Sports Blog 16/11/2015: Match Preview – UEFA Euro 2016 Play-Offs 2nd Legs, Monday 16th & Tuesday 17th November 2015

With Hungary’s solid 3-1, 2-legged victory over Norway cementing the first arguable surprise of the Euro 2016 play-offs, can the final 3 matches provide the same level of excitement?

Following a farcically foggy fight on Friday night the Republic of Ireland and Bosnia-Herzegovina will be hoping for a bit more clarity on Monday when they meet at 7.45pm on Sky Sports 1. After playing second fiddle for most of last week’s match, an 82nd minute strike from Robbie Brady (who largely spent the night troubled by Edin Visca) appeared to give Ireland the edge, only for Edin Dzeko (at a Super Mega PGM spread of 21-25 ahead of the 2nd leg) to provide a vital (for Bosnia) and heart-breaking (for Ireland) equaliser 3 minutes later.



Going into Monday night and Ireland should be bolstered by the return of the previously suspended Jonathan Walters (at a Super Mega PGM of 22-27), with John O’Shea and Shane Long (he of that beyond important win over Germany) potentially ready to make an appearance as well. Martin O’Neill will also be hoping Robbie Keane, favourite to score first at 9/2 fixed odds, can end his 4 game goalless streak with a well-timed strike in Dublin.

Ireland may go into Monday with a knife-edge advantage due to Brady’s away goal, but with a forward of Dzeko’s calibre leading Bosnia’s front-line O’Neill knows that nothing can be taken for granted. Our traders and clients alike, however, still have faith in the home side, with Spreadex offering a narrow Republic of Ireland/Bosnia-Herzegovina Goal Supremacy spread of 0.1-0.3 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.1-2.3.

Cutting to Tuesday and the 2nd part of the Euro 2016 play-offs’ mini-Scandinavian saga plays out at 7.45pm on Sky Sports 1. In control for most of the game, Sweden were 2-0 by the 50th minute, following an end of 1st half opener from RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg and a converted penalty (earned by Forsberg) from the big man himself Zlatan Ibrahimovic. However, an 80th minute strike from Nicolai Jorgenson brought Denmark back into the running, and leaves them needing a solitary goal (and, admittedly, a clean sheet) to progress over their northern European rivals.



Not known for their prowess up front (they failed to score in their final 3 qualifiers), Denmark may find that task a difficult one, however. And with the almost equally frustrating and fantastic figure of Ibrahimovic lurking around their goal maintaining a clean sheet might not be easy. Yet, for all these reservations, our traders still fancy the Danes’ chances of a (sort of) upset, offering a Denmark/Sweden Goal Supremacy spread of 0.25-0.45 with a Total Goals spread of 2.25-2.45.

Finally Tuesday night also sees the easily the least ambiguous of the 3 plays-offs, when Slovenia host Ukraine at 7.45pm on Sky Sports 4. A rather limp display from Slovenia allowed Ukraine to build up a nice cushion ahead of Tuesday’s game; an opener from Andriy Yarmolenko made it 5 goals in qualifying for the Dynamo Kiev forward, before Yevhen Seleznyoz doubled the Blue and Yellows’ led in the 2nd half.



Nothing in Slovenia’s performance on Saturday suggested a team capable of making a comeback, and even though they managed to deny Ukraine a place in Euro 2000 16 years ago our Spreadex traders think it’s unlikely this time around, offering a Ukraine/Slovenia (h) Goal Supremacy spread of 0-0.2 alongside a Total Goals spread of 2.1-2.3.