Portugal

Portugal v Bosnia Herzegovina betting is not over by a long shot. Bosnia kept Portugal at bay in the opening fixture in Zenica and earned themselves a 0-0 draw to take back to Lisbon. So this fixture is very much still alive and it should be a fascinating climax. Portugal were led by Cristiano Ronaldo, who continues to look their best way to goal, but the Bosnian defence stood pretty firm and limited Portugal well. Portugal will have come away a bit frustrated, but knowing that they still have a lot of work to do in order to get through to next summer’s finals. Of the two sides, Portugal definitely had the better of things going forward, but Bosnia put on a good enough second half show to suggest that they are not going to go away quietly. Bosnia could well have taken a 1-0 lead but they missed a clear cut opportunity to take a massive advantage. But it is Portugal who will have the upper hand with being back at home in front of their own support. But they will have to be careful of Bosnia sneaking in and snatching an away goal. There should be plenty of life in this fixture, because Bosnia are a very organized and neat side and aren’t going to give things away too cheaply. Most of the initiative will come from the Portuguese of course and you expect them to have more chances up front, but they need more than Cristiano Ronaldo to stand up and take part. Things are going to be pretty evenly matched between these two on the pitch. Portugal are a bit of a negative, one dimensional side, and the longer the game goes on and Bosnia can keep them at bay, the more nervous and fragmented they will probably get. That could open the door, and Bosnia will threaten from set pieces as well, because the Portuguese defence is not water tight. This is the closest of the four second legs remaining to make it to Euro 2012 next summer. Don’t see a hatful of goals flying in with this match, and it could be a tight affair. There is good value in Bosnia sneaking a win, but would keep a close eye on Live in play Betting for this one for a deadlock breaker.

Portugal v Bosnia Herzegovina Betting
Portugal to win: 4/9 at BetFred
Draw: 3/1 at William Hill
Bosnia Herzegovina to win: 17/2 at VC Bet

You can watch a live stream of the Portugal v Bosnia match with online bookmaker Bet365. The highly rated bookie is bringing a full live football stream of this fascinating Euro 2012 play off match. Bet365 customers can get free live access to the big match, which is a tremendous service as you can get right up close to the action and that should influence your live in play betting positively. If you are not an account holder at Bet365, then signing up brings the reward of up to £200 in free bets! The bookie will mach the value of your first deposit on a new account, potentially giving you a huge amount of free betting cash to play with!

Bosnia-Herzegovina v Portugal Euro 2012 play off qualifier betting is definitely the big attraction over the next week. While we do have Ireland facing a tricky battle against Estonia for a place at next year’s finals, it is hard to overlook the mouth watering excitement that this fixture throws up. Bosnia will be hungry for revenge, because this is a repeat of the 2010 World Cup qualifier play off, in which Portugal narrowly edged their way through. So Bosnia will be hungry to over turn that heartbreak and leave the Portuguese with nothing to do next summer. Bosnia finished second in their qualification group behind France, winning six and drawing two of their matches, again showing what a technically strong side they are. Bosnia do head into the match though with a couple of defensive problems, with Sasa Papac and Boris Pandza missing through suspension, and Mensur Mujdza out with injury. So there is going to be a mightily tough battle in Zenica on Friday night, but it does promise to be a highly tense affair. Bosnia will no doubt want to stamp their authority over this home fixture, giving themselves something to take back to Portugal for the second leg.

Portugal stole away with a 1-0 victory in both legs of the World Cup 2010 qualifier play off, as they have become something of a negative, defensive side (which we also saw at the World Cup). Portugal coach Paulo Bento saw his chances of automatic qualification ruined when their lost their final match 2-1 against Denmark, forcing them to take the play off route. But Portugal should be pretty much at full strength, with captain Cristiano Ronaldo in some great form, and he also gets back Hugo Almeida, Fabio Coentrao and Pepe, who all missed the final two matches of the group stage for their country. There is really no telling which way this fixture is going to go, because neither side are great, but neither are so bad in that they give much away. So it could be a bit of a war of attrition in your Bonsai-Herzegovina v Portugal Euro 2012 play off betting. Definitely the most appealing fixture of the play offs.

