Euro Qualifying Round 2 Preview

We're back for another instalment of Euro Qualifying action, with England kicking us off against San Marino on Thursday night. Yet again, the international break is greeted with the same grumblings and rumblings that we have been accustomed to, so in order to lighten the blow, here's my prediction on the fortunes of the Home Nations this weekend.

 

There's no points awarded for guessing the outcome of the England v San Marino game, and I expect it to be as one sided as a FIFA match on amateur. BetVictor make the principality 80/1 to beat the hosts, and frankly, you have more chance seeing the Loch Ness Monster than seeing a San Marino victory. At Wembley, Roy Hodgson will treat anything less than 5 goals as a failure, and if they were to concede, well, it would be well documented in the media the following morning, regardless of the result. With Daniel Sturridge unavailable due to injury, Danny Welbeck will be hoping to add on his 2 goals scored against Switzerland, and will certainly be eyeing a hat trick - and I expect him to get it. In short, it will be nothing more than a training game for England, and I'm not expecting any dazzling activities from the away team. I'll go for a modest 7-0.

Next up we have the Republic of Ireland entertaining newly recognised, Gibraltar at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Having lost to Poland 7-0 in their first ever European Qualifying game, it'll probably be one-way traffic for the Irishmen. The Republic of Ireland will look to capitalise on their 2-1 defeat of Georgia last time out, at the same time as increasing their goal difference. Manager Martin O'Neill could see this as a perfect opportunity to experiment, particularly if they have an unassailable lead at the interval. Hull City fullback, Brian Lenihan was handed a surprise call-up and could make his international debut on Saturday against Gibraltar, particularly as Everton star, Seamus Coleman hasn't recovered from a concussion he received so will not feature. Similarly his club mate, James McCarthy will also not make an appearance against the Gibraltans. I expect Ireland to win this by a comfortable margin, 4-0.

Now our attention turns to the Scots as they entertain Georgia at 5pm on Saturday. An encouraging performance against the World Cup Winners, Gordon Strachan will be hoping that his team can carry the momentum through to this game. Although they lost against Germany, there were many positives to be taken and I'm sure that Scotland will be expecting nothing but a win from this encounter. Their opponents, Georgia, will be looking to bounce back after an Aiden McGeady strike sealed their fate in the dying embers of the game. The Georgians will be out to get points on the board and stop the Scots from getting their tournament up and running. I do think Strachan's men will be able to overcome the challenge offered by the Georgians, particularly as the Georgian legend, Shota Arveladze criticised the away side for having a lack of flair. 1-0 Scotland.

My wee country, Northern Ireland take on the Faroe Islands on Saturday at 7:45pm. After a tremendous comeback away to Hungary last time out, the onus will be on the home side to capitalise on their excellent start. With Jonny Evans injured, Michael O'Neill was set to call up Paddy McNair to his squad, but an ongoing ankle injury has prevented him from winning his first international cap, weeks after gaining his first senior appearance for Manchester United. Sitting poised in second position, Northern Ireland face a tricky trip to Athens after the game, so 3 points is imperative to keep the momentum running. For the Faroe Islands, they suffered an opening game week defeat at home to Finland. As with Northern Ireland over the years, they have always produced inspiring performances against the top dogs, but when it comes to the minnows, they struggle. Let's home that our fortunes have changed as they attempt to beat the Faroe Islands at the weekend. 1-0 Northern Ireland.

Last but not least, we have Wales. Last time out, it took a late Gareth Bale free kick to walk away from Andorra with 3 points. Now, they face Bosnia at home as they hope to produce a better performance this time around. Wales will be missing key midfielders such as Joe Allen and Aaron Ramsey due to injury, however Galactico, Gareth Bale will play, fresh from his 90 minute drubbing of Athletic Bilbao at the weekend. No doubt Bale will decide the outcome of the tie, and, if he puts in a performance that we come to expect from him, he could win the maych for Wales. If Wales reproduce a performance similar to the one they delivered against Andorra, then expect another nervy game for the Welsh fans, resulting in a loss. With key names out for Wales, I am going for a 2-1 win for Bosnia. Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic will be able to take advantage of the notable absentees.

Another weekend of international football is ahead of us and we take one step closer to the finals in France 2016. Hopefully we can relive 1958, the last time all of the Home Nations qualified for a major tournament.