Wales

Wales v Croatia Betting Preview
Albeit with some help from Scotland in the end, Wales came away from Glasgow on Friday night with all three points in the bag after falling behind in the game. The Welsh are now up to third in Group A and as good as that sounds, they are still seven points adrift of second placed Croatia. Still, they could cut that down to four with a win in Cardiff, but realistically the Welsh are just playing for pride and the future really, as qualification is still a long way off. At least they have some confidence under their belt.

Wales v Croatia Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Croatia 8/11, Draw 5/2, Wales 4/1

Wales v Croatia Recommended Bet:
The Welsh have now picked up two wins from their five matches. They have still only scored at an average rate of a goal per game though, while they have conceded at an average rate of over two per game. They took a 2-1 over Scotland on Friday, despite Gareth Bale coming off at half time after getting a knock. The Tottenham player said that he should be fine to face Croatia, but they will be without Aaron Ramsey who got himself sent off at the end of the game. Wales pieced together some nice patches of football against Scotland, but they still struggled to get on the scoresheet, the goals they did score coming with a helping hand from the Scots. They will be in high spirits but the visiting Croatia are a very good side who have only conceded two goals so far in their five qualification matches. Wales do into the match as firm underdogs.

Croatia took a win over bitter rival Serbia on Friday night, keeping up their challenge for top spot alongside the exciting Belgium. Croatia have won four of their first five matches, drawing the other one. Along the way they have scored eight goals, which is a decent return, but it is their defence which has really stood out, having conceded just two. Croatia are a very solid side, a good balance of technique and strength. They should have the upper hand in the match, especially with them having so much at stake. In Croatia’s two other away games, they have earned a 1-1 draw in Belgium and beat Macedonia 2-1.

Croatia are the better team of the two and that’s not really in question. The spirit of Wales though could play a big part in this one to level the playing field a bit. It could be worth taking a Draw/Croatia Half Time/Full Time bet for a look at some value at 3/1 with online bookmaker Bet365.

Wales v Croatia Head To Head
Only three times before have the two sides met, just once competitively. That was the meeting in Osijek earlier in the group, with Croatia cruising to a 2-0 win. This will be the first time that Wales will have hosted Croatia before, and the other two matches, friendly internationals produced another win for Croatia and a draw. Wales have scored just once in those three meetings.

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Scotland v Wales Betting Preview
Nothing quite like a home nations derby for World Cup qualifiers. Here we are with the return match between Scotland and Wales, with both sides desperately in need of a win. With them occupying the bottom two spots in Group A, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll be seeing either of them at Brazil 2014, so this is mostly about pride. Wales came from behind to win in Cardiff, can the Scots exact a bit of revenge?

Scotland v Wales Betting Odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Scotland 5/6, Draw 12/5, Wales 3/1

Scotland v Wales Recommended Bet:
The Scots have to have one plan to try and come up with, and that is how to stop Gareth Bale. The Tottenham winger netted a brace for Wales in Cardiff in beating Scotland last October. They won’t be man-marking him, instead they will be relying on putting enough pressure on Wales to try and keep Bale pushed back. The Scots are the only team in the group who haven’t won a match yet, but have taken two draws. Unfortunately, those two draws came on home soil and were both massively missed opportunities to get their qualification campaign off to a flyer. They took disappointing home draws against Macedonia and Serbia, failing to really capitalize on home advantage. At least new boss Gordon Strachan has a 100% record.

He opened his national managerial career with a 1-0 win over Estonia back in February, a match in which Scotland should have scored more. The problems for Scotland are evident, they have scored just twice in their four matches, but then Wales have a far worse defence. The only points Wales have gotten were from the win over Scotland. Other than that, it has been defeats all the way. On the road they have lost 2-0 at Croatia and were hammered 6-1 by Serbia. The Welsh have only scored three goals in their four matches, so this may not be a high scoring return. Passions will be high, the goal tally, maybe not so such. Should be a tight affair, and following on Wales then host the powerful Croatian side while Scotland go to Serbia.

