The 2021 European World Cup Qualifiers have begun this week with Matchday 1 from Wednesday, March 24, to Thursday, March 25. On Wednesday, we witnessed several surprises, when Turkey crushed Holland 4-2, Ukraine held France 1-1, Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 2-2 with Finland, and Serbia triumphed 3-2 over Ireland.
On Thursday, Spain will welcome 2004 European champions Greece at the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes in Granada. On the same day, Sweden and Georgia will clash as Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to make his first international appearance for the first time in five years.
This Matchday 1 provides an opportunity for the bettor to play around with parlays, picks in the over/under, or goalscorers. Here are some sports betting predictions to consider when placing a bet on these European World Cup Qualifiers matchups.
Spain vs Greece betting picks
The Spanish national team took part in two International Friendlies last year, and both games ended in a draw. They also appeared at the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, where they triumphed three times, drew twice, and lost one match. In addition, even John van 't Schip's players featured in eight international games in 2020, triumphing on three occasions at the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, and drawing three times. They also played two International Friendlies, one of which they lost, and the other one they won.
This will be their 11th overall meeting. Spain are by far the better side in head-to-head duels, winning seven games so far; Greece have celebrated a victory only once, and the remaining two games have ended in a draw so far. Interestingly, La Roja have only one defeat in the last 20 international games in the course of over two years. To be honest it looks doubtful that Greece will be able to become the second team to do that, especially on Spain's home turf. It’s not unreasonable to think that Luis Enrique's side can win this game 4-0 and that score line is paying +800.
Sweden vs Georgia betting picks
This will be their first overall meeting. Sweden and Georgia have never clashed before neither at the World Cup/Euro Qualifiers nor at any of the World Cup/Euro tournaments. Janne Andersson's players took part in four International Friendlies last year. They won three of them and lost once. They also appeared at the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, where they triumphed only once, and lost even three times.
Georgia, meanwhile, featured in eight international games in 2020, triumphing on only one occasion at the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, drawing four times, and losing only once. They also played at the Euro 2020 Knockout phase, beating Belarus in the Semi-Finals, but eventually losing to Macedonia in the Final.
In comparison, Sweden have had more defeats last year than Georgia, but this year, they have Ibrahimovic to help them return to winning ways. We expect a tough battle between these two sides, so betting that the game will have Over 2.5 goals could be a sure bet. Thus, at -108, a $100 bet could earn the bettor $95 on DraftKings. In addition, if you got to pick anyone to put the ball in the back of the net in this game, look no further than Ibra, who is at +240 to be the first one to score.
Parlays for these two matchups of the European World Cup Qualifiers Matchday 1
A solid parlay bet could be the following: Spain to beat Greece 4-0, Sweden and Georgia to score Over 2.5 goals, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to score the first goal of the game. At $100, the bettor could win up to $932.
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