INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW 12/11 by Gerry McDonnell (Thursday, November 10, 2005)

Becks, Rugs and Rock and Roll by Gerry McDonnell (Super Soccer) We've all heard the expression, "It could be a war out there", when Argentina play England at football; it?s not a cliché, it's a valid prediction. Tension between the two countries began to surface in 1982, when an argument broke out over the Wolves and Ipswich defender, Mel Venus. The hostility increased at the World Cup of 1998, where in a moment of madness, David Beckham made a decision that upset the whole of England; he agreed to marry Victoria Adams. Also in '98, Beckham was sent off for kicking Diego Simeone, but fate allowed Beckham to partially redeem himself four years later, as his penalty effectively sent the Argies home from the 2002 World Cup. David Beckham and his wife normally shy away from the spotlight, but he's always at the centre of attention when England face Argentina; you can back Beckham to score the only goal of the game at 55/1. In a somewhat surprising move, Sven has recalled David 'Calamity' James and Peter Crouch to the squad for the Argentina match; hopefully he'll play James up front and Crouch in goal. Admittedly, I'm not a football manager, I'm a gambling guru; but if I had to pick an England team, I wouldn't touch Crouch with a barge-pole, in fact, I'd rather play the barge-pole. For all you believers, Crouch is a 9/1 shot to score the last goal. One of my South American contacts has advised me to back Placente to score the first goal for the Argies at 50/1, but I?ve found that somewhat hard to swallow. I'll be on the draw at 11/5 (UK Betting - FREE £25) . The Americans are marching towards Scotland, and somewhat surprisingly, it's not related to North Sea oil. According to FIFA, the Yanks are the 7th strongest team in the World, which is absolutely ridiculous; it's the biggest joke in International football since Robbie Savage. Don't fall for FIFA's rug-pulling, Scotland are terrific value at 6/4 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25). France vs Germany is an interesting match. Both countries dislike America; I wish they could both win. With Thierry Henry firing on all cylinders, France are the call at 19/20 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) . The following specials are all available at Super Soccer. "Oil be back" - The USA to win from behind @ 11/1 "Argy bargy" - Argentina to have a player sent off @ 8/1 "Turk up like a kipper" - Hakan Sukur to score with a header @ 8/1 "The Italian Job" - Italy to score three or more goals @ 7/1 "Rocking Robin" - Van Persie to score two or more goals @ 9/1 "A Swiss Roll" - Switzerland to score three or more goals @ 11/2 "Lord of the Fries" - Thierry Henry to score a hat-trick @ 16/1 "Throw the towel in" - Germany to have a player sent off @ 11/1 Quote of the week: "He is very special, and I would like to have him in the World Cup squad". Sven Goran Eriksson should have spent more money on English lessons, Peter Crouch is the subject. Stat, you're a liberty: Wayne 'Rucker' Rooney may be considered the best thing since canned lager, but his contribution to World Cup qualification was minimal. Rooney hasn't scored a competitive goal for England since Euro 2004. Acc of the week: Scotland Holland France Spain Uruguay The five-fold pays a juicy 18/1. Weekend Betting: Scotland vs USA International Friendly, Saturday 12th November, 16.00 Live on Sky Scotland 6/4 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Draw 11/5 (VC Bet - FREE £50) USA 19/10 (UK Betting - FREE £25) Get on: Scotland. Here?s a sentence you rarely see, Scotland are value to win a football match. Match Special: Scotland to keep a clean sheet 6/4 Argentina vs England International Friendly, Saturday 12th November, 16.45 Live on BBC Argentina 6/4 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Draw 11/5 (UK Betting - FREE £25) England 19/10 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Get on: Draw. This is why bookmakers all drive Ferraris. Any result is possible, except the one that I back. I?m losing my money on the draw. Match Special: Lampard to score a penalty 7/1 Holland vs Italy International Friendly, Saturday 12th November, 19.45 Live on Bravo Holland 6/5 (Tote Sport - FREE £25) Draw 21/10 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Italy 12/5 (Ladbrokes - FREE £20) Get on: Holland. The future?s bright, the future?s orange. Match Special: Van Nistelrooy and Van Persie both to score 8/1 France vs Germany International Friendly, Saturday 12th November, 20.00 Live on Eurosport France 19/20 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Draw 9/4 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Germany 3/1 (UK Betting - FREE £25) Get on: France. The French have quality throughout their team. The Germans have Michael Ballack. Match Special: Henry and Trezeguet both to score 5/1 Norway vs Czech Republic World Cup Qualifying play-off 1st Leg, Saturday 12th November, 18.30 Norway 2/1 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Draw 21/10 (UK Betting - FREE £25) Czech Republic 6/4 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Get on: Czech Republic. The Czech's were unlucky to draw Holland in their qualifying group. Will the Czech Republic lose? Nor way. Match Special: Milan Baros to score at any time 6/4 Switzerland vs Turkey World Cup Qualifying play-off 1st Leg, Saturday 12th November, 19.45 Live on Setanta Switzerland 6/4 (Tote Sport - FREE £25) Draw 21/10 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Turkey 11/5 (UK Betting - FREE £25) Get on: Switzerland. The Swiss will get the result they need at home, but the 2nd leg in Turkey will be no picnic. Match Special: Frei to score with a header 7/1 Spain vs Slovakia World Cup Qualifying play-off 1st Leg, Saturday 12th November, 21.00 Spain 1/3 (UK Betting - FREE £25) Draw 7/2 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Slovakia 11/1 (Sporting Odds - FREE £25) Get on: Spain. The Spanish were rubbing their hands after the draw, they can afford to take a little siesta and still win the match. Match Special: Raul to score two or more goals 7/2 Uruguay vs Australia World Cup Qualifying play-off 1st Leg, Saturday 12th November, 23.00 Uruguay 4/7 (Tote Sport - FREE £25) Draw 12/5 (VC Bet - FREE £50) Australia 11/2 Get on: Uruguay. The Uruguayan coach will play videos of neighbours in the dressing room pre-match to get the players nicely wound up. Uruguay beat Argentina at home, and drew with Brazil home and away; the Aussies are if for a mullering. Match Special: Uruguay to score in both halves 6/4 Posted by SoccerBetting.info @ 11:05 AM << Home