It says much about the quality of opposition in World Cup Qualifying Group F that England are still only a best 1/7 on betfair to win their section after a nervous 0-0 draw with Slovenia in Ljubljana, which would have been a defeat but for the brilliance of Joe Hart and the ability of the Slovenian forwards to accept several gifts handed them by careless defending.
Apart from Hart, none of the England players covered themselves in glory. Group F is hardly the ‘Group of Death’ – Group I contains four countries who will all fancy their chances of progress while Group A features France, Sweden and the Netherlands. England usually breeze through qualifying for World Cups and European Championships so bookmakers may feel justified in their short odds. But Slovenia, Slovakia, Lithuania and Scotland will all be sensing that the group favourites can be beaten, though the Scots have had a more miserable few days than most and are now out to 25/1 to win Group F and 8/1 with Coral to qualify for the finals in Russia in 2018.
Gordon Strachan’s men were lucky to grab a late draw at home to Lithuania and were then thumped by Slovakia, who England have already beaten away from home. The Tartan Army’s next trip is to Wembley and their recent record against the ‘Auld Enemy’ is not encouraging. They did win a European Championship qualifier at Wembley in 1999 but have lost seven of their last nine against England and their current squad has no outstanding players.
Euro 2016 semi-finalists Wales have taken five points from their first three games but didn’t play well in draws with Austria and Georgia. Tough ties against Serbia and the Republic Of Ireland are upcoming and Wales can now be backed at 11/10 to qualify with Coral – the same firm has Chris Coleman’s team at 23/10 to win Group D.
There is a great free bet offer available at online bookmaker Coral for new customers who sign up. A £20 free bet token will be gained.
The sign-up process at Coral is straightforward and quick to complete. Just head to the registration form and fill out your details. When you have received your registration confirmation, credit your account with some betting funds. This process can be done through a variety of ways, from Visa and Mastercard credit cards to e-wallet services like Neteller, Paypal and Moneybookers for convenience.
Once you have deposited funds, with a value of £5 or more, it will be matched with a £20 free bet token. The free bet has to be used with seven days of being triggered, the activation of which has be within the first 14 days of opening the account. The free bet has to be used in full with the customer keeping winnings of the free bet but not retaining the stake. Terms and conditions apply, please see full detail directly at Coral.
Northern Ireland succumbed to an almost inevitable defeat in Germany and it already looks as though Group C is a one-horse race. It will probably have to be the play-offs if the Irish are to qualify for their second major tournament in a row and they are 5/1 to achieve that feat with Coral.
