Football Betting Briefing February 8 -14: Spain will be Capello's toughest test yet

/ James Eastham / 09 February 2009 / Leave a Comment

James Eastham looks ahead to a week which includes a flurry of international football around the globe.

Tuesday 10th February

A week of friendly internationals begins in glittering fashion with a high-profile clash between Brazil and Italy (nine World Cups between them, folks) at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

The game will be a 60,000 sell-out and provide vital preparation for both sides before next month's World Cup qualifiers. Dunga remains under pressure as boss of the Selecao while the Azzurri are enjoying a revival under former boss Marcello Lippi following their disappointingly early Euro 2008 exit. Ronaldinho, Robinho, Alexandre Pato and Luca Toni are all on show, but Kaka is out with a foot injury.

Wednesday 11th February

The international action continues with a flurry of fixtures around the globe. Probably the most intriguing game in Europe takes place in Marseille, where Raymond Domenech's France host Diego Maradona's Argentina. Players on both sides will be desperate to impress their coaches, since each team is undergoing something of a renewal at the moment. Yoann Gourcuff and Karim Benzema are the star attractions for les Bleus; Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero will be on duty for the visitors. France are trading at [2.44], Argentina [2.76] and the draw [3.25].

Euro 2008 winners Spain play England ([3.7]), who arrive on a run of five straight victories. Fabio Capello has transformed the fortunes of the national side, but this will be arguably his stiffest test yet. Spain - [2.12] - have won three of the last five head-to-heads.

Also in Iberia, Carlos Queiroz is under immense pressure as Portugal boss and knows even a win over Finland will do little to stem the criticism. Cristiano Ronaldo, Deco, Nani and Danny have been named in the squad to face Stuart Baxter's Nordic visitors, who have included Jari Litmanen in their party. Two decades on from his debut, the veteran former Ajax striker will win his 120th cap if he plays.

Other all-European games include Austria v Sweden, Belgium v Slovenia, Germany v Norway, Greece v Denmark, Romania v Croatia and Switzerland v Bulgaria. The Netherlands travel to face Tunisia while Turkey host an Ivory Coast side that includes Didier Drogba for the first time in more than a year.

But it's not all about friendlies - there are three Euro World Cup qualifiers to look out for. Republic of Ireland host Georgia knowing a win would take them level with Italy at the top of Group 8, while San Marino face Northern Ireland and Malta play Albania.

The biggest games that actually count towards South Africa 2010 this week take place in other parts of the world - with the pick of the Asian action Japan v Australia in Yokohama. This is a massive game at the top of Group 1, with both sides knowing a win would strike a huge psychological blow against their rivals.

The CONCACAF region stages its very own heavyweight clash - USA v Mexico in Columbus. Mexico manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has called up several players who are struggling to hold down first-team places at the moment, such as Giovani Dos Santos (Tottenham), Guillermo Franco (Villarreal) and Omar Bravo (Deportivo La Coruna). USA are trading at [1.84], with the draw [3.15] and Mexico [2.96].

Friday 13th February

After the international frenzy, it's back to league action on Friday night - and our usual date with the Bundesliga. This week it's league leaders Hoffenheim against top-six contenders Bayer Leverkusen at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena. Hosts Hoffenheim are looking to extend their unbeaten run on their own patch (eight wins, two draws) while Leverkusen have lost just twice in nine (W5-D2-L2) on the road.