Football Betting System, Predictions and Tips

Euro 2016 Review & Premiership Preview

As an exciting International week comes to a close as we return to the familiar business of the Premier League this weekend, with the top two sides looking to grab all three points against winnable opposition. Manchester City should record a third consecutive league victory over a Tottenham Hotspur team who conceded 11 to them last season.

Spurs’ results against the top 4 of last term were worrying, conceding 27 goals in total, but there were signs in the 1-1 draw at Arsenal last month that Mauricio Pochettino may have a more sensible plan when it comes to visiting the ‘big boys’. Manuel Pellegrini’s men will close the gap on Chelsea to two points with a win in this early kick off, and put the pressure on Jose Mourinho’s West London outfit as they travel East to face Crystal Palace later on Saturday afternoon.

A 1-0 win for The Eagles derailed Chelsea’s title hopes back in March, as Tony Pulis’ resurgent Palace side climbed their way to Premier League safety. Mourinho is a man who clearly loves to bear grudges, and he will not let this opportunity slip to gain revenge over the Palace faithful at Selhurst Park, in what I expect to be an extremely professional and disciplined performance from the men from the Kings Road, draining International break not withstanding.

Talking of International football, Michel Platini’s newly designed qualifying structure for Euro 2016 was almost universally criticized, myself included, for what was thought to be another way of guaranteeing the bigger teams entry to the final tournament, and creating an even more unfair and dull round of qualification matches. I, like many others, admit on being too quick to judge, and in fact the opposite has been true; the larger nations have become complacent because of the greater margin for error, while the middle to smaller ranking countries have found themselves energised and inspired to push for 3rd place in the Group and gain a two legged play-off spot.

In the case of Wales (not qualified for a major finals in over half a century), this new found hope has pushed them to the top of Group B after three games played, with seven still remaining.

A 1-1 draw between Belgium and Bosnia, as Wales were beating Cyprus 2-1 on Monday night, has helped the Welsh cause further. The only other serious rival to Chris Coleman’s men in the Group are Israel, and you feel that Bale, Ramsey & Co. will be fighting it out with these four teams for the two automatic qualifying spots and the third place play-off position come October 2015.

The most interesting set of matches has come in Group D, as Poland, Scotland, Ireland and Germany battle it out for the top three positions, with World Champions Germany currently lying in fourth after three games played. Northern Ireland complete a strong British contingent in this qualifying campaign as they head up Group F after registering three wins in a row for the first time ever in a European Championship qualification Group.

The complacency amongst the World’s Top 4 sides has been evident in Group A as Iceland and Czech Republic lead the way over third placed Holland, who suffered an incredible 2-0 loss in Iceland this week, while the once impeccable Spain, lost their first qualifier in eight years and sit behind the 2-1 victors on that night, Slovakia, in second place in Group C.

With one more round of games to come in mid-November (the stand-out match being a crucial Scotland v Ireland clash on the 14th) before a break till March, this initially promising start for the British nations could mean we see the four home countries, plus the Republic of Ireland, all qualify for a major tournament for the first time in History.

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