INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW by Nigel Ridgeway (Thursday, November 10, 2005)

ENGLAND 7/4 TO BARGE PAST ARGENTINA Saturday 12 November - 4.45 pm There may be nothing at stake on Saturday but given the fierce rivalry between the two teams, this match is unlikely to be played like a friendly. Neither side are rock solid at the back and key defenders are missing, we can expect some goals (over 2.5 goals comes in at 8/11 here at bet365). As regards an outright bet on the game, neither England's poor record in friendlies and Argentina's recent away form inspires much confidence but, if you must bet on the result, the value could lie with England at 7/4. England aren't the only team looking to rebuild their reputation with a win here against their old rivals. Since qualifying comfortably, the Argies have suffered three successive away defeats, the last two coming after a 3-1 win over Brazil in Buenos Aires. That inconsistency, along with the absence of some key players (Lionel Messi is suspended), makes Argentina opposable. The fixture should at least give us an indication of England's chances next summer, but even a victory against their old foes is unlikely to see a change in their current price of 8/1. SWISS TO ROLL TURKS OVER AT 13/10 Of course, betting in friendlies isn't everyone's cup of tea, which is why we?ll be concentrating our main bets this weekend on the World Cup Play Offs. Turkey are as short as 4/7 to qualify against Switzerland (5/4), but they?ll look to do their winning on home soil, so there's a good case for backing the Swiss at 13/10 on Saturday. The Swiss were sold in qualifying (no-one managed to actually beat them), and they'll have to get a result on home soil to have any chance of making it to Germany. As with Euro 2004, the underachieving Spaniards are seeking qualification by the backdoor, and they must now unlock a stubborn defence which has kept five clean sheets in their last six games. The Slovaks will be happy to take a draw back east, and that looks the most likely result at 10/3, while they can be backed with a degree of confidence at 1.825 on the Asians getting a goal and a half start. In the other game, the Czech Republic should be too good for a Norwegian side, who were flattered to finish second to Italy in a weak group. Weekend Picks: England @ 7/4 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Switzerland to beat Turkey @ 13/10 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Slovakia to draw with Spain @ 10/3 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Solovakia + 1 1/2 @ 1.825 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Czech Republic to beat Norway @ 7/5 (Bet 365 - FREE £100) Posted by SoccerBetting.info @ 11:25 AM << Home