Football Tips: A 22/1 acca for Friday Nights Euro Qualifier action.

Here are a list of things that are unfair in life:

The fact that Friday evening is the peak of the weekend, but we take it for granted and only realise this on Sunday.

The price of a Cadbury’s bar of chocolate.

And the return of the Premier League being immediately cut short by a bloody international break. And don’t even start me on Evan Ferguson.

While I do understand the need for people’s fantasy football obsession to thrive in the early stages, I do think international breaks offer us some level of a palette cleanser.

Think about how happy you’re going to be next Friday. You know, when all this nonsense is over.

I digress. There’s a major tournament here to qualify for, and despite the fact that over half of UEFA-eligible nations make the cut, Ireland absolutely won’t.

That’s.. not great.

Which is why I’m ignoring Thursday football and bringing your attention straight to Friday.

Friday’s Euro Qualifier Acca:

Turkey v Armenia
Turkey to win

Slovakia v Portugal
Portugal to win

Luxembourg v Iceland
Luxembourg to win

Cyprus v Scotland
Scotland to win

Georgia v Spain
Georgia to win or draw

An acca with these selections pays at approximately 22/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP.

Turkey v Armenia

Turkey to win

This was a straightforward enough selection, primarily because of how comfortable the Turks were when these sides met in March.

Even an early own goal from Ozan Kabak couldn’t unsettle them – with the result never really looking in doubt. That game was in Yerevan, and given Armenia’s setup means they’re better on their travels (see the struggle to beat Latvia in June), this one should be an easy inclusion into your bet Builder.

Slovakia v Portugal

Portugal to win

Portugal have played four games.

They have won their four games.

They have scored fourteen times.

And they have yet to concede.

Even that alone should entice you to get involved at a reasonable price. And yes, while Slovakia themselves have clearly benefitted from the same scope, the fact they couldn’t get past Luxembourg at home is a real condemnation of their lack of creativity in the final third.

None of their attacking players play in any of Europe’s top five leagues and you can spot that a mile away when it comes to open play.

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Luxembourg v Iceland

Luxembourg to win

These are two nations that have very different presents when compared to their respective pasts.

Iceland blew up UEFA rankings in the last decade when their pragmatic approach produced a comedic moment for England-watching Irishmen, but it clearly wasn’t sustainable.

Luxembourg, meanwhile, have pumped resource after resource into grassroots and that’s starting to bear fruit. I joked about Slovakia not being able to turn them, but that’s at least in part down to their structure.

And as is often the case in international football, having one superstar to convert a chance in a big moment makes all the difference.

Yvandro Borges Sanches, at just nineteen, looks the ticket.

Cyprus v Scotland

Scotland to win
Perhaps their finest hour since critics dismantled Braveheart, Scotland now look to be a genuine dark horse contender in major UEFA tournaments again.

And while I acknowledge that beating Spain before going to Cyprus and losing would be a hilarious, and typically Scottish thing to do, I just can’t see it. Particularly as even Cyprus have taken a steep down the footballing mountain since they hit Ireland for five in 2006.

Not that I’m making this all about me again.

Georgia v Spain

Georgia to win or draw
You were definitely wondering where the big price was, weren’t you?

Well, here you go.

The RFEF is under fire; the Spanish team are being accused of not being strong enough on the Rubiales issues; they’ve just lost to bloody Scotland..

Georgia’s 1-1 draw with Norway proved to me that they’re slightly better without the ball than they are with it, which might sound counter-intuitive given Kvaratskhelia’s exploits at Napoli. But you now back them to score every time they play.
It’s a perfect storm.