The final three spots at Euro 2024 will be secured on Tuesday evening when the finals of the qualifying play-offs are played out across the continent with the reward for the winners of the three games being a summer date in Germany.
There is every reason to believe that all three matches will be tight and tense affairs but we thought that might have been the case in the semi-finals on Thursday and couldn’t have been more wrong. Either way, we should be in for a decent night of football.
Georgia vs Greece (17.00)
The first spot will be filled in the earlier kick off of the three as Georgia look to make it to the final stages of the Euros for the first time in their history when they host the 2004 winners of the competition in Greece.
I think it is fair to say that both of these sides are progressive ones and teams on the up. Georgia have done very well in the Nations League in recent runs in that, which is the reason why they have this opportunity, while Greece are definitely on the move under Gus Poyet. The one thing the Uruguayan is yet to really crack as Greece manager though is the away form and that has to be a concern here with Tbilisi becoming one of the harder places to go to on the circuit and get the win. Georgia won their semi-final against Luxembourg without Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and his return may only further boost a Georgia side who would have fancied their chances anyway. Greece were emphatic winners against Kazakhstan on Thursday but one of those two recent away wins was in Gibraltar which barely even counts. I’m not sure Georgia will ever get a better chance to qualify for a European Championship so I expect them to give this their all and they look decent value at odds against to go through.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account and bet £10 to get up to £20 in free bets! Perfect offer for Euro2024! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Ukraine vs Iceland (19.45)
Ukraine are back in position where they are a win away from qualifying for a major tournament as they were for the World Cup. They lost out to Wales on that occasion but this time they look to have more comfortable opposition against an Iceland side who aren’t really going anywhere.
You could argue that destiny is on the side of Ukraine as they looked to be going out at the semi-final stage last week only to score twice in the last five minutes to stun Bosnia-Herzegovina. Iceland were much more comfortable and emphatic winners over Israel but with everything going on in that country at the minute perhaps that wasn’t quite a surprise, although the 4-1 score certainly would have raised a few eyebrows. This one might be the most tense and competitive game of the night. Ukraine will dearly want to make the finals after all their homeland has been through in recent times while Iceland might be getting to the final chance for them to appear at a major tournament again. I expect Ukraine to have too much class but I’m not certain enough to put a bet on it so I’ll leave this one alone.
Wales vs Poland (19.45)
The other match will determine who joins France, Netherlands and Austria in a daunting looking group at Euro 2024 when the Cardiff City Stadium plays host to Wales and Poland in what should be the pick of the games on paper at least.
Both of these teams were in the top bracket in the Nations League which shows where they have been operating in international football in recent times. Wales came through the playoffs to reach the World Cup two years ago so they will draw confidence from that and it might be that their younger side hold the edge here. Poland will have the most dangerous player on the pitch in Robert Lewandowski but they have been a fading force for a while and although they were on easy street against Estonia in the semi-final, it might be that they needed a tougher battle to draw upon in this game. If things were not tough enough for Poland they have an issue at right-back with Matty Cash picking up an injury and potential replacement Przemyslaw Frankowski a doubt as well. When you consider that Wales could operate speedsters Daniel James and Brennan Johnson down the flanks that is not ideal for Poland, who are aging a little too much in their spine for my liking. I think Wales qualify here but Poland might be dogged enough to get this beyond 90 minutes when it could become a bit of a lottery. I’m happy to sit this one out as well.
Tips
Back Georgia to qualify for a 3/10 stake at 2.30 with Spreadex