Bosnia-Herzegovina v Portugal Betting Odds at Bet365
Bosnia to win 7/5, Draw 9/4, Portugal 5/4

The second leg of Portugal v Bosnia-Herzegovina is being shown as a live stream by online bookmaker Bet365 on November 15th. So you can get right into the action with the online bookmaker, who are again delivering some high quality international football streams. They are covering a host of international friendly matches this week, along with the Czech Republic v Montenegro (both fixtures) from the Euro 2012 play offs. So great coverage once again from the highly rated online bookmaker who show these live streams free for their funded account holders. If you want to get on board with the live streams, which opens great opportunities for live in play betting as well with the bookie, then you need to sign up. Signing up at Bet365 brings the possibility of getting yourself a free £200 bet as a sign up bonus. The bookie will match the value of your first deposit on a new account with a free bet up to the maximum of £200, which basically spells out a lot of free betting cash!

The Euro 2012 Play Off draw, with the ties to played on November 11/12 and the second legs on November 15, sees the last eight teams shooting for a place at next summer’s finals. Most of the excitement on the final night of Euro 2012 qualification was in Groups D and H, where France were trying to hold on to top spot against Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Portugal was trying to battle Denmark for that automatic place at next summer’s finals. So we know the identities of ten of the teams who will join the co hosts at Poland and Ukraine 2012 (nine group winners plus Sweden as the best runner up), and now the final eight have one last chance to book their place at the finals. There are strong teams left in here and there should be some very evenly matched contests. We have one home nation involved, with Giovanni Trapattoni trying to guide Ireland through to the finals, but having to contest against some poor major tournament play off history. Four places up for grabs, and the action will start up against on November 11th and 12th. Here is a look at the Euro 2012 play off draw and your early betting options.

Turkey v Croatia
Turkey did enough from Group A, finishing well behind Germany but holding on to second place. Croatia battled their way through from qualifying Group F, finishing two points behind Greece, with the Greeks squeezing out a 2-1 win in Georgia in their final game to book top spot. But Croatia were on a run of good form going into the final matches, and Turkey will need to take advantage of being at home in the first leg here.  There is good history here between these two, as Croatia were knocked out on penalties in the quarter finals of Euro 2008. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has been eyeing revenge over the Turks for that, because Croatia had scored in the 119th minute, because Turkey replied right at the very death of extra time. Interestingly too, Turkey were Croatia’s first ever Euro 2012 opponents, after the Croats had made it to the finals for the first time in Euro 96. Croatia won 1-0. The two sides have met only four times in total, with one win each and two draws. Going to be a tough encounter for these two sides. Croatia probably just have a technical edge though.
Play Off Records: Croatia P2 W2, Turkey P4 W2 L2
Tip: Croatia to Qualify 4/6 at Bet365 (Turkey 11/10 at Bet365)

Estonia v Republic of Ireland
The Republic of Ireland secured their place at Euro 2012 with a 2-1 win over Armenia in their final match. That was the big crunch match on the final day, to see who would take second spot behind Russia in a very competitive group. Estonia pushed their way into the finals from Group C behind Italy, as Serbia failed to get the win they needed against Slovenia on the final day of qualifying matches, which sent Estonia (who had already completed their games) through. This is a massive chance for Estonia to reach their first ever major finals, and they have proved to be quite a handy side through qualification. Estonia pretty much got the play off draw that they wanted, eyeing up Ireland as the best chance that they would have to progress. Ireland was who Estonia coach Tarmo Ruutli wanted in the play offs, because they should be able to match styles with Ireland. Estonia play quite a fast paced, physical British style of the game, and therefore should fancy their chances. But Ireland, being one of the seeded teams have the advantage of playing away in the first leg. The goals dried up for Ireland in their group when they needed them the most, but fought their way to the play offs. However, the Irish do not have a great record in the play offs, but have beaten Estonia on their only two previous meetings. They were paired together for the 2002 World Cup Qualification, with Ireland winning both home and away. Only Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Kevin Kilbane remain in the Irish set up since that last encounter with Estonia back in 2001. This has been quite an adventure for Estonia though, as they were on a five match losing streak earlier in the year (including a defeat against the Faroe Islands).
Play Off Records: Estonia P0, Republic of Ireland P5 W1 L4
Tip: Ireland to Qualify 4/9 at Stan James (Estonia 9/4 at Victor Chandler)

