Author: Online Betting Pro

I am a punter that loves to follow the horse both in Australia and the United Kingdom. I enjoy writing about sports betting and also casino, poker and bingo. In my spare time I like to keep fit by playing football and going for long bike rides. I also like to travel the world and see amazing place s and meet wonderful people along the way.

The Netherlands Need to Bounce Back

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The Netherlands have one of the greatest traditions in modern European football. Their success at international level since 1974 has been remarkable for such a small nation. It all started for The Netherlands with that famous World Cup Final against West Germany in 1974. Johan Cruyff scored with an early penalty but the Dutch became complacent. The result was a 2-1 win for the Germans.

Further complacency stopped them from winning the 1978 World Cup in Argentina. Once again they were beaten in the final. The problem with the Dutch is their sense of footballing superiority. Their love of “total football” and a fixation on fancy play is often their downfall. Their only tournament success came in 1988 in the European Championships. Dutch international football has slipped a long way since their 2010 World Cup Final loss to Spain.

Do They have The Players

Their current World Cup qualifying campaign hasn’t started well. They have a relatively tough group with France and Sweden facing them. With just one win in the opening three games, the pressure is on to win their next game. That match comes on Sunday when the Dutch make the short journey to play Luxembourg.

A few years ago this fixture would have been a formality for the orange men but not anymore. Luxembourg has strengthened substantially in recent years and is much more solid in defence. They are capable of taking points from many teams these days. A combination of a stronger Luxembourg side and an underperforming Dutch team doesn’t make this fixture a walk in the park.

The Netherlands currently sit three points behind France and Sweden. Any result other than a win would be a disaster. In terms of strikers and midfielders then it is clear that the Dutch are lacking quality. Apart from Georginio Wijnaldum who plays for Liverpool, their midfield doesn’t have a single player that plays at a top club. They only have two class players in their squad. Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder have played at the highest level but both are over 30 years of age.

So Where is The Value Bet

Despite all this, The Netherlands are still big favourites to overcome Luxembourg. Bet365 are as short as 1/8 for a Dutch victory. Luxembourg is 15/1 with the draw at 8/1. If you don’t fancy those odds then how about something a little different? SkyBet quotes 11/4 on the game being level at half time and The Netherlands winning at full time.

Even the supposed whipping boys are defensively solid these days. The so-called minnows know how to frustrate the big teams. No team seems to thrash these weaker teams anymore. If you fancy an upset and a Luxembourg win after leading at half time then Bet Victor quote 30/1 for that. A good bet but only if you don’t mind losing your money.

World Cup Qualifier: Wales vs. Serbia to be a Cracker

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Wales vs. Serbia on November 12 is a chance for the home side to not only take another step closer to the 2018 World Cup, but erase the memory of a 6-1 defeat. Back in 2012, long before they shocked the world by reaching the semi-final of the European Championship, The Dragons suffered a thumping loss in a similar situation.

Bidding to reach the 2014 World Cup finals, Chris Coleman’s Wales travelled to Serbia in search of something special. Unfortunately, defensive errors before the 30-minute mark put the visitors two goals behind. A Gareth Bale free kick closed the deficit soon after, but a lack of ambition and attack, Wales went on to lost 6-1.

Same Players but a New Look Wales

On that occasion, a young Jonny Williams was watching from the dugout wondering if he’d get a run out. Now, four years on and with another World Cup beckoning, things are a little different. Williams is no longer a regular on the subs’ bench and he believes his country has what it takes to win. Not only that, but Wales have proven they can compete on the international stage.

Unfortunately, Serbia still look as tough an opponent as they ever were. Slavoljub Muslin’s team are a typically tough, well organised outfit and, so far, they’ve been faultless in the World Cup qualifying campaign. Currently sitting top of Group D with seven points, Serbia have won two and drawn one.

Although conceding goals has been a slight issue, Serbia have scored seven in three which is impressive by any team’s standards. Fortunately, however, Wales have been equally prolific in front of goal with a 4-0 win over Moldova being the best of the three results so far. With the bookies unable to separate the two teams when it comes to goals, it seems as though home advantage will be the deciding factor this time around.

Goals are a Given in this One

The outright betting line at Coral currently has Wales as the favourites at 11/8 while 21/10 is the price for a draw of a Serbia win. Over at SunBets it’s a similar story with the home side leading the way at 7/5.

With both teams showing they’re capable of scoring and conceding, there are two likely scenarios in this match. The first is that there will be goals. Now, if you want to take a punt (and it really would be a punt) on history repeating, Coral will give you 200/1. If, however, you’re a fan of money and don’t enjoy setting fire to it, a high scoring line looks like good value. Over 2.5 goals is 5/4 at bet365 and looks a possible outcome as does an 11/5 on a draw with SunBets.

