Euro 2012 Accumulator of the Day: Croatia to win along with goals in Ireland & Portugal
Jim Knight has identified an 'acca' on three of Tuesday's play-off ties, with a price of 6.80 available
By Jim Knight
Goal.com
Four spots remain up for grabs for next year's European Championship in Poland and Ukraine as the qualifying drama draws to a close this evening. We've lined up a tasty accumulator on three of the ties, with generous odds of 6.80 at the time of writing.
Treble on Croatia win, Ireland v Estonia (over 2.5 goals) & Portugal v Bosnia and Herzegovina (over 2.5 goals) @ 6.80
We begin with Croatia, who outclassed their opponents, Turkey, in the first leg, and have one foot in Euro 2012 already. Guus Hiddink will want to sign off with a win but with so many key players missing, he has a job to pull off a miracle in Zagreb. Slaven Bilic has publicly stated he expects his team not to relax, and with a diminished Turkey side, they should get the better of their opponents again on home soil.
Next we turn to Dublin for Ireland's second leg with Estonia, in which the boys in green are four goals to the good. Estonia rarely threatened in the first leg and were exposed after Andrei Stepanov and Raio Piiroja received red cards
Wolves striker Kevin Doyle is available for selection in the second leg, and although Ireland may have all but qualified, they still have players looking to prove their worth. Estonia need to go on the attack but will be vulnerable defensively to Irish attacks. Goals look likely, and the lines on over 2.5 being broken are worthwhile.
And lastly we switch to Portugal for a tie which is delicately poised. These two sides drew a blank on Friday night, but this second match could be a much livelier affair. Bosnia and Herzegovina offered little going forward in the first match, but a draw will have been fairly satisfactory, knowing the first goal here will put them in a strong position to qualify.
Portugal have struggled to keep clean sheets throughout qualifying, but they know the pressure is on them to perform in this second leg. Bosnia and Herzegovina have the players to cause Paulo Bento’s side problems. They scored in all but two of their group-stage matches, so a goal-filled game is a real prospect.
Treble on Croatia win, Ireland v Estonia (over 2.5 goals) & Portugal v Bosnia and Herzegovina (over 2.5 goals) @ 6.80
Sign up with William Hill for a free £25 bet
Treble on Croatia win, Ireland v Estonia (over 2.5 goals) & Portugal v Bosnia and Herzegovina (over 2.5 goals) @ 6.80
We begin with Croatia, who outclassed their opponents, Turkey, in the first leg, and have one foot in Euro 2012 already. Guus Hiddink will want to sign off with a win but with so many key players missing, he has a job to pull off a miracle in Zagreb. Slaven Bilic has publicly stated he expects his team not to relax, and with a diminished Turkey side, they should get the better of their opponents again on home soil.
Next we turn to Dublin for Ireland's second leg with Estonia, in which the boys in green are four goals to the good. Estonia rarely threatened in the first leg and were exposed after Andrei Stepanov and Raio Piiroja received red cards
Wolves striker Kevin Doyle is available for selection in the second leg, and although Ireland may have all but qualified, they still have players looking to prove their worth. Estonia need to go on the attack but will be vulnerable defensively to Irish attacks. Goals look likely, and the lines on over 2.5 being broken are worthwhile.
And lastly we switch to Portugal for a tie which is delicately poised. These two sides drew a blank on Friday night, but this second match could be a much livelier affair. Bosnia and Herzegovina offered little going forward in the first match, but a draw will have been fairly satisfactory, knowing the first goal here will put them in a strong position to qualify. Portugal have struggled to keep clean sheets throughout qualifying, but they know the pressure is on them to perform in this second leg. Bosnia and Herzegovina have the players to cause Paulo Bento’s side problems. They scored in all but two of their group-stage matches, so a goal-filled game is a real prospect.
Treble on Croatia win, Ireland v Estonia (over 2.5 goals) & Portugal v Bosnia and Herzegovina (over 2.5 goals) @ 6.80
Sign up with William Hill for a free £25 bet
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