World Cup Qualifiers

On this page you find articles on World Cup Qualifiers and sports betting in general.

Fantastic betting promotions for the World Cup play-offs

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!

November 11th, 2009 / dave - Category: Football Betting

Weekend International Streams…

Key: B365 = Bet365, LB = Ladbrokes, PP = PaddyPower, EX = Expekt, BF = Betfair, bW = bWin,

Saturday 10^th October

16:00 GMT: Russia V Germany – B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

17:15 GMT: Ukraine V England – B365

18:00 GMT: Cyprus V Bulgaria – bW, EX

19:30 GMT: Czech Republic V Poland – B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

19:30 GMT: Greece V Latvia – B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

19:45 GMT: Belgium V Turkey – B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

20:45 GMT: Portugal V Hungary – B365, LB, PP, bW, EX, BF

23:00 GMT: Argentina V Peru - B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

23: GMT: Colombia V Chile – B365, LB, PP, EX, BF

23:00 GMT: Ecuador V Uruguay - B365, LB, EX, BF

23:00 GMT: Venezuela V Paraguay – B365, LB, PP, BF

23:00 GMT: Mexico V El Salvador – B365, LB, BF

Sunday 11^th October

03:00 GMT: Costa Rica V Trinidad & Tobago – B365, BF

03:00 GMT: Honduras V USA – B365, BF

21:00 GMT: Bolivia V Brazil – B365, LB, EX, BF

Conditions – As the old saying goes ‘you don’t get anything for free in this world’. Well, that’s not completely true. Betfair are certainly an exception to this rule as they will allow you to watch every game they stream absolutely free, with no bet nor cash in your account needed to watch their streams.

However, there are always going to be a few Scrooges. As far as I’m aware, Bet365 & PaddyPower will let you watch their streams free, also, although i can honestly say i haven’t used their streams for a while now, so don’t quote me on that. Ladbrokes should also follow similar guidelines as I’ve watched a game recently on there, free of charge!

Expekt & bWin do require that you have some form of cash in your account before you can watch their streams, although, I’m pretty sure that is all you need, just some cash in your account and not that you actually have a punt on the match you wish to watch.

Recommendations: I personally prefer to use Betfair, mainly because the coverage is shown on a slightly bigger screen and you can interact with fellow Betfair ‘forumites’ whilst indulging in a spot of footie watching. You need nothing but an account to watch their streams so if you’re strapped for cash and struggling to make the hours tick by, why not log in or simply sign up and watch some football on the net, via Betfair!

Must Watch – Portugal V Hungary & Argentina V Peru

Two giants of the footballing world are on the verge of collapse as both Argentina & Portugal cling on for dear life in a bid yo scrape through their respective groups. Although, from an English perspective anyway, the absence of both Christiano Ronaldo & Lionel Messi will benefit other countries chances of winning the tournament next summer, from a purist point of view, a World Cup without the two stand out players of our current generation doesn’t bare thinking about. Make sure you tune into both and see how the pair get on, with Portugal kicking off on Saturday evening and Argentina playing later that night.

October 9th, 2009 / Matt - Category: Football Betting

Ukraine v England – Capello names squad

Fabio Capello has made some changes to the England squad ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers against the Ukraine and Belarus. Not being one to dish out the experimental cards too much, there have been some necessary changes because of injury. England travel to the Ukraine on Saturday for what could be tough test of their mettle and reserve. The Ukraine desperately need a win, something which would likely secure them the runner’s-up spot in Group 6 of European Qualifying.

There are only four games between now and the announcement of Capello’s preliminary World Cup squad, and so the pressure is still on the players to perform, even with qualification already secured.

Goalkeeper: David James, after his summer surgery and all the turmoil going on down at Pompey, comes back into the squad in place of the yet-to-really-prove-himself Ben Foster. It is likely that Robert Green will continue his stint as starting goalkeeper though.

Defence: The most notable returnee, is Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who comes back into the international fold after injury. This is good timing as they will need his experience in the harsh environment of the Ukraine. Ferdinand, despite a frustrating penchant for delivering aimless long balls forward, has been everywhere and done it all, and if England are to keep that 100% record going, then his presence could be vital. The defence is bound to come under a lot of pressure at some point in the game. It will certainly be better to see him sliding in alongside captain John Terry, than it will be seeing Matthew Upson, who is an apt replacement, but isn’t in the same class.

Midfield: The squad stays the same with familiar faces. From an attacking point of view, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips are definitely a welcome sight, as it gives impetuous on the team going forward. Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Barry and David Beckham are all there, with bit part players such as James Milner and Michael Carrick as back-up. With Chelsea’s Joe Cole just returning from his long lay off, he will need more time to work his way back into the squad, but it will be good to know that he is on the back-burner, waiting to reclaim his spot.