Scotland v Wales Head To Head
A nice long history to look back over between these two sides. There have been 106 meetings played between the two before and Scotland lead commandingly with 61 wins to 22 by Wales. There have been seven previous FA Cup qualifying matches, with Scotland leading the way against with three wins to two. The most recent coming together was that 2-1 win for Wales in Cardiff in October of 2012. The last meeting between them in Scotland was in 1997, an International Friendly held in Kilmarnock, which Wales won 1-0. That was the same result in their last World Cup qualifier held in Scotland, a 1-0 win for Wales in Glasgow during the the 1986 World Cup qualifiers.

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Wales v Austria betting should be an interesting affair as the home nation, who have been struggling lately, look to get back into form against a steadily improving Austrian side. Wales have lost three of their opening World Cup 2014 qualification matches and have been struggling badly in front of goal, while have been anything but tight at the back. Wales were thumped 6-1 by Serbia in Group A and defeats against Belgium and Croatia have pretty much left them out of contention for a place at Brazil 2014. So now they have to play for a lot of pride and have to start building towards something more positive again. Craig Bellamy’s non-committal over whether he wants to continue an international career or not, isn’t helping manager Chris Coleman, but he has been included in the squad along with West Ham’s James Collison.

Bellamy had been left out of Wales’ World Cup qualifying squads by Coleman, but the Cardiff striker seems to be over his injury problems at the moment. Swansea’s Ashley Williams will captain the side against Austria at the Liberty Stadium on Wednesday night. Wales have a poor record against Austria as it is, winning one, drawing one and losing five of their previous seven encounters. The last time they came together competitively was back in the 2006 World Cup qualifiers, with Austria taking home and away wins against Wales with clean sheets. The last time Wales beat Austria was a 1-0 home win in November of 1975.

Austria don’t look to be a side who are going to give much away. The Australian have a W1 D1 L1 record from their three Brazil 2014 World Cup qualifiers so far, the defeat a narrow 2-1 loss against the all powerful Germans. Eight of the Austrian squad play in the German Bundesliga and defensively they look as if they have enough to shut out Wales again. Austria have kept four clean sheets in their six international matches. History here should suggest that the Austrians are worth backing for a win, especially with the Welsh losing five of their last six.

Wales v Austria Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Austria 13/8, Wales 17/10, Draw 11/5

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Wales V Croatia
What with the Gareth Bale inspired win over Scotland in Cardiff have done to the confidence of the Welsh? They were second best for large portions of the game against Scotland, but they managed to turn around a one goal deficit and get three points on the board. That was the first win in charge for Chris Coleman since taking over in January. The question is though, can they push on from that and keep their qualification hopes alive? They face a tough task next as they head to Croatia to take on one of the group favourites. A defeat here could still leave the Welsh largely out of the picture to reach Brazil 2014.

Wales v Croatia Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365:
Croatia 2/7, Draw 4/1, Wales 10/1

Verdict:
Little doubt that Wales are going to be heavy underdogs in Osijek on Tuesday night. They really need a win to try and keep some momentum going. The points against Scotland were the first of their group and they are already four points behind joint leaders Croatia and Belgium. So a loss on Tuesday would leave them very far back and realistically with too much of a hill to climb. So this could be make or break for Wales’ World Cup hopes and having to do it on the road is a big ask. Wales haven’t been in great form at all and have been struggling to find the back of the next. Take Gareth Bale out of the equation on Friday night and the Welsh offered very little on home soil against the Scots. They will face a very technically sound and physically strong Croatia side and the bookies are pretty clear about the chances of Wales in this one. They are underdogs and need to pull out something special Don’t let the Scotland result flatter the opinion of the Welsh too much. There is a big void between themselves and the Croatians.

