Football Betting – Irish No Forlorn Hope Against Les Bleus

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in Dublin when the Republic Of Ireland were drawn against 1998 winners France in the European play-offs for the 2010 World Cup. FIFA certainly pulled a fast one with their relatively last-minute decision to seed countries according to their rankings hoping, no doubt, to ensure potential crowd-pullers like the French and Portugal make it safely through to the finals in South Africa. But in my humble opinion, the draw could have been a lot worse for Giovanni Trapattoni‘s side. Les Bleus are clearly not the force of old, hence their inability to top a relatively-weak qualifying Group Seven ahead of Serbia. Despite being able to field a forward six that includes Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Nicholas Anelka and the much-coveted Franck Ribery, the French have struggled to score goals against organised defences and that is a major factor in favour of the Irish. Let’s not forget, the men in green held holders Italy to a draw on home soil and came within seconds of beating Marcello Lippi‘s team in the return game. The Republic were unbeaten in 10 matches in Group Eight, only conceding eight goals in the process, and they are always a tough proposition in front of a packed Croke Park. Amid rumours of dressing-room bust-ups between players and controversial coach Raymond Domenech, it’s unlikely the French are likely to be relishing a two-leg tie against a side that won’t give them a moment’s peace over the 180 minutes and at 11-4 with William Hill, I’d certainly be more interested at backing the Irish to qualify rather than their opponents, who are a best 2-5 with Coral. With the exception of the Greece-Ukraine tie, which looks too close to call, the favourites in the other World Cup play-offs should encounter few problems but are priced accordingly. A treble including Portugal, Russia and Uruguay (set to face CONCACAF hopefuls Costa Rica) to qualify would pay you around 11-10, however, so that may attract high-stake punters.