Forwards: Up front, Jermaine Defoe has had to pull out of the squad because of injury, and that sees the return of Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor, who is on a run of good form himself, finding the back of the net in each of his last five outings for the Villains. While the spark of Defoe may be missed coming off the bench, it still doesn’t really resolve Capello of the quandary about which striker to throw on as a sub if needed. With competition coming from West Ham’s Carlton Cole, and Spurs’ Peter Crouch, it will likely be Agbonlahor or Cole who gets the nod if England need to find a goal. There will be no Michael Owen as he’s picked up another injury. Don’t expect him to feature in the World Cup Squad next year with the crop of hungry youngsters pushing hard. Like Joe Cole, Theo Walcott is another name who has yet to appear back in the squad. He scored on his comeback in the Premier League for Arsenal, but Capello has chosen not to include him, probably waiting for him to get more games under his belt.

England squad
Paul Robinson, Robert Green, David James, Ashley Cole, John Terry, Glen Johnson, Wayne Bridge, Joleon Lescott, Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, Matthew Upson, James Milner, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Stephen Gerrard, Gareth Barry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Michael Carrick, Aaron Lennon, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch, Carlton Cole, Wayne Rooney

REMEMBER: The only place to see this game live, for free, is with Bet365. All that is needed is a funded account with them, to enjoy the exclusive live stream. You have to pay in other places, but with Bet365, as long as you have funds in your account, then you can take advantage of their excellent betting services, and the stream.

Ukraine to Win: 9/5 at Stan James
Draw: 13/5 at William Hill
England to Win: 6/4 at Bet365

October 8th, 2009 / Lee A Jackson - Category: Football Betting

Watch the Ukraine v England World Cup Qualifier – Free with Bet365

October 10th sees another step forward in England’s World Cup 2010 qualifying campaign. Thank to a 100% record so far in their first eight games, Fabio Capello’s side have already qualified, thanks to a thumping 5-1 home victory against Croatia. Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard netted two-a-piece, while Wayne Rooney rounded off the scoring after a comical miss-kick by the Croatian keeper. England will be keen to see out the qualifying process and maintain that perfect record, something the Dutch did (albeit playing two games less) and only the powerhouse of Spain can achieve this same feat now. This will be a big feather in England’s cap, and why their odds have been cut to lift the trophy in South Africa next year, and are 11/2 at Bet365 to do it.

The match against the Ukraine holds a lot of importance for the Group, not for England themselves clearly, although they will be keen not to let up on their current excellent run of form, but to see who clinches that all important runners-up place. Croatia are in second place in the moment, two points ahead of the Ukraine, but having played a game more. Things would have been a lot closer if the Ukraine had managed better than an away 0-0 draw in Belarus in their last match, while England was doing them a favour by hammering Croatia. They could not take advantage however, and now face the task of needing to beat England to keep themselves in with a chance.

Ukraine’s final game is away against the whipping boys of the group, Andorra, so it should be a given that they will pick up maximum points there. So, in order for them to stand a chance of taking second place, they will need to beat England. Things would be made a lot easier for them, if Croatia were to suffer an embarrassment against Kazakhstan in their final group match, but that is something that they cannot rely on. The Ukraine need to go all out to beat England, and in the end, if they can secure the two wins they need, then it won’t matter what Croatia does.

This is an interesting match, and it will be drawing a lot of attention. Fabio Capello will hopefully keep the team together in order to build some stability ahead of World Cup. The planning starts now, and the competition for places in the starting eleven should hot up, especially with the Premier League getting into the swing of things. England are in free scoring mode at the moment, as so the permutations for placing bets are both intriguing and challenging. In game live betting is always an attractive option for following the action, and with Bet365 you can have the very best of both worlds.

Bet365 offer a comprehensive betting service, and along with that, they provide live streaming of games, for a one stop online shop for betting and watching. They stream over 4,000 live events per year with this service. But only users with funded Bet365 accounts will be able to enjoy the live stream of the game, as the broadcast for the Ukraine v England game is exclusive to Bet365, and no other bookmaker or TV channel has the privilege to show it. This is a major coup for Bet365 and makes a grand statement about their place in the competitive Bookies market.

You too can have access to the live streamed game, by opening an account with Bet365 and depositing some funds. That’s all it will take, but not only will you get to enjoy the game, by opening a new account you will also reap the benefit of a 100% Initial Deposit Bonus. Just make that deposit of £20 or more and you will be given back a 100% on your initial deposit, up to a maximum of £200. Remember, that the streaming of the England game is free on Bet365, as opposed to certain newspapers, which are charging around £15 to watch a live stream. For that money, you can put it towards your Bet365 deposit, watch the game, and hopefully pick up some winnings too.

October 5th, 2009 / Lee A Jackson - Category: Football Betting

Saturday’s British Betting Preview

International weeks tend to limit the number of games which possess a bit of value and this weekend is absolutely no different. I’ve scoured the League 1 and 2 fixtures in England, as well as the World Cup 2010 qualifiers and I can’t see too many, if any, games which represent a good bet at decent odds.

Instead of my usual method of selecting two singles, I’ve gone for the slightly riskier option and put forward two selections which I will be backing in a double. As ever, these selections are put forward after a long drawn out process of analysis, discussion with fellow punters and gut instinct. The fact I am putting these selections in a double is only advice and how you bet is, of course, completely up to you.

Saturday 5^th September

English League 2

Notts County v Burton Albion

We head to Meadow Lane for the first selection where Burton Albion travel to Notts County looking to be the first League 2 side to score at the Lane this season.

