Wednesday World Cup Qualifiers Preview and Betting Tips

International football returns and there are tons of matches to look forward to. We preview three ahead of this evening.

20:45 – Portugal v Ireland

The Republic of Ireland will play a cameo part in the global football narrative on Wednesday at Estádio Algarve, thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Old Trafford and the 36-year-old’s being one short of a world record of 110 international goals.

Portugal was knocked out of the Euros in the quarter-finals by Belgium, who defeated them 1-0. They’ll now focus on the FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers, where they’ve already gotten off to a strong start.

Meanwhile, Ireland is fourth in Group A, just above bottom-placed Azerbaijan on goal difference, following a disappointing start to their qualifying campaign. After losing to Serbia and Luxembourg in their first two games, Stephen Kenny’s side is failed to earn a point.

Portugal enters the game as the superior team in the series’ history, having won seven of the past 13 matches. Four of Ireland’s games have ended in victories, with two games ending in ties.

20:45 – Norway v Netherlands

On Wednesday night, the Netherlands begin a new chapter under Louis van Gaal when they travel to Norway for the fourth round of their World Cup Qualifying campaign in Group G.

The two nations will meet for the 21st time and for the first time since 2009 when the Dutch triumphed 2-0 in Rotterdam. They each have six points from their first three group games. For the first time since being ousted in the last 16 of Euro 2020, the Netherlands return to international play.

With six points from their first three games, the Netherlands are presently second in Group G. After a shock 4-2 loss to Turkey in their first group encounter, they cruised to a 9-0 aggregate win over European underdogs Latvia and Gibraltar in their next two games.

Van Gaal’s side are one point behind Turkey at the top of the table and equal on points with Wednesday’s opponents, Norway, whom they have defeated in each of their past four games without conceding a goal.

20:45 – France v Bosnia

When France hosts Bosnia and Herzegovina in a 2022 World Cup qualifier at Stade de la Meinau, they will have an opportunity to put their dismal European Championship campaign behind them. The French will be looking to make a statement, and with Bosnia still winless in the competition, an easy home win seems certain.

After winning the World Cup in 2018, and considering the calibre of their squad, France were generally regarded as favourite for this year’s European Championship. Their campaign, however, crumbled after allegations of dressing room brawls and family feuds, resulting in a dismal round of 16 elimination.

With a strong performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday, manager Didier Deschamps has an opportunity to swiftly put things right. The squad has recalled Kylian Mbappe, who was at the centre of some of the controversy during the Euros, while Olivier Giroud has been left out.

With two victories and a tie in the qualifications, France is undefeated, but more importantly, they have looked sturdy in defence, keeping clean sheets in their past two matches. In their past two home encounters, they have also preserved clean sheets.