Croatia are ranked 11^th in the FIFA World Rankings while Wales have slipped down to 57^th. The Croatians took a 2-1 away win over Macedonia on Friday night, in quite a hard fought match. Croatia had to come behind to secure their first win in three attempts in Skopje but they got the job done being the more forceful of the two sides. That completed the double for Croatia over Macedonia in qualification. The only other game that Croatia have played resulted in a good point away in Belgium, maintaining the status alongside the Belgians as the joint group favourites. Croatia probably are not quite as expansive as the Belgians and don’t offer so much going forward, but they can keep the ball on the deck and they are defensively well disciplined. On home soil you have to favour that they will get more of the ball in the middle of the park, will dictate the pace and flow of the game more than Wales. The visitors will likely try to catch the Croatians on the counter-attack. Croatia are just stronger defensively and that should put them in the driving seat. A Croatia -1.75 Asian Handicap is well priced at 23/20 with online bookmaker Bet365.

Head to Head:
Little history between the two nations as they have met just twice before, neither of the games being competitive ones. They did meet in Osijek in 2010, a game which Croatia comfortably won 2-0 and the only other prior meeting to that was also out in Croatia way back in 2001, a game which ended in a 1-1 draw. Croatians should take advantage of home soil here.

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Wales V Scotland
This is a great Home Nations derby match for the 2014 World Cup qualifiers and both sides need a win. Wales have yet to get a point on the board after two matches into qualification and have been struggling going forward. Scotland meanwhile have perhaps shown more promise but they have been stuttering as well managing only two draws. Both sides have managed just one goal each in qualification so far, who will record a vital three points?

Wales v Scotland Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365:
Scotland 8/5, Wales 7/4, Draw 11/5

Verdict:
Wales were gunned down by a very strong and enterprising Belgium side in Cardiff on the opening day of qualification,but the Welsh outfit suggested that their performance was good enough to go and get at least a point off Serbia in their second match. It wasn’t, as Wales were thumped 6-1, leaving them in a pretty big hole, without a point and staring down the barrel of a pretty woeful goal difference standing. This is a tough enough group as it is with Serbia, Croatia and Belgium battling it out at the top, so both will be eyeing up victories in the easier matches to try and at least keep their qualification hopes alive for as long as possible. Scotland opened their account with a draw against Serbia but then a Kenny Miller equaliser was need for the Scots to salvage a point against Macedonia. The issue for the Scots is that both of those matches were at home and that is some advantage lost for them. Points at home are crucial for qualification purposes so have Scotland let things slip through their fingers? Scotland though are perceived to be the better sides of the two and they have shown more promise and need less fixing than Wales do. Scotland are stronger at the back and while both sides lack scoring power Scotland have enough in them to grind out a point in Cardiff. Wales have lost all four matches under Chris Coleman so far since taking over in January and they desperately need to just try and get a point on the board. A straight out draw isn’t too bad value at all at a price of 11/5 with online bookmaker Bet365.

Head to Head:
Plenty of juicy head to head between the two nations, with Scotland holding a pretty strong dominance over the Welsh. Out of 105 meetings, Scotland have picked up 61 wins to the 21 managed by Wales. Their most recent meeting was a friendly in Dublin which Scotland won 3-1 back in 2011. Prior to that, the most recent between the two in Cardiff ended in a resounding 3-0 win for the home sides. In serious business through, they met in the 1986 World Cup qualifiers and produced a 1-1 draw in Cardiff, after Wales had won 1-0 in Glasgow. That match is the only time Wales have beaten Scotland in a World Cup qualification in six comings together.

