Football Betting
Euro 2012 Betting
Lithuania to Heap Further Misery on Scotland
I doubt the majority of the Tartan Army will take note, but I’d suggest to anyone that they are taking their life in their hands backing Scotland at 13/8 to win away from home at present and Lithuania are no mugs in Kaunas.
With World Champions Spain in their section it’s probable that the Scots are competing with the Czech Republic, whom they beat in a friendly at Hampden at the end of last season, for runners-up spot and a possible tilt at the play-offs for Euro 2012. But Craig Levein’s men are going to have to show a lot more consistency and pick up points away from home.
Alan Hutton - not quite match fit
Their performances on the road in recent times have left much to be desired and they were brushed aside with consummate ease by the Swedes in their warm-up for the clash with Lithuania. Levein will be glad to have some of his more experienced defenders back in Kaunas but may also be forced to play Tottenham full-back Alan Hutton, who’s only recently undergone a hernia operation, because of injuries to Lee Wallace and Kevin McNaughton. Lithuania’s squad includes several players who ply their trade in the SPL, including Rangers‘ striker Andrius Velicka who has recently joined Aberdeen on a season-long loan. He’ll have given his team-mates an insight into the Scots’ strengths and weaknesses and it’s worth bearing in mind that Lithuania beat group winners Serbia during qualification for World Cup 2010 - take them to do the same to Scotland at 13/8.
Away from tournament finals, England under Capello seem to have developed a knack of winning games without playing particularly well.
Last month’s friendly against Hungary was a case in point and they are only 3/10 to get their Euro 2012 qualification off to a winning start against Bulgaria, whose best player Dimitar Berbatov has now quit the international scene. Ireland can also begin with three points in their first ever match against Armenia. Few of the Armenian players are known outside the borders of their own country and their recent form bears no comparison to that of the Republic - a 3-1 home defeat by Iran on the same night the Irish were pushing Argentina hard in Dublin being typical.
Trappatoni’s team look a good bet in Yerevan at 4/6.
If Craig Bellamy and Gareth Bale are on-song, Wales are capable of picking up a draw in Montenegro at 12/5 but Northern Ireland face a stiff test against World Cup finalists Slovenia in Maribor. The Slovenians showed more than enough in South Africa to suggest they’ll improve their FIFA ranking in the next couple of years and had an excellent warm-up win against Australia last month - they should be too good for Nigel Worthington’s team at 4/6.
