The Nations League and the English Football League will be the main focus of football punters this weekend, as the international break puts the Premier League on hold for the last time in 2024.
England’s meeting with the Republic of Ireland is perhaps the most intriguing contest of the weekend, but that does not take place until Sunday.
Here we look at the most appealing betting options for the first day of the weekend, providing our three best selections for Saturday’s football.
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Bet of the day
Under 2.5 goals in Turkey v Wales – @ 3/4
A draw would be an excellent result for Turkey in their Nations League meeting with Wales at the Buyuksehir Belediyesi Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri on Saturday, so expect the hosts to adopt a cautious approach.
Turkey seem likely to flood the midfield and make sure they keep things tight. As leaders of Group B4, a draw would keep them in total command of the section.
Turkey travel to basement boys Montenegro in their final group fixture, so avoiding defeat to Wales is the key to progression for Vincenzo Montella’s side.
Top spot in this group would effectively guarantee a playoff for the 2026 World Cup, so Turkey will be desperate to repel the Welsh.
None of the four most recent meetings between Turkey and Wales have yielded more than two goals, so taking a slightly odds-on price for under 2.5 in Saturday’s clash looks a sensible move.
The most recent meeting was a goalless draw in Cardiff two months ago and a repeat of that scoreline seems entirely feasible.
Longshot of the Day
Under 1.5 goals in Germany v Bosnia @ 21/4
Germany are carrying a few injury problems going into their Nations League meeting with Bosnia and the home side may fail to register as many goals as the bookmaking community seem to believe.
There seems every chance that Julian Nagelsmann’s side will produce a lacklustre display in this clash, given they are almost certain to top their section regardless of whether they win or not. A draw for Germany will probably be enough for them to land group honours.
The only way a draw would not secure top spot in the group would be if Hungary beat the Netherlands at the same time, then Hungary beat Germany by more than five goals in the final set of Group A4 matches. Nagelsmann and his troops will be aware how farfetched a scenario that is.
Stuttgart striker Deniz Undav scored twice in Germany’s 2-1 win in Bosnia last month, but will miss the return fixture through injury. A dull, low-scoring match can be expected at the Schwarzwald Stadium, so 21/4 seems a juicy price about one goal or fewer in the game.
Special of the Day
Crawley to beat Bristol Rovers, BTTS & over 3.5 goals @ 21/2
Bristol Rovers are facing injury and suspension issues going into their League One meeting with Crawley on Saturday. Rovers are struggling to find a recognised right-back and the visitors can be fancied to get plenty of joy down the left flank.
Taylor Moore, Lino Sousa, Jack Hunt and Joel Senior appear set to miss the fixture. Rovers appear vulnerable at the back and while they can still be dangerous going forwards, a high-scoring away victory could be on the cards.
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