Italy Heavy Favourites Against Liechtenstein

Over in Group G, Italy will be looking for a comfortable win when they travel to Liechtenstein. The landlocked principality isn’t noted for its prowess in the football world and, if we’re honest, are only a few notches above the likes of San Marino. But, for all their diminutive qualities, they’re in the qualifying rounds for the World Cup and will pose at least some resistance to Giampiero Ventura’s side.

After three games the Italians have been true to form. Seven points from three puts them level with Spain, but a goal difference of just three puts them in second place in the group. Much like Italian teams of old, the current squad is often content to squeeze out a win, but things might be a little different against Liechtenstein. Indeed, with 12 conceded in three and an 8-0 loss to Spain on the recent list of results, November 12 could prove to be a long night for Liechtenstein.

Italy Will be in the Driving Seat

In fact, when you consider that Italy held Spain to a 1-1 draw, and they were able to decimate Liechtenstein, it’s hard to see how the home side will come away with anything other than a spanking. The bookmakers’ outright odds are frankly embarrassing at this point with SunBets making Italy the 1/16 heavy favourites.

For any value in this match at all the best bets are in the scorecasts. 4-0 Italy is currently 11/2 at Coral while a repeat of the Spain result is a generous 66/1. Of course, there’s always the chance of an upset in this one, but it’s unlikely. Whereas Wales and Serbia will be competitive and may go either way, this game should be all one-way traffic in favour of the Italians.

Spring Hits The Suburbs for Zipping Classic Day

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For the bulk of the year, horse racing is a constant on the Australian wagering landscape and it only comes to the fore in the public arena for a handful of weeks. That list doesn’t include Sandown Cup/Zipping Classic Day but this is a meeting that firmly belongs as part of Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival.

Situated in the heart of the city’s ever-expanding south-eastern suburbs, Sandown consists of two courses (Lakeside and Hillside) with the latter hosting this marquee meeting. Unlike its three ‘big brothers’ closer to the city, barriers aren’t a major issue and history shows that the track exhibits few signs of bias. But fitness is a major factor as the home straight features an uphill stretch that tests the mettle of both horses and jockeys. The big x-factor this year is the weather – thunderstorms and rain are forecast late on Friday evening before fine conditions return on Saturday afternoon.

Race against time for trainers

The day’s feature is the AUD $300,000 weight-for-age Quayclean Zipping Classic (2400m). It’s a race that pre-dates the track (which opened in 1965) by almost 80 years. Formerly known as the Williamstown Cup, it was shifted to Sandown and renamed the Zipping Classic in 2011 in honour of the horse that won the race in four successive years (2007-2010) for Lloyd Williams.

The owner of Melbourne Cup winner Almandin had planned to start up to four horses but will be without a runner in the eight-horse field. Five of those are backing up from the Melbourne Cup including surprise favourite Who Shot Thebarman. It’s an intriguing race as the bulk of the field are stepping back in distance to the mile-and-a-half, so it’s a challenge for trainers to freshen-up their charges less than a fortnight after the Melbourne Cup.

Orange looks the sweetest

One of the formlines that has again been franked throughout the Melbourne spring is the remarkable success of the internationals second-up. Three Zipping Classic entrants tick that box but the one that appeals is Big Orange. The six-year-old gelding is on his second trip Down Under, and he has a pair of impressive Melbourne Cup runs under his belt – fifth in 2015 and 10th this year.

However, those races were starkly different, with this year’s Cup run a staggering 18 lengths faster than last year’s relative dawdle. Jockey Jamie Spencer was caught out by that surprise pace this year but Damian Lane, who takes the ride here won’t hesitate to go forward in this field. The other two Cup runners rise sharply in weight, but Big Orange carries only 3kg extra. His run in the G2 Princess of Wales Stakes at Newmarket in July showed he can run a very sharp and quick 2400m.

Cup at Qewy’s mercy

There are only two 3200-metre races on the Melbourne Spring Carnival calendar – the Melbourne Cup and the Listed $150,000 Ladbrokes Sandown Cup. A field of 10 has accepted for the Sandown Cup with Melbourne Cup winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy again linking with Godolphin’s English trainer Charlie Appleby aboard Qewy.

McEvoy has already won the Bendigo Cup and Lexus Stakes on Appleby-trained horses this spring and reunites with Qewy on which he won the Geelong Cup last month. The stayer went on to finish fourth in the Melbourne Cup when ridden by Craig Williams. Appleby’s assistant James Ferguson said Qewy had come through the Melbourne Cup well and was in fantastic shape for Saturday, where he’ll start a $2.20 favourite with Ladbrokes. He’ll be up on the speed and looks the best bet on the card.