Czech Republic v Montenegro
Montenegro, thanks to a couple of draws against Group Winners England will contest their play off match against the Czech Republic. The Czech’s squeezed their way into the play offs behind Spain, but really made hard work of things. Therefore this should be an evenly contested match. Montenegro showed signs of maturing into a good international side with their performances against England, notably how they played at Wembley, but new coach Michal Bilek, who only took over for their final two Euro 2012 qualification matches, may be a bit worried about their lack of goals. That is something they need to work on. As for the Czech Republic, well they were shown up by Spain and Scotland really in their group, as the Czech won only half of their eight matches (including a home loss against Lithuania). They don’t look very strong at all at the moment, and if they had been in a more competitive group, you would have to believe that they could well have missed out. Really hard to pick a winner out of these two, neither have a lot of firepower and both have leaky defences. The two nations have never met before at the senior international level, so it will be interesting to see who draws first blood. Good chance for Montenegro to take what they would consider to be a big scalp though, especially with playing the second leg at home. The Czech’s do have experience of play offs, while this is the first time that Montenegro will face the high pressure.
Play Off Records: Montenegro P0, Czech Republic P2 W1 L1
Tip: Czech Republic To Qualify 4/7 at Paddy Power (Montenegro 7/4 at Victor Chandler)

Bosnia and Herzegovina v Portugal
The final night of Euro 2012 qualifiers threw up some great excitement, none least in Group D where France and Bosnia met in Paris in a shoot out for top spot. After Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko has put Bosnia ahead in Paris, France just managed to hang on to the top spot in the group thanks to a equaliser by Dzeko’s club team mate, Samir Nasri who fired home from the Penalty spot, just twelve minutes from time. So that sent Bosnia through to the play offs, but they were oh so close to getting an automatic spot. This is the fixture than is perhaps the most attractive of the four. Most of the teams in the draw wanted to avoid playing Portugal, but from Portugal’s point of view, they have gotten one of the toughest opponents. Portugal blew their chance of securing the automatic place at next year’s finals, as they went to Copenhagen for their final match of qualifying, level on points with Denmark. However, it was the strong looking Danes who ran out 2-1 winners in the decisive match of the group leaving Portugal level on points with Norway, but just taking the play off spot because of goal difference. This should be an epic encounter as Bosnia and Herzegovina look to book their place at their first major final since gaining their independence. This is where the history between these adds a little extra spice to this match. The closest Bosnia have come to a major final was the 2010 World Cup, but they lost in a play off there against, yes, Portugal. Bosnia will start at home, which may work against them, and they have suspensions at the back which won’t help. Portugal boss Paulo Bento still has a lot of work to do with his side, as they were favourites to win their qualifying group, but failed to do so, in what was an arduously competitive campaign. Portugal won both 2010 World Cup qualification play off matches against Bosnia 1-0. A mouth watering encounter here. Portugal aren’t the strongest side, and the technically strong and organised Bosnians will present a real challenge.
Play Offs Record: Bosnia and Herzegovina P1 L1, Portugal P1 W1
Tip: Portugal to Qualify 4/9 at Boylesports (Bosnia 2/1 at Bet365)

Qualified Teams for Euro 2012
Poland and Ukraine (hosts), Spain, Germany, Russia, Italy, France, Netherlands, Greece, England, Denmark, Sweden (as best runners up).