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Wales v Serbia World Cup 2014 qualification betting is more Group A action, along with Scotland’s battle against Macedonia on Tuesday night. Wales were left empty handed in their home opener on Friday night, as they were beaten by one of the Group favourites, Belgium. Wales manager Chris Coleman was left frustrated after two refereeing decisions which he didn’t agree with. A red card was shown to James Collins early in the match which handed an even bigger advantage to the visitors who were well on top anyway. Coleman was also unhappy at the awarded free kick which Belgium converted for their second goal of the game, the goal which totally killed off the Welsh challenge. So now Wales have to go out to Serbia to try and get a first win on the board in their qualification campaign. Unless Wales get something out of this, they could be left facing an uphill battle to qualify for Brazil 2014 already, with Belgium, Croatia, Scotland and Serbia already having some points on the board.

Serbia played out a pretty uninspiring 0-0 draw at Hampden Park against Scotland on Saturday, not looking as if they have too much creativity about them. They looked pretty organised at the back though and really limited the Scots in attack. So Wales, who aren’t exactly goal-happy themselves, will probably have some troubles breaking down the Serbians. Serbian though have drawn their last two matches 0-0 now, both against home nations. They drew a home international friendly against the Republic of Ireland before facing Scotland. With two defeats and another 0-0 draw in the three matches prior to that meeting with Ireland in August, Serbia aren’t exactly riding high at the moment. Wales will need to get at them with pace and conviction However, Belgium were supremely dominant over the Welsh, even for the brief time when it was eleven against eleven. So Coleman does have some issues to sort out because they look fragile at the back and don’t have too much to offer up front. Can they find the goals needed to get the better of the Serbians? Serbia are ranked 42^nd in the world, Wales 45^th.

The Welsh have failed to score in their last three fixtures now and there is a growing problem in that respect. There is also the Wales v Serbia head to head to look at, which doesn’t make great reading for the Welsh. Out of nine meetings, Wales have lost six and drawn three against the Serbians. They last came together in the Euro 2004 qualifiers which Serbia won both encounters by a one goal margin. Following the meeting with Serbia, Wales will face Scotland in October.

Wales v Serbia Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Serbia 4/9, Draw 16/5, Wales 13/2

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Wales v Belgium betting will see the home nation gunning for a good start on the road to the 2014 World Cup. Wales do have to pick themselves up after a very poor performance in a 2-0 home defeat against Bosnia-Herzegovina back in August. Scoring goals seems to be the biggest problem for Wales and boss Chris Coleman has to rally the troops. Wales have some talented youngsters in their side like Gareth Bale, Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey, but of course will be up against one of the best young players in the world, Chelsea’s Eden Hazard. Belgium are one the fancied team in the group to challenge for top spot, along with Serbia and Croatia. Scotland also reside in Wales’ qualifying group.

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Wales v Belgium betting odds at online bookmaker Ladbrokes
Wales 7/2, Draw 12/5, Belgian 5/6

Ireland v Wales Six Nations rugby betting sees a cracker of a match on the first weekend of the this year’s tournament. Ireland coach Declan Kidney, has called upon some youth for his side, determined to ring in a new golden age of Irish rugby. The notable inclusions to the Irish squad have been wingers Simon Zebo and David Kearney and while Kidney will look to some of the old guard to nurture the youngsters, they will have to go without key man Brian O’Driscoll. O’Driscoll will miss the entire tournament because of a shoulder injury, so there is a big chance up for grabs in the back line. The likelihood is that it will be a relatively familiar Irish side challenging for the Six Nations as Kidney has not rang too many changes from the World Cup squad. It is Keith Earls who will fill O’Driscoll’s shoes, and there is no place in the starting fifteen for Ronan O’Gara, as Jonathan Sexton gets the start. Ireland of course scored a huge pool match victory over Australia, when the Irish pack destroyed their opponents up front. It wasn’t a particularly strong World Cup though as a whole from Ireland, bowing out in the quarter finals to Sunday’s opponents Wales. The Irish need to definitely show a step forward from last year’s Six Nations where there were troubles and inconsistencies a plenty. The Irish saved their best for the big matches against England and France, but struggled badly when they faced the weaker Scotland and Italy. The largest problem was that there was just too many simple errors, basic mistakes which disrupted the entire flow of the game. But the Irish game is a powerful one when it is on song, and if they come out of the blocks firing and take down an exciting young Welsh side, then it will do their confidence a whole world of good for the rest of the tournament. Ireland may well not be as good as they were a few years ago, but when they string things together, and get their backs like Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble running off the back of powerful forward work, they can compete at the highest level. The one thing about the Irish, is that while other nations in the tournament have gone for wholesale changes, Ireland have gone for consistency and continuity.