Unbeaten Ireland Face Stern World Cup Qualifying Test

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Life is fairly rosy if you’re a Republic of Ireland supporter right now.

The boys in green currently sit joint top at the summit of FIFA World Cup Qualifying Group D, and only trail leaders Serbia on goal difference after their unbeaten start on the long and winding road to Russia 2018.

This weekend, however, Martin O’Neill’s team face a very tricky assignment in the form of an away trip to the Ernst-Happel Stadion, where they face fourth-placed Austria. True, the hosts were fairly wretched at last summers’ European Championship, but their home record makes grim reading for Republic of Ireland.

Ten Of The Best

Marcel Koller’s men are currently unbeaten in their previous 10 competitive home matches and have a 100% record against R.O.I. in Austria in recent years, winning their past four encounters while scoring 11 goals to the visitors’ one. With their biggest win being a 6-0 demolition in the 1972 Euro Championships, O’Neill will be mindful of keeping things tight so as not to derail his side’s current qualifying momentum.

While a repeat of that damaging encounter looks highly unlikely here, the bookies are currently giving Austria the edge, with Matchbook offering a best price of 21/10 on the home side emerging victorious. R.O.I. are meanwhile priced at 10/3 to get the win at William Hill, with the draw also available at 11/5.

Austrian frontman Marc Janko is currently rated as the 4/1 favourite to open the scoring on Saturday with Boyle Sports, while R.O.I. stalwart Jonathan Walters perhaps represents the best value for the visitors at 10/1 with Bet365. Whatever way you cut it, however, it should be far from an easy night for the away team, with a 1-1 draw being the best-priced positive result for the Republic at an enticing 6/1 with William Hill.

Spain Expected To Stroll

Over in Group G, meanwhile, things are expected to be far more straightforward for top-of-the-table Spain as they take on a FYR Macedonia side who are yet to record a point in this year’s FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign. La Furia Roja has scored 11 goals in their three games so far – conceding just once to Italy – but this should be tempered by the fact that the majority of those strikes came as they beat Liechtenstein 8-0.

FYR Macedonia, on the other hand, has shipped seven goals in their opening three games; and though they have found the back of the net on each occasion, the team currently have nothing to show for their efforts in Group G so far. The disparity in the two sides’ form going into this one is certainly reflected by the prices on offer from the bookies, with Spain rated as red hot favourites at 1/20 with Bet365, Betfred and Sky Bet.

Indeed, the home side is so highly-fancied here that you can get odds as big as 70/1 with Betfair on the visitors causing an upset, with even the draw coming in at a prohibitive 14/1 with Betfred. Despite the huge prices on offer, backing such an outcome looks sheer folly, so if you are determined to bet on Macedonia causing Julen Lopetegui’s men problems, both teams to score is as good as it gets at 27/10 with Betfair.

In terms of first scorer picks, the veritable who’s who of attacking talent in the home side’s ranks and the paucity of options for the opposition makes it a tough market to call. Diego Costa is currently the 13/5 favourite with Bet Victor – and with the Chelsea man currently on fire in the Premier League, you can also find an improved price of 15/8 on the burly centre-forward scoring two goals or more courtesy of Bet365.

Goals Hard to Come by on Friday Night

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THE World Cup qualifiers are back this weekend, which usually means a lack of goals and a lack of excitement, and that certainly looks the case in Group C on Friday night when Northern Ireland host Azerbaijan.

The Irish performed heroics for boss Michael O’Neil to make it to last summer’s European championship finals, but they are a side that seems to do better when given the underdog tag and as the 1.62 favourites for a Belfast win that’s not a price that I would be rushing to take.

Azerbaijan is an improving nation, and under the guidance of manager Robert Prosinecki they’ve picked up seven points from three qualifiers and are more than capable of holding the favourites at Windsor Park.

You can get a massive 7.00 on an away win, which looks a little beyond them but the draw certainly does appeal at the 3.75 that Bet365 are offering.

In all four previous international matches between these two countries everyone has produced under 2.5 goals, and with Azerbaijan’s three matches in this campaign resulting in just TWO goals, under 2.5 on a freezing cold Belfast night looks a certainty at the 1.50 that Coral will offer you.

One goal, if we get one, should be enough for either side to win this and with Azerbaijan yet to concede in this qualifying campaign under 1.5 goals at 2.50 with William Hills looks appealing as does no goalscorer in the match at a more working man’s price of 7.00 with the same company.