Euro 2012 Outright Winner Odds
Spain 5/2, Germany 4/1, Holland 56/1, England 10/1, France 12/1, Italy 11/1, Portugal 20/1, Russia 28/1 at Bet365

The 2011 U20 World Cup final betting will be played between Brazil U20 v Portugal U20. Following the quarter finals in which a host of surprise results turned up, Brazil steadied the ship to progress through to final with a 2-0 win over Mexico in the semi’s. Henrique netted himself a brace to finish off the challenge of the Mexicans although they took a long time to come. Both goals came in the last ten minutes of the match, totally ending the resistance of the Mexicans. Brazil were the more forceful of the two sides going forward, and once again they showed their potency in front of goal for a deserved win. Henrique, who now has five goals for the tournament, needs just one more to finish as solo top scorer for the 2011 U20 World Cup (as he is currently joint leader with Alvaro Vazquez from Spain who are eliminated). Brazil have now netted fifteen goals in the competition, averaging 2.5 goals per match, which isn’t a bad return. Especially as they have only conceded three. The Brazilian flair is there and the side like to get forward and attack, and there is certainly no shortage of confidence here and that is why they have to seriously be looked at as winners here. As for their U20 World Cup final opponents, Portugal, well, they may see themselves as being a little bit luckier to be in the grand finale of the event. Portugal have not impressed going forward in the tournament this year. They are a very organised and very cautious side, and have found goals hard to come by. In their semi final encounter at France, on a whole they were second best. France, who had grown and grown in stature had the lions share of the game, but only poor finishing let them down. Les Bleuets should have had the game dead and buried, but they couldn’t get the ball in the net. Ruthlessly though, Portugal made the best of their limited opportunities to steal a 2-0 victory. Totally against the run of play, but their defence and goalkeeper Mika, earned them their place in the final. While Brazil have flourished going forward, Portugal have flourished at the back. They have not conceded a single goal at Colombia 2011, with golden gloves Mika at the heart of things. Going forward though, they have only scored five, so that shows what kind of a tournament they have played. It has worked for them though and Brazil u20 v Portugal U20 betting is on the cards.

This is a repeat of the 1991 U20 World Cup final, where Portugal won on a penalty shoot out. This year’s final is definitely a contrast of two styles. We should see Brazil take most of the possession, as Portugal like to fall behind the ball and counter attack. It is Brazil’s natural game to have the ball anyway, but the big question is, can they find a way past Mika? Argentina, Guatemala and France all failed in the knockout stages. New Zealand, Uruguay and Cameroon couldn’t find a way through in the group stage either. So the 2011 U20 World Cup final could be all about how long Portugal can hold on. Can the Brazil flair be the key to unlock the water tight defence of the Portuguese? We will suggest that they will do so in the end. When it comes down to it, fans want to see teams win with flair and attacking prowess, and that is what should happen in Brazil U20 v Portugal U20 World Cup final betting.

Brazil U20 v Portugal U20 World Cup Final Odds
Brazil U20 to win: 10/11 at Bet365
Draw: 2/1 at Victor Chandler
Portugal U20 to win: 7/2 at Bet365

There have been plenty of penalty shoot outs during this tournament. Do your football betting at popular bookie Bet365 and take advantage of their Bore Draw Special. When you place a pre match Correct Score, Half Time/Full Time or Scorecast bet in the Bet365 sports book, if any of those bets lose because the match plays out to a 0-0 draw, then you will get a refund on your lost stakes. This is insurance worth taking if you are betting on these markets anyway. With that in mind, our tip for the U20 World Cup final will be a Draw/Brazil U20 Half Time/Time bet for 10/3 at Bet365. The highly rated bookie offers new customers registering an account, a £200 free bet, making them a great destination for football betting!
 

We have already had some thrilling World Cup last sixteen matches, but perhaps the best is saved for last with these two Iberian neighbours squaring off at Greenpoint Stadium for a place in the quarter finals of this competition.

