‘There are no easy games in international football any more’ say the experts but can a case really be made for Andorra, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, San Marino, Cyprus and Kazakhstan to avoid heavy defeats this weekend?
San Marino (66/1 in Match Betting) are the biggest price on the Totesport international football coupon and, with their 42-match losing streak stretching back to 2004, that looks like a fair assesment of their chances against the World Cup finalists Holland (1/100, Draw 16/1) in Eindhoven.
The tiny principality have improved their home form under Italian coach Giampaolo Mazza recently, going down 1-0 to the visiting Romanian side last month, but their away form still looks rotten – leaving them ripe for a spanking by the Dutch.
San Marino last their two most recent away European Championship qualifiers to Finland and Hungary by the same scoreline 8-0 and, prior to that, were beaten 6-0 by Sweden. A repeat of that mauling is on offer at 8/1 in the Correct Score market.
Luxembourg have also stopped shipping goals at home, although they remain weak on their travels which makes this week’s home clash with low-scoring Romania ripe for a 1-0 away win on the Correct Score front (6/1).
Victor Piturca’s side have scored three goals in their last eight away matches and will surely settle for a solitary goal win at the Stade Josy Barthel.
Liechtenstein are fast-earning a reputation for no longer being among the chief whipping boys of Europe. They almost ended Craig Levein’s Scotland career before it began when the Tartan Army needed a stoppage time Stephen McManus winner to take a 2-1 home win last year and they have won twice since then – away to San Marino and at home against Friday’s opponents Lithuania.
Liechtenstein are too big at 14/1 to record an unlikely double over their group rivals but a safer bet may be for them to hold off the home side until the second half (4/1 Draw/Lithuania in HT/FT).
Andorra, similarly, are no mugs but lack the firepower to seriously trouble better opponents like Armenia this Friday. However with the draw a tasty 5/1 with Totesport, they may be good enough to stop the visitors from claiming all three points at the tiny Estadi Comunal.
Turkey’s home record is good enough to frighten anyone, let alone the minnows they come up against the form of Kazakhstan.
Guus Hiddink’s side have won six and drawn one of their last seven home matches, which includes good wins over Belgium, Romania and the Czech Republic.
But Kazakhstan escaped with only a 4-0 defeat at the hands of a strong-looking German outfit in March and may be in the mood to frustrate a better side again. Turkey 2-0 (11/2) and 3-0 (5/1) look like the most likely scorelines to support in the Correct Score market for this one.
Cyprus and Portugal played out a 4-4 thriller in a coupon-busting Euro 2012 qualifying clash a year ago, but can the minnows go one better and beat Cristiano Ronalo and co on home soil?
The fact that Ronaldo did not play that night in Guimaraes may have had something to do with the result, but clearly the Cypriot attack caused problems for the home defence and they should do again.
Portugal to win 4-1 is on offer at 8/1 while a 5-1 win is a juicy 28/1 – how can you ignore that when Ronaldo remains one of the most potent attackers on the planet – yet the Portuguese defence has conceded five goals in their last four away matches.
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