ALL eyes will be on Gareth Bale in Cardiff tonight as the Welsh skipper and talisman wins his 100th cap.
Injuries have limited the Real Madrid star to six appearances this season, three of them in a red shirt, but he should be fit to start against Belarus.
And the Welsh fans will be hoping for a repeat of the hat-trick Bale plundered earlier in Group E against the Belarusians.
Thanks to Spain’s win in Greece on Thursday night, Robert Page’s men are guaranteed a play-off slot due to their exploits in the Nations League.
But the Dragons boss will still want to finish second in their group ahead of the Czechs to be seeded for the play-offs.
A win tonight is paramount ahead of a tough closing game at home to group leaders Belgium and Wales are red-hot favourites at a best 2/9 with Unibet.
Bale is also odds-on to bring up his century with a goal and is a best 3/4 at VBet.
That’s not great value for a man who hasn’t played since the Welsh drew a blank at home to Estonia in September. But McBookie are offering 23/10 on an assist for Bale and that looks a wiser option.
For lovers of the long-odds punt he’s also 15/2 with the same firm to score from a free-kick.
A lack of firepower has hurt Page’s side, with that 0-0 draw at home to Estonia followed by a 1-0 victory on the road against the same opponents.
They did manage to score twice against the Czechs between those two matches but striker Kieffer Moore will be suspended today and he will be a big miss.
Belarus have drawn a blank in their last three qualifiers so I’d be surprised if there was a repeat of the five-goal thriller we saw when these nations last met. Betting against BTTS pays just 11/20 but under 2.5 goals is much better at 8/7 with SBK.
Every Welsh win in this group has come by a one-goal margin so backing another here could pay off. Tipping Wales to win by that margin pays 3/1 with Unibet while McBookie offer 21/10 on either side winning by a goal.
Belgium host an Estonia side they battered 5-2 in Tallin but the injured Romelu Lukaku will be a big miss.
Brighton’s Leandro Trossard has been in good form for his club and might be worth a punt at 6/4 with Bet365 for anytime scorer.
There’s a huge clash in Group D as Bosnia and Finland face off, with both sides looking to jump above Ukraine into the play-off slot.
The Bosnians drew 2-2 in Helsinki and have lost just once in the group so I fancy them at 21/20 for a home win (BetVictor).
Leaders France are at home to Kazakhstan and should seal their place at Qatar 2022 with a victory.
It’s hard finding value with the bookies expecting a comfortable French win. But the odds are decent on cards for Kazakh defenders with Nuraly Alip at 7/2 with McBookie.
In Group G, I’m going to dabble in the handicap market. A double on Norway -1 and the Netherlands -1 pays 156/100 with Paddy Power.
Super Singles
- Gareth Bale assist (23/10, McBookie)
- Wales v Belarus – Under 2.5 goals (8/7, SBK)
- Bosnia to win (21/10, BetVictor)
Deadly Double
- Norway -1 and Holland -1 (156/100 Paddy Power)
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