World Cup Qualifying Play-Off Semi-Final Tips
The World Cup qualifying play-off semi-finals take place on Thursday with eight semi-final ties taking place across Europe.
The 16 European teams have been split into four paths to the finals in the USA, Mexico and Canada and we have three bets for the international action.
Tip 1 - Wales to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina @ 17/20
Wales host Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday night and the Dragons can claim a place in the final via a win at their Cardiff City Stadium lair.
Craig Bellamy’s men lost only two of their eight Group J qualifying matches, where they finished just two points off table-topping Belgium and scored 21 goals.
Wales went down 4-3 to the Red Devils in Brussels and Bellamy has built a progressive team full of Premier League performers.
Joe Rodon, Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, Brennan Johnson and David Brooks are excellent performers guided perfectly by Bellamy and Wales should be too strong for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sergej Barbarez’s men enjoyed a good qualifying campaign, but they failed to win in Cyprus and Austria and hit the net only 17 times in eight matches.
The visitors may lack the firepower to take down the Dragons on home turf.
Tip 2 - Ukraine to beat Sweden @ 39/20
There is no home advantage for Ukraine when they meet Sweden in Valencia, but the Blue and Yellows look overpriced at 39/20.
Ukraine had to settle for second place behind a top-level France side in their qualifying section, but they lost only two of their six matches and that’s a pretty strong effort, given there are no home games for Ukraine.
Serhiy Rebrov has a youthful and talented squad and the former Tottenham striker can call on promising performers Illia Zabarnyi, Viktor Tsyhankov, Yehor Yarmolyuk, Heorhiy Sudakov and Vladyslav Vanat.
Sweden will hope Graham Potter’s magic can inspire a turnaround in their fortunes, but the former Chelsea boss has a big task on his hands.
The Swedes took only two points from a qualifying group containing Switzerland, Kosovo and Slovenia and it is six matches without success for Potter’s side.
Clearly, Sweden are better than that record suggests, but perhaps not enough to make them favourites in Spain.
Tip 3 - Ireland to beat Czech Republic @ 29/10
The Czech Republic are strong favourites to see off Ireland in Prague, but the prices for an Ireland win look generous.
The Czechs were a long way behind Croatia in their qualifying section, and in the end Miroslav Koubek’s side faced a battle to keep the Faroe Islands at bay.
Koubek’s men scored 18 goals in their eight qualification matches, but 10 of those strikes came in two matches against Gibraltar and a lack of firepower combined with short prices is not often a recipe for success.
Ireland can field a robust defence including Nathan Collins, Dara O'Shea and Jake O'Brien and the Boys in Green could be tough to break down on their travels.
Heimir Hallgrimsson’s men ended their qualification group with three straight victories over Armenia, Portugal and Hungary and they conceded just two goals on that extremely positive run of successes.
The Boys in Green should be full of confidence, and they have Troy Parrott to convert their chances in attack. The AZ forward has five goals in his last two international appearances.
At 29/10, Ireland are a fine price to nick a win on the road.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change