Notts County are the most talked about club outside of the English Premier League so far this season after their high profile takeover which has resulted in the hiring of f former English Manager, Sven Goran Eriksson as director of football, as well as the signing of current English internationalist, Sol Campbell. The man responsible for this, and with the deep pockets, is Peter Trembling. The new County chairman headed a Middle Eastern consortium in the summer and has taken no time at all to restoring the feel good factor around the oldest club in English league football. As well as the high profile signing of Campbell, County have purchased Lee Hughes from Oldham, Kasper Schmeichel from Man City and Johnny Jackson from Coventry. All three are capable at playing at higher levels and will prove to be shrewd acquisitions by manager Tony McParland.

Burton have gone about their business far quieter than tomorrow’s opposition but find themselves on the same number of points after 5 games. Albion find themselves in League football for the first ever time after earning promotion from the Conference last season. Their manager, Paul Peschisolido, will be well pleased with his sides start to the season but will not be getting carried away. Their 3 victories thus far have came against lesser sides than they’ll face tomorrow. They have, however, won 3 of their last 4 matches and will be high on confidence when they come face to face with their biggest challenge of the season so far.

Campbell is still a couple of weeks from fitness and won’t take any part for the home side tomorrow. They are expected to field on loan winger Matt Ritchie who joined from Premiership strugglers Portsmouth on Tuesday. Albion will again be without their influential captain Aaron Webster who has only just returned to training after injury.

County have been a Jekyll and Hide side with regards to their results. They have won both home games very comfortably whilst losing two of their three matches on the road. Their home form has been scintillating with 8 goals scored in two games and none conceded. Albion have won one and lost one on the road. Their defeat is more telling as it was against another of the better sides in the league, Shrewsbury who, incidentally, are also notoriously strong on their own patch.

I expect County to have too much firepower for their visitors tomorrow. Hughes, Jackson and Karl Hawley have all scored already this season and will be a test for the best sides in this league. I fancy County to take all three points.

My selection: Notts County to beat Burton Albion

Best odds available: 8/15 with several bookmakers including Ladbrokes

World Cup 2010

Qualifying Group 3

Kick off 19.30

Northern Ireland know that qualification is in their own hands as they head to Poland in what will be a crucial and vital match which will go some way to deciding which of these sides will be in South Africa next summer.

Poland will be out to avenge their 3-2 defeat at Windsor Park back in March when their goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, was at fault for a couple of the goals, including an embarrassing fresh air swipe at a back pass. The Polish FA have reacted to this defeat by moving the match away from the initial stadium choosing to play in Silesian Stadium in the city of Chorzow. The Poles currently sit 3 points behind tomorrow night’s opponents and a further 2 points behind group leaders Slovakia. They have, however, played a game less than Northern Ireland so should they win, will be level on points going into their final two qualifiers.

Nigel Worthington and his squad have impressed everyone with their resoluteness, fighting spirit as well as a touch of ability. 13 points from their first 7 matches is not a bad return and has provided them with a platform to go on from to reach what would be their first World Cup since 1986. Worthington has been telling the press this week that they still have a lot of work to do and will require a minimum of 7 points from their last 3 matches. Should they achieve this it will be no mean feat as the Irish will face arguably the three toughest sides in the group. After they play Poland they take on the group leaders at home before finishing up with a very tricky away tie in Prague against the Czech Republic.

Poland are likely to hand a recall to Boruc after he was dropped from the team following his high profile errors in Belfast. The controversial keeper has been in outstanding form for his club side Celtic this season and will be determined to put right his previous errors. The away side will have their leading all time scorer David Healey in attack with one of Kyle Lafferty or Martin Paterson partnering him in attack. The Irish will be without influential midfielder Chris Brunt because of injury and Martin Baird at the back who misses out due to suspension.

Poland are unbeaten at home in group 3 so far with two wins and a draw from their previous games. They are notoriously strong at home and if they want to be in competitive action in 9 months time they will have to continue their impressive home form by taking all 3 points tomorrow night. I expect a tight game full of tension and few goals. I think home advantage will end up being vital and think Poland will just edge it in the end.

My selection: Poland to beat Northern Ireland

Best odds available: 4/7 with several bookmakers including Coral

As I said at the start of my article, I will be playing these selections in a double tomorrow. The best accumulative price for such a bet is 2.41 which works out at between 11/8 and 6/4. You can get this price with several bookmakers including Ladbrokes.

Good Luck and Happy Punting

September 4th, 2009 / callum - Category: Sports Betting

World Cup Qualifiers – Live Football Streams

World Cup Qualifiers

You can watch all the streams listed below for FREE. However, some will need you to have some form of money in your betting account and you will, of course, need to have an account with the bookie. Some may require you have a bet before you can watch but they’re rare nowadays.

If you’re having a punt on this weekend’s Internationals then watching the game has to be a priority! Create account now with one of our highly recommended bookmakers now or simply log in if you’re already a loyal member and take full advantage of the action on offer.

Ukraine V Andorra – Saturday 5^th Sept, 15:00 GMT