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Wales will have to head to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin without hooker Matthew Rees, which is a big blow for them. Rees, who picked up a calf strain, could well miss the opening two matches. While Wales covered themselves in a lot of glory at the World Cup, playing some fantastically exciting rugby, injuries have weakened them ahead of Ireland v Wales Six Nations rugby betting. Forwards Alun Wyn Jones, Luke Charteris and Gethin Jenkins have already been scratched from the teem because of injury and there are doubts over whether flanker Dan Lydiate will be ready to go either. The backs have also been hit with injuries, as Jamie Roberts and Rhys Priestland may miss out on the Dublin test as well. So while Wales go into the 2012 Six Nations rugby betting as one of the favourites to land the title, it is going to be a tough opener for them. Coach Warren Gatland of course has experience to call on with the likes of Gavin Henson, Stephen Jones and James Hook, but the Wales coach can’t put out his preferred strongest side. That could spell a bit of trouble, because Ireland will be out for revenge, losing to Wales in controversial circumstances in last year’s Six Nations, and then exiting the 2011 World Cup to them as well. But Wales have developed a huge strength in their national game through their youth. They are powerful side up front, and very quick and mobile. Naturally with youth there comes the speed and enthusiasm as well in the running game, but they were guilty of over playing things at the World Cup and not doing the simple things well. One major feature of Wales’ World Cup campaign was their incredible defence. The scrambling, line defence and last ditch tackling was supreme and they will probably need plenty of that in order to hold things together against the Irish, who will be gunning hard for them. It is an evenly poised match in prospect.

In the Ireland v Wales head to head record it sees the two sides having come together 117 times before. It is Wales who lead the head to head, winning 64 to Ireland’s 47 triumphs. There really is nothing to split the two nations in terms of average points scored per match when they come together, Ireland average 10.59 points per game against Wales, while Wales average 11.71 points per game against Ireland. There were the two meetings between them last year of course, with Wales taking the spoils on both occasions. The last time they met in Ireland, the Irish ran out 27-12 winners.

Ireland v Wales Six Nations Rugby Betting Odds
Ireland to win: 8/15 at Stan James
Draw: 22/1 at Bet365
Wales to win: 9/4 at SportingBet

Ireland v Wales Six Nations Rugby Handicap Betting Odds
Ireland -4 for 10/11 at SkyBet

Bulgaria v Wales betting sees the home nation looking to pick up their first away win of their Euro 2012 qualification campaign. Wales continued their improved form with a 2-0 home win over Switzerland in Swansea on Friday night. Aaron Ramsey’s finish from the penalty spot and Gareth Bale’s goal secured three points for Wales, taking off the bottom of the Group G (which England won). Qualification to Euro 2012 has long gone for Wales, but manager Gary Speed is still looking for a lot more from his men, as they look to build towards the future. It has been a good turn around in form by Wales after losing all four of their opening qualification matches, which put them out of contention, but those two wins, sandwiching a tight 1-0 defeat at Wembley against England, may have just seen them turn the corner. They have a chance to build upon their good work as they head to Sofia to take on bottom side  Bulgaria. Wales actually strung together some good cohesive attacks against Switzerland, who hit the UK with their own qualification hopes still in tact. Not any more, as the Welsh win eliminated the Swiss, but before they get too carried away there is still a lot of work to be done for the future. They certainly need to find a way to tighten up at the back, because Switzerland had their chances in the first half. Basically put, Wales look better going forward than they do defending, so that is an issue and they also lost a lot of focus after Switzerland have been reduced to ten men. But, they got the job done, and are in with a chance of finishing a respectable third in the group, if they win and Switzerland lose to Montenegro. Bulgaria really have not offered all that much in the group, their only winning coming in Cardiff against Wales last October. Bulgaria have not won any of their last three matches, and with a new head coach are looking to the future as well. There is another great opportunity for a Welsh three points here, because Bulgaria have only picked up one point from three matches at home in qualifying and have managed only three goals all campaign. Wales have only managed five of their own, but they are the team with the momentum, so could be worth backing in your match betting to get their first points on the road in Euro 2012 qualifying.

