Weekend Tips: England, France and Belgium picks

International friendlies and World Cup qualification is the order of the week. England, France, Belgium and Denmark are in action for the first time in 2022, and we've got the best picks from each.

Goals could be at a premium when England face Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday. The Swiss – who memorably knocked France out of Euro 2020 – also denied Italy automatic qualification for the World Cup by finishing top of Group C so are clearly no mugs.

Murat Yakin’s men conceded just two goals in eight qualifiers and are an organised, well-drilled side who are now up to 14^th in the FIFA world rankings. 

Both teams come into this Wembley fixture in very similar form, with England and Switzerland unbeaten since their respective departures from Euro 2020. Indeed, both teams have won three and drawn two of their last five, so it is a bit surprising to see England chalked up as short as 4/6 in places in the 1x2 market.

Gareth Southgate is bound to shuffle his pack this weekend, with Southampton’s Kyle Walker-Peters and Crystal Palace duo Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell expected to play some part.

The Three Lions are actually unbeaten in 90 minutes in their last 20 matches, and you have to wind the clock back to November 2020 and their clash with Belgium for the last time they lost an international in regulation time.

Southgate’s men have also won their last four friendlies to nil, and England are a top price 7/4 to beat the Swiss without conceding. It would be foolish to lump on England to win given what we know about the quality of this Swiss side, and the fact it is so difficult to judge what sort of starting XI Southgate will name.

This is unlikely to be a thriller, so there is a compelling argument for having a punt on Under 2.5 goals at 4/6. However, 5/2 quotes on England winning the match by one goal also look decent and this might be the way to bet at Wembley.

 

The Nap – Winning Margin – England to win by one goal at 5/2 (Skybet)

 

Saturday’s friendly between the Netherlands and Denmark should be an emotional affair with Christian Eriksen set to mark his return to international football.

The fact he will be doing so at Ajax, where he won three Eredivisie titles and the KNVB Cup, makes it even more special. Eriksen trained with the Ajax youth team earlier this year ahead of his Premier League return with Brentford, so should get a special reception when he runs out on Saturday.

The bookies rarely make errors but am struggling to see why the Dutch should be odds-on shots here. Denmark were brilliant at Euro 2020 and perhaps a little unlucky to lose to England in a pulsating semi-final. They followed that up by easing through the final stages of World Cup qualification and should definitely be a match for the hosts in Amsterdam this weekend.

The last four friendlies between these teams have finished all square but Kasper Hjulmand’s side are playing well enough to make a statement and quotes of 3/1 or better about a Denmark win this weekend look worth jumping on.  

 

Value Tip – Denmark to win at 13/4 (Unibet)

 

Belgium will be a popular bet to see off the Republic of Ireland in Dublin this weekend but punters should tread carefully with star names Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku all missing out for The Red Devils.

Ireland don’t have many star names to call on, let alone leave out, but they are strong defensively and the Boys in Green have lost just one of their last 10 matches.

Ireland actually last won against Belgium in 1966 in an international friendly. Since then, they have faced off seven times, with three wins for Belgium and four draws. The teams last met at Euro 2016 when Belgium ran out facile 3-0 winners.

It won’t be as comfy this weekend with the Irish roared on by a raucous home support, but there could be some mileage in betting Michy Batshuayi to score first.

Chelsea’s forgotten man may get the nod on Saturday and has scored 12 goals already this season for Besiktas. Batshuayi is a modern striker whose speed, strength, positioning and link-up play are all impressive. In the absence of big hitters such as Lukaku, De Bruyne and Hazard he looks a bet at 9/2 to score first at the Aviva Stadium.

  

First Goal Flutter – Batshuayi to score first at 9/2 (Betfair/Paddy Power)

 

France looks rightful favourites at around the 1/3 mark to beat the Ivory Coast at the Stade Orange Velodrome on Friday night, but the game could feature a few goals.

These look two teams going in different directions. Ivory Coast underperformed massively at the recent AFCON after being dumped out at the round-of-16 stage by Egypt. Also, despite some major talent in their ranks, they missed out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup. In contrast, France is on a five-game winning streak, with big wins over Spain and Belgium in the UEFA Nations League finals during that run.

Didier Deschamps has some serious firepower up top but is expected to make changes for these upcoming friendlies against Ivory Coast and then South Africa.

Ivory Coast are not short of attacking talent themselves however. Sebastien Haller is having a fine season for Ajax while Premier League followers know all about the skills of Nicolas Pepe and Wilf Zaha.

You can get 13/5 about France winning a game where both teams find the net in Marseille and that looks the way to go in this one.

 

The Euro Banker – France to win and both teams to score at 13/5 (bet365/BetfredBetway)