This ground will hold happy memories for the Portuguese as they ran seven goals past North Korea here a little over a week ago. It didn’t look like a team that had struggled to qualify for South Africa, although they might have their work cut out trying to contain a Spain team which has seemingly recovered from a slow start.

As far as that opening game defeat to Switzerland is concerned, it’s a case of ‘no harm done’ for the Spanish, who still ended up topping the group thanks to victories over Honduras and Chile. It has seen Vicente Del Bosque’s team shorten to a best price 9/2 (Sporting Bet) in the betting, while they are no bigger than 11/10 (Boylesports) to win Tuesday night’s game in normal time.

It appears as though Xabi Alonso is struggling to be fit for the match in Cape Town after picking up an injury against the Chileans last Friday, although Spain have a ready-made replacement in Cesc Fabregas. The biggest concern for La Furia Roja is the form / fitness of Fernando Torres, with the Liverpool forward proving to be sluggish in the matches he has played so far.

The team will need El Nino to be at his best against a tight Portugal defence and he is 11/2 (Paddy Power) to open the scoring, although he often acts as a foil for strike partner David Villa, who scored three times during the group stages and has looked highly dangerous so far. It’s little wonder that Barcelona want to shell out so much money for a player that makes things happen and he’s a tempting 4/1 (William Hill) to break the deadlock for the third game running.

Not that the Portuguese will be easy to break down, with the team one of only two (Uruguay being the other one) not to concede during the group phase. However, while defensive performances against Ivory Coast and Brazil sandwiching that North Korea goalfest helped them qualify, they might need to bring more to the party if they are to knock out the pre-tournament favourites.

Carlos Queiroz’s men are the 10/3 (bet365) outsiders to win in ninety minutes, or you can back them at 7/4 (Ladbrokes) to qualify for the quarter finals in some shape or form (penalties is a possibility as they have a superior record over Spain). It’s likely to be more evenly-matched than the odds suggest, especially if Portugal can get Cristiano Ronaldo on the ball. The forward will have noticed that the Spanish defence is capable of creaking and he’s 6/1 (bet365) to break the deadlock in Cape Town.

If you think that Spain will lead at half-time and full-time for the third match running, you can get odds of 5/2 (Stan James) and there’s the possibility that the Euro 2008 winners will start moving through the gears after a tough qualifying group.

Winning Group G gets more important with the passing of every day. While the victors at the Moses Mabhida Stadium would potentially play Holland in the quarter finals, they will avoid the half of the draw which includes England, Argentina, Germany and probably Spain. While Vicente Del Bosque’s team are hovering around even money to win Group H, a runners-up berth is surely more likely. Therefore, while Brazil are through to the last sixteen, it’s hard to see Dunga treating this game particularly lightly. He will want to maintain the excellence shown against the Ivory Coast last Sunday, even if the team will be missing the suspended Kaka. While the Real Madrid star sits on the bench and considers how foolish he was to receive two yellow cards, his team-mates are strong favourites at 13/10 (Coral) to land another win which would give them maximum points in Group G. It promises to be an entertaining game, especially as the Brazilian defence is not proving particularly watertight. North Korea and the Cote d’Ivoire both managed a consolation goal against the Selecao in previous matches, so perhaps it follows that Portugal will also find the net, especially as six members of their squad were on the scoresheet against the People’s Republic on Monday. Carlos Queiroz’s team will be going for the win, especially as they have little to fear due to the nine goals’ superior goal difference they have over the Elephants. The Iberian team are 11/4 (Bet Fred) to land a famous win and book themselves a match against the runners-up of Group H. It’s clearly just a matter of speculation as to whom they would meet, although Switzerland going through in second place would give them a strong chance of getting through to the final. The team have a clear match-winner in Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be looking to break free from the shackles of Gilberto Silva to make a difference for his country. The Real Madrid forward is 6/1 (Ladbrokes) to open the scoring and you can bet that he’s been practising his free kicks ahead of this match, although it’s strange that Tiago is priced at 33/1 (Paddy Power) on the same market considering that he scored two against the North Koreans. This will also be a significant match for striker Liedson, who was born in Brazil and became a naturalised Portuguese international recently. He’s 9/1 (Ladbrokes) to break the deadlock. As for Brazil, they still have attacking flair without the suspended Kaka and striker Luis Fabiano is on course to win the Golden Shoe after his excellent brace against the Ivory Coast. The Sevilla forward will be eyeing more goals from this match ahead of the knockout stages where games are traditionally more low-scoring. You can back him at 11/2 (Victor Chandler) to score first. If you think that Brazil will dominate to the extent that they did in their last game, Stan James offers 3/1 that the World Cup favourites lead at half-time and full-time.

