinavians have the home pitch advantage and this gives them a slight edge over their peers, but the difference is negligible. Past performance suggests that the importance of scoring first can’t be underestimated. Both teams will start with a defensive-minded starting formation with just one striker and a few offensive midfielders. 1xBet offers even odds to the home side and 3/1 on the Czech Republic.
Wales and Austria Play Coin-Flip Match
Far from the spotlight, Wales and Austria are pursuing their chances to advance to the finals of the important competition. The two teams focus mainly on the backline and they are overly concerned not to concede an early goal, because of the sheer difficulty of coming back. The odds reflect the fact that the game is too close to call and each team gets the same value from 1xBet. The draw is also priced at 19/20, but we give the home side a slight advantage.
Disclaimer:
The odds mentioned here were accurate at the featured bookmakers at the hour the article was written, respectively on Monday, March 21 at 5 P.M. UK time.
