*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
God bless the UEFA Nations League. It’s officially the biggest and best international tournament in Europe this summer so we might as well get stuck in.
Sure there’s World Cup playoffs, but they’re over in the blink of an eye and we had La Finalissima but no one’s still really quite sure what that is exactly. At least we can settle in and ride the narrative with the Nations League.
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I know some of you are not going to get on board with this no matter what I say, but can we just agree to enjoy these little snippets of football to tide us over until next season? It’s not my fault the World Cup’s taking place just before Christmas!
So, seeing as we’re all in on the Nations League, why not set aside Saturday to revel in three of the biggest games on the planet one after the other? I am, of course, talking about Armenia v Ireland, Hungary v England and Italy v Germany. Here’s a best bet for each game that adds up to a tasty treble for Saturday’s servings.
*A treble on these three bets pays at approximately 9/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
2pm: Armenia v Republic of Ireland – Ireland to Win
TV: RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1
We kick off with the big one, Armenia v Ireland in League B Group 1. Say it quietly, but Ireland come into this one in good form and without defeat in eight games across all competitions and including friendlies.
Maybe, just maybe, Stephen Kenny’s revolution is starting to take shape as draws with Portugal, and Belgium in the last four games give hope that qualification for a major international tournament might be back on the cards within our lifetimes. First up though is this trip to Armenia who won one across the just-finished European club season.
Everything’s pointing towards a win for The Boys In Green and I literally can’t see any reason to go against it. Ireland to Win kicks off our treble.
5pm: Hungary v England – England to Win and Over 2.5 Goals
TV: Channel 4 and All 4
We make the trip west to Budapest next for Hungary’s clash with England which will take place behind closed doors after disgraceful scenes on the Three Lions’ last visit. Hungary have been a bit disappointing since their Euro 2020 showing and failed to qualify from England’s group to make it to Qatar, finishing 4th behind Albania.
England pumped the hosts 4-0 at this venue back in September but were held to a 1-1 draw at Wembley more recently. That draw and the 1-1 stalemate away in Poland were the only time Gareth Southgate’s gang have scored fewer than two goals all season and the only two occasions they’ve failed to win.
Without any home support I think we can expect England to rack up a decent score here. As such, Paddy’s traders are giving us a nice price on England to Win and Over 2.5 Goals in this game.
7.45pm: Italy v Germany – Germany to Win
TV: Premier Sports 1
We finish in Bologna where Italy host Germany in England’s group in the Nations League. On paper the reigning Euro 2020 champions should be getting the nod to win here but their form has fallen off a cliff since their win at Wembley last year.
In that time The Azzurri have won three, drawn four, lost three, missed out on World Cup qualification and got pumped 3-0 by Argentina last time out in La Finalissima. Germany, on the other hand, won eight on the bounce since The Three Lions dumped them out of Euro 2020, failing to gain victory on one occasion, last time out against The Netherlands.
Italy are in transition and said goodbye to their best defender Giorgio Chiellini this week as he retired from international duty following the match against Argentina. On form over the last 12 months we have to be on Germany to Win.
Saturday’s football tips
2pm: Armenia v Republic of Ireland – Ireland to Win
5pm: Hungary v England – England to Win and Over 2.5 Goals
7.45pm: Italy v Germany – Germany to Win
*A treble on these three bets pays at approximately 9/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD IT TO YOUR BETSLIP.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change
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