Portugal Threat Bigger Than Just Cristiano Ronaldo

Enter Cristiano Ronaldo to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is fair to say that we could see a major improvement in the quality of dead ball deliveries when Portugal kick off against the Ivory Coast on Tuesday. This is probably the biggest clash in the first round of opening group matches, as these are two strong teams, scrapping for supremacy in the race to keep tags on Brazil in the group. A loss in this opening fixture could spell disaster in such as tough group, with both having obviously having to still play the South Americans. Hopefully this should turn out to be the best match of the opening games, with both teams needing to go for the jugular, but with both teams having their vulnerabilities. Neither side are particularly consistent, and neither have been able to stand up and say that they have made best use of the resources available to them. Portugal struggled through qualification, and while Cristiano Ronaldo did miss a lot of the matches through injury, it could highlight just how much the nation relies upon his heroics. Yes, he is a World Class player, that is not in doubt, and once he had returned from injury, he started to really shine for his new club Real Madrid by banging in the goals. Can he elevate Portugal, who have climbed up to third in the FIFA World Rankings, after a reshuffle of the points system.

That came as something of a surprise, as there are better teams around than Portugal. Do Portugal need Cristiano Ronaldo to carry them? Well, the fact that Ronaldo himself came out and said that in order for them to succeed at the 2010 FIFA World Cup they would need more than just the handful of star players which they have to perform, points to the reasoning that they do. Ronaldo called for his team mates and unsung heroes to stand up and play their part, and not rely solely on him. Portugal have already lost Manchester United winger Nani through injury, and A Selecção das Quinas need to show the same battling qualities which they displayed over the latter half of qualification. After winning just one of their five opening matches, Portugal suddenly plugged the holes in their back line, and rediscovered their scoring touch. OK, it was not a spectacular turn around, but the fight that Carlos Queiroz’s men displayed in getting over the line, was admirably, if not pretty. Their troubles in actually getting to the World Cup finals will probably mean that a lot of people underestimate them. Being drawn in a group along with Brazil and the Ivory Coast won’t have helped much, but Portugal have more to offer than their early qualification form showed.

With an impressive build up to South Africa 2010, Portugal could be peaking at the right time, now having won their last eight matches. During that run, they have conceded just one goal. So should the Portuguese be worth looking at in a little more depth for your World Cup Betting? Absolutely. They are no slouches, and on the day, they should have more confidence and team mentality than the Ivory Coast. They seem to have gotten over whatever slump was bothering them, and have found their consistency. They really could be ones to watch out for, and while they are out at 33/1 at Bet365 to win the tournament, that could shorten dramatically if they beat the Ivory Coast. The trouble is, if they cannot get the better of Brazil in the group, then the second placed team from Group G will go up against the winner of Group H, which is likely to be Spain. But with a great defensive record at the moment, which may surprise a lot of people, Portugal could be primed and ready to take them on. Let’s not forget, Portugal reached the semi’s in 2006. But for now, they will need to continue their fine form and take out the Ivory Coast, who are being coached by a familiar fellow.

Sven Goran-Eriksson The Missing Link?

