NATIONS LEAGUE: The Ultra previews ENGLAND v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND and ITALY v FRANCE both with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
ENGLAND V REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
5pm The Nations League continues on Sunday with two cracking fixtures on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE! Old enemies clash in Group B2 as England host the Republic of Ireland, while we also have a huge clash between Italy and France in Group A2. We kick off the evening with England hosting the Republic of Ireland, and England come into this game as the red-hot favourites. They are trading as short as 1.24 at the time of writing with the Republic of Ireland 17.5 and the draw is 7.2. Obviously there’s a huge gulf in class between the sides here, and with home advantage it’s very difficult to see anything other than a comfortable win for England – I feel it’s a case of how many goals can they score rather than will they win. You won’t get rich backing them at 1.24, but they can be included in any weekend Acca. They got off to a brilliant start after Thomas Tuchel was confirmed as the next England manager on Thursday night with a 3-0 win over Greece – Tuchel is only due to start on the 1st of January 2025, but it would be a surprise if he hasn’t been in contact with some coaches and staff given he’s a free agent.
England badly needed that win given they were three points behind Greece – now they are top of the Group on goal difference, and they are in a very strong position on goal difference too so any win here will see them top the Group. Ireland grinded out a 1-0 win at home to Finland on Thursday night too, and that puts them in the relegation playoff spot – at least they have avoided direct relegation for the time being, as that clash with Finland was going to be the decider. England didn’t really get out of first gear to beat Ireland in Dublin at the start of the Group, and now that they seem happier to be a little bit more open, I feel we’ll see more goals here. Over 2.5 goals is trading 1.72, but the market is expecting England to do most of the work there with Both Teams Not To Score at 1.56. I actually like both bets, but for me the standout bet in England -1.5 goals at 1.69 which looks cracking value. I wouldn’t even mind a small bet on -2.5 goals – England have struggled to score goals recently, but Ireland are there for the taking. I’m happy with the 1.69 on the 1.5 goal handicap.
The Ultra Says:
Two points win England -1.5 goals to beat Republic of Ireland at 1.69 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/EngIrl
ITALY V FRANCE
7.45pm We move over to Group A2 to finish Sunday for a cracking fixture as Italy host France. Belgium have been really poor in this Group, so these two are already certain of a place in the Quarter-Finals. What’s up for decision here is top spot, and that’s going to be important in the draw on November 22nd. As things stand, it definitely looks like a big advantage to finish in top spot – as you would expect really. In terms of a Quarter-Final draw, whoever finishes second in this Group will clearly be the strongest second placing and the team everyone Group winner will want to avoid! Italy have a three points advantage coming into the game, that’s a very nice cushion – it should be only one point because France were held to a 0-0 draw at home against Israel on Thursday which was clearly very disappointing. Italy took an early lead away to Belgium, and grinded out a 1-0 win – after beating France 3-1 away from home earlier in the Group, you can’t say that Italy don’t deserve to top this Group, they just have to finish the job now. It will be interesting to see their approach.
A draw would be a good result for Italy, so we’re likely to see a classic cagey Italian job here! Granted, this squad hasn’t really been delivering those type of performances – they have been a lot more open and attacking compared to Italy sides of the past. At times, they’ve looked very poor too – they put in a terrible showing at Euro 2024. France were pretty average at the Euros too; they lacked a cutting edge and didn’t create much, that has carried on a little. It’s been hard to judge them because Belgium have been below their best too. As you would expect, we have a very open betting heat – France are the marginal favourites at 2.72 with Italy 2.88 and the draw is 3.45 at the time of writing. I have to say I was surprised to see France trading as the favourites when I clicked into the market – I’d have Italy as the marginal favourites. I’m keen to have the draw on our side here too, and I’m very happy with a lay of France at 2.72.
The Ultra Says:
Two points lay (liability) France to beat Italy at 2.72 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/ItaFra
