Northern Ireland v Malta betting sees the Irish head out to the Mediterranean for what could be an important friendly for them. The Irish have a pretty decent record over in Malta, winning three of the four that they have played there. However, they did stumble in their visit, only managing a 1-1 draw back in August of 2005, a match where both sides went down to ten men. Northern Ireland have failed to win any of their first four matches in World Cup 2014 qualifying and they could do with a win to get some confidence and momentum on the board. They did take three draws away from those opening four Group F matches, and they pulled out a massively impressive 1-1 draw out in Portugal in a fantastic defensive display. All three of their draws in the group have come by a 1-1 scoreline, their only defeat coming against the powerful Russians. Northern Ireland have won five and drawn one against Malta in all previous meetings.
So Northern Ireland are in that bad shape at the moment, but they can’t seem to find a winning touch. They have drawn four and lost two of their last six, so are resilient, but lack something going forward. Malta have taken three wins and three defeats away from their last six internationals. They won their last outing, a 1-0 away win over Liechtenstein. Malta haven’t been totally overwhelmed in matches in their World Cup 2014 qualification group, even though they haven’t come close to winning. They only lost by a two goal margin against Italy and the Czech Republic, battling hard but just not having enough quality at the end of the day. They may cause the Irish a few problems on the day, but really this is a game which Michael O’Neill’s men really should be winning. Close prices at the bookmakers though on the outcome of this one.
Northern Ireland v Malta betting odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Northern Ireland Evens, Draw 23/10, Malta 23/10
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