Yes, Sven is back at the World Cup. After leading England through two disappointing campaigns, Eriksson was drafted in at a late stage to coach the Ivory Coast at the World Cup. This came about after a poor African Cup of Nations, which they were expected to win, which resulted in the firing of their head coach. So, the nation went for the experience of Eriksson, even though he seemed to be a strange choice, considering the strengths of the Elephants, and Eriksson’s philosophy towards the game. Eriksson is a cautious chap, as most England fans will tell you, and that is a bit of a departure from the free flowing attacking game which the Ivory Coast like to play. What can be said in Eriksson’s defence, is that the Ivory Coast have not had any great success with their style, and perhaps it is time to change. But Eriksson has not had a lot of time to stamp his authority over the side, and picked a predictable 23 man squad to take with him. He may have to cede some ground, and use the players which he has at his disposal in the best way that suits them, and that may mean relinquishing the reins a bit, a letting the natural Ivory Coast way shine through, and perhaps just glossing it over with his defensive and economical tactics.

It is considered a Golden Generation for the Ivory Coast, as their current squad has been together for quite some time. It is a pretty tough first competitive match for Eriksson to take the helm for though, as the stakes really could not be higher. He will know Portugal well, after England lost at both the 2006 World Cup, and the 2004 European Championships to the Portuguese. The big question on everyone’s mind, is will Didier Drogba play? The Ivory Coast talisman was injured in a warm up ahead of South Africa 2010, fracturing his arm, and no-one is sure if he will be able to play or not. The Chelsea man is with the Ivory Coast squad, and has been attending training. The decision will probably be left to the last minute by Eriksson, if for no other reason than to keep Portugal guessing. Will it be third time a charm for Eriksson against Portugal in recent times? He has some good players on his side, capable of winning, but has he had enough time to bring those players together as a team? That has always been the one criticism of the Ivory Coast, they have star players who look good on paper, but not so good on the pitch. See here for more on Ivory Coast v Portugal.

Portugal v Ivory Coast Odds and Stats

Ivory Coast 2, Japan 0
Paraguay 2, Ivory Coast 2
Korea Republic 2, Ivory Coast 0
Ivory Coast 2, Algeria 2
Ivory Coast 3, Ghana 1

Portugal 3, Mozambique 0
Portugal 3, Cameroon 1
Portugal 2, China 0
Bosnia 0, Portugal 1
Portugal 1, Bosnia 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Ivory Coast: 9 For, 7 Against
Portugal: 10 For, 1 Against

Recent Stats:
Ivory Coast: P37, W13, D12, L12 with a 35.1% win percentage
Portugal: P50, W28, D12, L10 with a 56.0% win percentage

World Cup Stats
Ivory Coast: P3, W1, D0, L2, GF5, GA6
Portugal: P19, W11, D1, L7, GF32, GA21

Last 10 Match Form:
Ivory Coast: DDDDDWDLDW
Portugal: DDWWWWWWWW

Match Odds
Portugal to win: 5/4 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at BetFred
Ivory Coast to win: 13/5 at Totesport

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Could be a close game, but nonetheless it seems as if Portugal should have enough to edge it. There is a huge amount at stake on this match, so we could see a cautious start by both side. The best prices would be giving Ivory Coast at least a goal advantage, but Portugal +0.25 for 2/5 at Bet365 is decent value on a safe bet.

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!
 
Group games don’t get any more exciting than Ivory Coast v Portugal on 15th June, with both teams looking to secure the three points ahead of other Group G matches against Brazil and North Korea. Here at soccerbetting.info/online-betting.me.uk, we have £500 in free bets to give away to those who can predict the correct outcome in this match, courtesy of our friends at William Hill.

Somebody has to win a first prize of £150, while there are nine other prizes between £10 and £100 for those that are also correct with their prediction. In order to get your hands on some free cash, simply take the following steps:

1) Sign up at William Hill by clicking on this link
2) Deposit and place at least one bet with this bookmaker
3) Send an email to competitions@soccerbetting.info with the subject line “I want a free bet with William Hill”. You should include the following details:

- Your Ivory Coast v Portugal prediction (Ivory Coast win, Portugal win or draw)
- Your William Hill username
- The date you signed up and the first deposit amount

The deadline for all entries is 2.55pm on 15th June, which is five minutes before the match kicks off. One lucky participant will be walking away with a first prize of £150 for getting the outcome right – will it be you?

