Internationals / Mike Norman / 08 September 2009 / Leave a comment

A win for Northern Ireland on Wednesday will put them in with an excellent chance of qualifying for next year's World Cup says "Mystical" Mike Norman, but for Wales, the woes are set to continue.

"All in all, despite the promise of the Welsh youngsters, the Russians should have far too much quality, experience, and technical ability to let this one slip and I fully expect them to heap more woe onto the shoulders of Toshack."

Northern Ireland [2.66] v Slovakia [3.0]; The Draw [3.4]

A win for Northern Ireland on Wednesday night will put them top of Group Three and at least three points ahead of the third placed team with just a handful of games to go. It's quite surprising then that Nigel Worthington's men are available to back at [11.0] to end their World Cup Qualifying campaign as Group Winners and at [3.25] to finish in the Top Two.

My first bit of advice then is quite simple - if you think Ireland will win on Wednesday then back them now in the two above mentioned markets. You'll be able to trade out for a profit almost instantly.

The prospect of Ireland beating current group leaders Slovakia is a strong one I have to say. They put in a terrific performance against Poland at the weekend, only being denied all three points in Chorzow thanks to a late Polish equaliser. The Irish defended stubbornly during that game, with Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley performing brilliantly in front of the equally impressive and vastly experienced goalkeeper Maik Taylor.

The Irish will have to defend just as well on Wednesday if they want to avenge the 2-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of Slovakia in the opening game. A N.Ireland Clean Sheet is available to back at [2.92], and if they can manage that then there's no reason why they can't score a goal or two at the other end, especially if the talented Chris Brunt takes to the field from the start (he is rated as 50/50 to be fit). Striker Kyle Lafferty has failed to recover from the knee injury he suffered against Poland.

Windsor Park will be a cauldron of noise for this crucial encounter, and if the Slovaks feel just a tiny bit intimidated by the crowd then they could easily end up being defeated.

I fancy the Irish to pinch this one, possibly by a single goal, so consideration has to be given to the 1-0 scoreline (available to back at [9.0]) in the Correct Score market as well as having a saver on 2-0 ([16.0]). I'd be very surprised if the game had more than a couple of goals scored during it so Under 2.5 Goals ([1.82]) has to be the selection. If you fancy Over 2.5 Goals you can back that option at [2.2].

Wales [6.8] v Russia [1.62]; The Draw [4.1]

With their chances of qualifying for next year's World Cup gone, you'd have to hope that Wales would be in a relaxed and pressure-free mood for Wednesday night's clash with Russia.

But nothing seems to run smooth in the valleys for John Toshack, midfielder Jason Koumas announcing his retirement from international football just weeks after the Craig Bellamy "shall I tell them I'm not playing" debacle.

Toshack could assemble one of the youngest centre-midfield trios ever to represent the Welsh national side if he opts to select Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley and David Edwards - average age of just 21 - on Wednesday night. It will be a tough ask for the youngsters at the Millennium Stadium as Russia's playmaker Andrey Arshavin is set to be in opposition, whilst Chelsea's new £18m winger Yuri Zhirkov may also be fit to play.

Striker Roman Pavlyuchenko scored a brace for Guus Hiddink's men in their 3-0 victory over Liechtenstein on Saturday and he is set to pose a huge threat to the Welsh rearguard having not featured much for Tottenham this season.

All in all, despite the promise of the Welsh youngsters, the Russians should have far too much quality, experience, and technical ability to let this one slip and I fully expect them to heap more woe onto the shoulders of Toshack. Russia/Russia is available to back at [2.58] in the Half Time/Full Time market and that will do for me.

That man Pavlyuchenko will be available to back at around [6.6] once the First Goalscorer market materialises, and at around [2.7] in the To Score (at anytime) market. I suggest you look no further.

*Recommended Bets: Back Northern Ireland @ [2.66] to beat Slovakia; Back Russia Half Time/Russia Full Time @ [2.58] against Wales

Tags: Chris Brunt, Craig Bellamy, Guus Hiddink, International Football Betting, John Toshack, Nigel Worthington, Northern Ireland, Roman Pavlyuchenko, Russia, Wales, World Cup Qualifying Betting