Bulgaria v Wales Euro 2012 Qualifier Betting
Bulgaria to win: Evens at Ladbrokes
Draw: 5/2 at Totesport
Wales to win: 10/3 at Bet365

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Wales v Switzerland Euro 2012 qualification betting may just have a big bearing on the outcome of the top two spots. It is not going to involve Gary Speed’s men of course, as they sit bottom of Group G, with just three points to their name and two matches remaining. After struggling through the group, Wales finally scored their first points of the campaign, when they produced a fantastic display to beat Montenegro in Cardiff. That result did England a huge favour at the top of the group, but it also breathed new life into Wales. Following that victory, they went to Wembley to face England, and they had their chances to get something out of that match as well with a spirited display, in particular a glaring miss from striker Robert Earnshaw, when it would have been easier to score. That 1-0 defeat at Wembley at least showed a lot of character from Wales, and perhaps just the early signs of something better to come down the line from Gary Speed’s men. The Welsh have two matches remaining, this home fixture against Switzerland and then one away match against Bulgaria. Wales can really target these two matches and go for broke, build some confidence for the future. They are actually winnable matches, but the game against Switzerland could affect who gets through in the top two spots. If England beat Montenegro on Friday and Switzerland beat, or draw with Wales, then the Swiss could still qualify in second place, if the Swiss go on to beat Montenegro at home in their final group match. If Wales get a win, Swizterland could technically still beat Montenegro and go through (as long as Montenegro lose against England)  but taking that runners up spot would be more difficult. So Switzerland, who are on eight points in the group, have a lot to play for here and will be keen to pick up a victory.

When the two sides met in Switzerland back in October of last year, it was the Swiss who ran out big 4-1 winners. The Swiss have been more prolific in front of goal than many predicted they would be, firing in ten goals in their six matches so far, with only England having done better in that department. With a 2-2 draw at Wembley being followed up by a strong 3-1 over Bulgaria, the Swiss are in good form. However, they have not managed to pick up a win away from home in Group G of Euro 2012 qualifying so far, drawing two and losing one. So there is some hope for Wales there. But Wales haven’t exactly racked up a great home record, as they have lost two and won one, so you get the feeling that a draw could be on the cards here. The best Wales could hope for would be a third place finish in the group, and that is relying on other results going their way. But there is a chance for confidence and a nod towards the future here. They played some good open football at Wembley against England, and that win against Montenegro was arguably the best they have played for a long time. Wales do have some selection problems, with Robert Earnshaw and Danny Gabidon being left out, and Joe Ledley, James Collins and Danny Collins have also withdrawn from the squad as well. Gary Speed does get back the services of Craig Bellamy and David Vaughan. The Swiss get back Steve von Bergen and Valon Behrami in the fold, and Ricardo Rodriquez, one of the most unlikeliest sounding Swiss names you’ll ever hear, gets a call up. The Swiss take only three recognised strikers into their next two matches, so we can expect a heavy midfield presence from them.

Wales v Switzerland Euro 2012 Qualifying Betting Odds
Wales to win: 15/4 at Stan James
Draw: 13/5 at Bet365
Switzerland to win: 13/ 5 at SkyBet

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