Football betting tips: World Cup qualifiers
1pt Danel Sinnani to score or assist in Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland at 3/1 (Sky Bet)
1pt Conor Bradley to score anytime in Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland at 19/2 (BetVictor)
0.5pt Conor Bradley to score 2+ goals at 100/1 (bet365, Sky Bet, Betfair, Paddy Power)
Luxembourg vs Northern Ireland
- Kick-off: Thursday, 19:45 BST
- TV channel: BBC Three
- Live odds, form and stats
Jake Osgathorpe
Northern Ireland get their World Cup qualifying campaign underway with a very tricky trip to a quickly improving Luxembourg side, and need to win.
It's a free hit for the hosts, who aren't expected to qualify, and I suspect they can bloody the nose of their visitors, with DANEL SINANI TO SCORE OR ASSIST looking a big price at 3/1 with Sky Bet - who aren't best price, that's Betfair and Paddy Power, but are offering super sub.
The St Pauli striker has started the Bundesliga season well, scoring and assisting in a 3-3 draw with Dortmund, and he can lead his country to a potentially positive result.
He has scored eight and assisted three in his last 28 international appearances, averaging 0.39 goals and assists per 90, so the price on offer is huge. He grabbed an assist when these two sides met in the Nations League last November too.
Odds correct at 1115 BST (03/09/25)
Jimmy 'The Punt'
Some players, often fullbacks, just get to do what they want for their international team. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Junior Firpo for example, both have played in the number 10 for their respective nations, the latter even wears the number 10 and takes penalties as well.
I think CONOR BRADLEY could be of that ilk for Northern Ireland.
Liverpool’s full back has frequented a few positions for his nation and scored four goals in 19 caps. That is a goals per 90 average of 0.22 which makes his price of 19/2 TO SCORE ANYTIME worth a punt here.
His last international goal did come against Thursday’s opponents and Bradley has netted an international brace before against Andorra, so the 100/1 about 2+ GOALS is worth a punt as well.
Odds correct at 1130 BST (03/09/25)
1pt Jordan James to be carded in Kazakhstan vs Wales (15:00) at 4/1 (bet365)
Kazakhstan vs Wales
- Kick-off: Thursday, 15:00 BST
- TV channel: BBC One
- Live odds, form and stats
Jake Osgathorpe
This is a big game for Craig Bellamy and his Wales sides' aspirations of qualifying for the World Cup. They sit second in Group J after a W2 D1 L1 start, and realistically need to win three of their remaining four games to finish second and enter the play-off.
Belgium sit below them in the table having played just twice, and are expected to run away with the group, but North Macedonia's unbeaten start (W2 D2) makes them Wales' biggest challengers. Their next game is at home to minnows and whipping boys Liechtenstein, putting more emphasis on a result for the Dragons in Kazakhstan.
Bellamy's men made difficult work of things in the reverse meeting, Rabbi Matondo's 90th minute goal making the 3-1 scoreline more favourable, and another closely fought game can be expected, which should see plenty of cards.
Thats the angle we'll be taking here, with referee Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez overseeing proceedings. The Spaniard has brandished 4.25 cards per game across his last eight internationals, so with stakes high, we'll chance JORDAN JAMES TO BE CARDED at 4/1.
James, now at Leicester following a loan move from Rennes, has started just two games in this qualifying campaign and was booked once in North Macedonia, and we should expect him to get the nod here given Ethan Ampadu's injury.
His card record for his country is excellent, being booked in 10 of his last 18 appearances, and in seven of his last 11 starts. Even better, James has been booked in five of his last seven starts in away Internationals.
The Kazakhs aren't the best foul drawing team, but at the prices, I'm willing to roll the dice on this being a high-card game and for James to have his name taken once again. Taking this with bet365 gives us the super sub offer too which is a nice bonus incase James is hooked.
Odds correct at 1000 BST (03/09/25)
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
