A big week of international action in Europe begins on Thursday evening as we start the last international window of qualifiers for the World Cup next year. By the end of this break we will know the automatic qualifiers for Qatar and with so much yet to be determined there promises to be much to enjoy.
Four groups play their penultimate match day on Thursday night and we might well see more teams confirm their place at the finals next year over the course of the evening. Points mean a lot here so we should get plenty of drama too.
Group A
There are two matches in Group A on Thursday evening with the early kick off not really being of any interest to anyone apart from those in the two countries involved. That is because Azerbaijan host Luxembourg in a match where both sides already know their fate. The big match is the later one to kick off in Dublin where Portugal will look to regain top spot from Serbia when they take on the Republic of Ireland. A draw will be enough for Portugal to go back to the top ahead of them hosting Serbia in the final match on Sunday.
Group B
All eyes will be on Spain on Thursday evening because they head into this final international window in second place in the group. That makes their match in Athens against Greece absolutely huge for the UEFA Nations League finalists. We saw in that tournament that they still have plenty of quality in their ranks and they will need to show it here. Sweden have the chance to pile the pressure on Spain in the early kick off. They travel to Georgia knowing that if they win they will move five points clear of the Spanish and would force them to have to beat Greece to stay afloat in the race for top spot. Spain host Sweden in the last game of the group.
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Group H
This is another group where two teams have scooted clear of the field with both having comfortable looking assignments on Thursday evening ahead of clashing in the final match of the group on Sunday. Russia currently lead the way and they have the chance to pile the pressure on Croatia when they kick off first. They welcome Cyprus to St Petersburg before the Croatians make the trip to Malta needing to match the Russians result in order to force a winner takes all showdown in Split on Sunday. The other match in the group is a dead rubber between Slovakia and Slovenia, if there is such a thing between those two sides.
Group J
We already know that Germany are the automatic qualifiers for the World Cup from this group and they will continue their campaign against Liechtenstein in Wolfsburg on Thursday evening. In behind the Germans there is a monster race for the playoff spot going on. Romania currently head the way in that battle and they host Iceland in one of the later kick offs on Thursday. The early game sees third hosting fourth when Armenia take on North Macedonia in a match where the winner will move into second place for at least a few hours ahead of the later games and then the final ones on Sunday.
Betting
Sweden have the ideal chance to pile the pressure on Spain in Group B on Tuesday evening and I don’t think they will pass up the opportunity. They head to Georgia who can’t finish any higher than fourth in the group and who conclude their campaign here. You often think of Georgia being a tough place to go but since the start of 2020 they have played eight home matches and won just one of them – against Belarus in the Euro 2020 playoffs. In that time they have lost at home to Armenia in the Nations League, drawn and lost against North Macedonia, drawn against Estonia and lost to Greece and Kosovo. Tbilisi is no longer as hard to go as you would think.
That will be music to the ears of Sweden who could actually qualify for the World Cup with a win here and Spain failing to beat Greece later in the night. Whatever happens in that match though, if Sweden don’t slip up here they will have the draw onside when they meet in Spain on Sunday evening and we saw at the Euros how hard Sweden can make it for Spain in that situation. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in the Sweden squad for this match and then there is Alexander Isak who is doing good things in La Liga, not to mention Emil Forsburg. There is enough quality in attacking areas for Sweden to win this but to be fair to Georgia none of those eight home matches I’ve mentioned have had more than 3.5 goals and with Sweden never ones to push the boat out and needing to save something for Spain on Sunday, I don’t think this will either.
Tips
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