International Friendly Football Accumulator Tips, 23 March 2018

Russia v Brazil – Brazil to Win to Nil – 29/20

Based on the way that Russia performed in the Confederations Cup, the World Cup hosts have a huge amount of work to do. They may have been given a pretty cushy draw in Group A but there’s no question that Russia look a poor side. Brazil, on the other hand, are anything but poor.

Tite’s side are one of the favourites to win the World Cup. Not only do they have wonderful attacking talent but they are tough to break down, as England found out in the last international break. Brazil have been treating their friendlies with great importance and a professional performance should ensure they beat Russia without too much fuss.

Greece v Switzerland – Under 2.5 Goals – 4/9

Switzerland were unfortunate not to qualify for the World Cup automatically having finished on the same points as Portugal. In the end their place in Russia was confirmed in controversial circumstances when they beat Northern Ireland 1-0 on aggregate thanks to a penalty that should not have been awarded.

The Swiss will feel they deserve to be at the World Cup but their stay in Russia will be a short one unless they can start scoring more goals regularly. Greece have never had a problem trying to frustrate their opponents with defensive football and they should be involved in another low scoring match on Friday.

Netherlands v England – England to Win – 7/4

Ronald Koeman has been talking positively about the job ahead of him as Netherlands manager. It will be interesting to see just how long that positivity lasts. Some pundits have gone as far as to claim that the Netherlands are in the midst of a long term decline and that their absence from Euro 2016 and this summer’s World Cup was almost inevitable.

By trying to lure back retired players and placing trust in teenagers, Koeman has made clear the dearth of talent available to him. By contrast, Gareth Southgate has several quality options in a number of key positions. Southgate’s England team certainly look a big price to beat the Netherlands and get Koeman’s time in charge off to a losing start.

Germany v Spain – Both Teams to Score – 7/10

To make sure they are ready for the World Cup, Germany and Spain have gone down the route of scheduling friendlies against the best opposition they can find. As two of the favourites in Russia, their paths were always going to cross in the build up to the tournament and their meeting in Dusseldorf should be fascinating.

Joachim Löw and Julen Lopetegui have a choice as to whether they push for a morale boosting win or look to experiment in terms of personnel and tactics. Either way, the amount of talent on show should ensure that both teams score.