Next to this one, we are organizing 2 other World Cup tipping contests:

The Ultimate World Cup Winner Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Ivory Coast V Portugal Tipping Contest!

The Ultimate Cameroon V Denmark Tipping Contest!

There will be plenty of nerves on display in Lisbon, Athens, Dublin and Moscow this coming Saturday, with eight teams battling it out for four World Cup places. These matches are sure to be popular as far as pre-match and In-Play betting is concerned, so we’ve taken a look at our favourite bookmakers to find some top promotions.

Over at bet365, they are running their usual Bore Draw Money Back offer, where correct score, HT / FT and Scorecast bets are refunded if a match finishes 0-0. We would say that these type of matches have a much stronger chance of finishing goalless, especially as the first leg games are bound to be tight and cagey. Teams will be afraid of conceding and you can bet that the likes of Bosnia and Slovenia will be setting up defensively against Portugal and Russia respectively.

Meanwhile, Paddy Power have come up with a typically crazy promotion for the Ireland v France match, which ties in with the X Factor! John and Edward are one of the favourites to be eliminated and, if they are evicted on Sunday, then your losing First Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets will be refunded. The pair were close to being axed last week so this could be a popular promotion.

Meanwhile, although Ladbrokes don’t have any set promotions for the four matches, they are providing a unique type of bet. The Quatro enables to you to select a combination of the winning team and the amount of goals scored. For example, they offer odds of 2.50 that Ukraine win or draw in Greece PLUS there are two goals or less in the match. Similarly, Ladbrokes offer Goal Time Quatro, so for example you can back Republic of Ireland to score first PLUS the first goal being scored after the 27th minute. At odds of 4.00, it’s not a bad shout.

My personal hunch is that the matches are likely to be low-scoring. If you look at the previous first leg scores in the play-offs, there are often few goals involved and it could therefore be worth looking at the Under 2.5 Goals prices. Stan James are offering some great odds on this market, going best price for the Greece v Ukraine and the Ireland v France matches. Doing four lines of trebles on the quartet of games would return a profit if three involve two goals or less and the Bosnia manager has already stated his intention to pack out the midfield in Portugal.

Over at Unibet, they have priced up some goalscorer match bets, with Kevin Doyle being paired with Thierry Henry and Robbie Keane going head-to-head with Nicolas Anelka. Meanwhile, Canbet customers should be aware that you get a 10% bonus on any winnings from a multiple bet. Providing you include at least three selections and that your accumulator amounts to odds of at least 6.00, you can get 10% added to the pay-out.

Of course, all of the bookmakers we mention will be offering In-Play betting on the four World Cup qualifying matches, while bet365 will be streaming the games from Moscow, Lisbon and Athens so that you can watch and bet on the action!

Well the hectic start to the Premier League continues to throw up some surprise results. I had felt at least one team would suffer a champions league hangover, unfortunately for me, I chose the wrong teams.

Arsenal it seems are the inconsistent members of the top 4. It’s often said that true champions are judged on how they respond to defeat. Well Arsenal have responded to poor results with resounding victories, however, true champions respond with several wins rather than solitary ones! So this could be an interesting trend to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

This Weekend sees the resumption of World Cup qualifying and we need to search for value in this particular market. The obvious wins are just that and the bookies have them priced accordingly.

Which is precisely why my eye has been drawn to Sweden hosting Portugal. Both teams have their injury woes so I see this as a contest of who has the best strength in depth. Both teams have had a fairly indifferent start to the campaign and I feel both will have a ‘don’t lose’ mentality, which makes the draw priced at 9/4 with Coral an attractive proposition