Switzerland vs Northern Ireland
There are three huge points at stake when the upcoming World Cup 2022 match between Switzerland and Northern Ireland kicks off at the Stade de Geneve on Saturday night and I suspect all three will stay in Geneva.
The World Cup 2022 betting odds place Murat Yakin’s hosts as hot favourites at odds of 1.30 to win this tie. And at 15th in the FIFA World Rankings, they currently sit 32 places above the Irish.
For some time the Swiss have had a reputation as a well-organised, hyper-efficient football nation, often in the world’s top ten and notoriously hard to beat.
Yakin’s side has drifted just a little, but not far enough for Northern Ireland to fancy an easy ride and the toothless Irish attack will find their hosts as mean as ever.
As we move into this round of qualifiers, Euro champions Italy lead Group C on 14 points with Switzerland second on eight points and Northern Ireland and Bulgaria on five.
A win on Saturday will put clear distance between the Swiss and the chasing group and make life very hard for Ian Baraclough’s Northern Ireland.
Talking Points
Switzerland’s Foals are top class
The hosts have a plethora of top players plying their trade in the Bundesliga and Borussia Monchengladbach boast three who are most likely to start against Northern Ireland.
Goalkeeper Yann Sommer has been a mainstay at Monchengladbach and he had a great game in Switzerland’s 0-0 draw with Italy, keeping the European champions’ lethal strike force at bay with a brave performance and a series of top drawer saves.
Denis Zakaria is a powerhouse in midfield for Die Fohlen, while slotting in just in front of the back four in the national side.
And striker Breel Embolo is in great form, scoring a spectacular overhead kick as Gladbach beat high-flying Wolfsburg last week after they had overcome Dortmund in the previous round. The livewire Embolo is likely to start up front alongside the experienced Haris Seferovic.
Those three Monchengladbach players are in peak form and there will be more representation from the Bundesliga as Borussia Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji is likely to take his place in defence.
Moreover, the absence of captain and Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka might mean game time for Wolfsburg’s Renato Steffen.
Northern Ireland’s blunt attack
In contrast to his opposite number, Northern Ireland head coach Baraclough has a dearth of goal scorers in his team and he will make a choice between Hull’s veteran striker Josh Magennis, Charlton’s Conor Washington, and Middlesbrough’s Paddy McNair who have scored just 18 goals from 141 games between them.
The Irish have scored more than one goal only twice in the 16 games played since the start of 2020 in wins over minnows Malta and Lithuania. Over that period they have won just three games in total and have drawn a blank on six occasions.
The quality in the Irish team sits further back on the pitch with captain Marvel Steven Davis, who is now at Rangers, set to add to his record 128 caps while Leeds’ battler Stuart Dallas is still playing at the top level.
Defender Jonny Evans has been a mainstay of the national team but the arrival of Jan Vestergaard at Leicester City has reduced his opportunities in the English top-flight.
History
There’s not a huge amount to go on in terms of head-to-heads as the two teams have drawn three of the last four meetings with Switzerland winning the other during a World Cup qualifier back in 2017.
The return match in this competition was a 0-0 stalemate just a month ago when Seferovic missed a first-half penalty and Switzerland will be keen to put that right in Geneva on Saturday.
Recent form is identical. Both teams have won three, drawn two, and lost one of the last six games though the Swiss have had a tough run of games playing France, Italy, and Spain in that sequence – although they’ve had positive World Cup 2022 results since they are unbeaten in eight games at home.
Betting Tip
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Switzerland vs Northern Ireland | Total Goals 2-3 @ 1.87 |
| October 10, 2:45 (GMT+8) |
The draw at 4.26 and a Northern Ireland win at 6.95 are both available for the optimistic visiting fans, but I don’t feel much encouragement will come their way on the pitch.
The hosts have more quality and home advantage and an alternative bet on Switzerland -1.50 at odds of 2.06 won’t be far off the mark, while a 2-0 win is at SBOTOP odds of 4.45.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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