GROUP A’s table-topping clash in Paris between France and Sweden looks a lot more appealing on the eye, but this is another that could disappoint.

These two countries have an identical record in qualification so it should be very difficult to split the two sides.

But that is not the case at all, as France are a very short price 1.28 with William Hills to claim top spot; however, if there is any international side in Europe who can let you down at short prices the French will be very close to the top of that list.

The French did impress in their last home match, coming from behind to beat Bulgaria 4-1, but I don’t believe the gulf between these two sides is as big as the bookies have it, and the Swede’s look huge at 16.0 with Bet365.

Sweden did lose 1-0 on their last visit to Paris in 2014, and in their last five matches in the French capital they’ve never been beaten by more than one goal, so the best bet in the match is Sweden +1.5 on the Asian handicap lines at the generally available 11/10 with most firms.

This looks another match where goals will be hard to come by, as six of the last seven matches between these two countries have featured under 2.5 goals; again that looks a spot of value at the 2.10 with Paddy Power.

If the French don’t score early, then an expectant Paris crowd usually gets on the team’s back. This could turn into a very nervy night and one goal might be enough to win it for either side and under 1.5 is also on my bet radar at 4.10 with BetVictor.

England vs. India: Opening Session Swings Odds in England’s Favour

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The first test between England and India has, so far, proven to be full of surprises. Following a distinctly uninspiring performance against Bangladesh, England travelled to India for the five-test series as the proverbial underdogs.

Despite sporting a stiff upper lip and saying all the right things, England’s players know they have a mammoth task against the top-ranked test side in the world. So too do the pundits. Before the first ball had been bowled, England cricket legend Ian Botham acknowledged that the three lions could struggle; especially if bowlers Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja can find the wickets.

England Poised to Upset India

However, through all the potential doom and gloom, Botham believes England’s youngsters could surprise a few people. Telling the media that the current squad has the potential to become the number one test team in the world, Botham recalls the 2012/2013 where England “hammered” India.

On that occasion, India was the home side and considered the red hot favourites. However, thanks to a ten-wicket win in Mumbai, England clinched the series 2-1. With the omens seemingly on their side, England appears to be upsetting the odds once again.

Indeed, before the start of the first test, the odds makers gave Trevor Bayliss’s men a 12/1 chance of winning the series outright. However, following a storming first day performance by England’s Ben Stokes (128), Joe Root (124) and Moeen Ali (117), England have suddenly become the favourites to take the first test.

A Strong Start for England has Bookies Scrambling

While there is still a long way to go in the series as a whole, England’s opening total of 537 was hugely impressive. Now, it’s worth noting that India’s fielders fumbled three easy takes early in the day, which if they’d have caught them, could have changed the dynamics dramatically. However, the reality is that they didn’t take their chances, and that’s given England a huge boost.

A quick look at the betting markets for the first test shows England at 21/10 with Sun Bets on Day 2, while Sky Bet has the home side out at 7/1. Following an impressive session in front of the stumps, England’s Ali is currently the bowling favourite to take the most wickets in the first test. Sky Bet’s number crunchers have priced the youngster at 100/30, while Adil Rashid to take the most wickets is currently 7/2.

Of course, India may be down at this point, but they’re certainly not out. Murali Vijay is currently leading India’s batting betting line at Sun Bets, Sky Bet and Coral, but it’s the latter’s “to score 75” odds that look the most appealing. With the 25 not out after facing 70 balls, Vijay certainly looked calm in the face of a potential upset. Indeed, after striking four fours (three against Stuart Broad), he’ll certainly be confident of more when he returns to the crease.

Cool Heads Will Emerge Victorious

In fact, it’s this kind of steady hand that could help India right an opening day full of wrongs. England’s batsmen were totally dominant against India’s spinners, but a veteran like Vijay could set the example his peers need to regain their composure. As it stands, Sun Bets’ 8/1 on India to win the first test is the longest odds you’ll currently get, but whether or not it’s a wise wager remains unclear.

Yes, India came through England’s opening attack with no casualties to score 63, but there is a long way to go on Day 3. If Vijay and Gautam Gambhir can amass some early runs, it will certainly settle the nerves in the Indian dressing room. However, an early fumble reminiscent of those we saw on Day 1 could send a shockwave through the side and allow England to rattle off some wickets.

For many, England was never expected to be in this position after opening the batting in the first test. However, now they are in this position, the pressure could be on, and it will be up to Alastair Cook to impart some words of wisdom on his rising stars. If he can do that and India’s batting line crumbles, England could easily clinch the first test to set-up an enthralling conclusion to the series.