A further 15 World Cup qualifiers will take place across Europe on Wednesday, as the international break draws to a conclusion.
The road to Qatar is now starting to take shape and although no teams can be assured of qualification at this early stage, some nations may be at risk of playing themselves out of contention.
Danes to Outgun Austria
Denmark have enjoyed a dream start to their qualifying campaign, as they have won their opening two matches in Group F by an aggregate score of 10-0, including Sunday’s 8-0 thrashing of Moldova, a result that goes down as their biggest ever victory in a World Cup qualifier.
Kasper Hjulmand’s side have actually won seven of their last eight matches and they will head to Vienna with plenty of confidence.
Austria sit just behind the Danes in the group standings after following up a draw in Scotland with a 3-1 victory over the Faroe Islands last time out.
Like Denmark, Austria are also on a good run of form, as they are unbeaten in eight games, although the Scandinavians have won three of the last four meetings between the two nations, including a 2-0 success during their most recent clash in 2018, with an away win looking an attractive option at 29/20.
Three Lions to Diminish Poland’s Roar
England have enjoyed an efficient start to World Cup qualifying, as they have comprehensively seen off both San Marino and Albania to move to the top of Group I.
Wednesday will mark a step up in test for Gareth Southgate’s side, as they will take on a Poland team that sit inside the top 20 of the world rankings.
However, the Three Lions do have a good record in this fixture, as their sole defeat in 19 previous meetings with Poland came way back in 1973.
He was dubbed "a circus clown in gloves" by Brian Clough pre-match.
Jan Tomaszewski's response was an inspired Wembley performance that took Poland to the 1974 #WorldCup at England's expense.
Who will be the hero in these sides' #WCQ meeting today?
#WorldCup Moment pic.twitter.com/VaFPT8IIoF
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 31, 2021
Poland’s chances of ending that 48-year drought have also been hampered by the absence of captain and leading marksman Robert Lewandowski, who misses out due to a knee injury.
The Bayern Munich star has scored nine goals in his last 10 international appearances, with his absence likely to severely blunt Poland’s attack, which makes backing England to win to zero at 20/27 perhaps the way to go.
No Thrills Expected in Belfast
There will not be much confidence on offer when Northern Ireland take on Bulgaria in Belfast, as neither team have registered a point in qualifying Group C to date.
Indeed, Northern Ireland have failed to win any of their last 12 games, while Bulgaria have lost eight of their previous 11.
A lack of goals has also been a regular theme for both nations over the last few years, as remarkably they have both netted one goal or fewer in 16 of their last 17 internationals.
It is no surprise that goals have also been at a premium when they have faced each other, with the last two such clashes yielding under 1.5 goals and that can be backed at 27/20 to bear fruit once again on Wednesday.
*All odds correct at time of writing
