Sporting Life's preview of Northern Ireland v Switzerland, including best bets and score prediction

Northern Ireland v Switzerland tips: World Cup qualifying best bets and preview

By Jake Osgathorpe

Football

Wed September 08, 2021 · 3y ago

Northern Ireland host Switzerland in what is a huge game in their bid to make the 2022 World Cup. Jake Osgathorpe previews the game, selecting a best bet.

Football betting tips: World Cup qualifiers

2pts Switzerland to win and Under 3.5 Goals at 5/4 (Mansion Bet)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Despite it still being early in World Cup qualifying in Group C, with this being Northern Ireland and Switzerland's fourth game out of eight, this match is a biggy.

As things stand, Northern Ireland have collected four points from three games, while Switzerland occupy second spot in the group on seven points.

A win for the hosts will blow the group wide open, whereas a win for the Swiss would see them take a stranglehold over proceedings along with European champions Italy (11 points from five games).

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Kick-off time: 19:45 BST, Wednesday

TV Channel: Sky Sports Football

Northern Ireland 17/4 | Draw 12/5 | Switzerland 3/4

Ian Baraclough's side got their first win of qualifying by thrashing minnows Lithuania 4-1 last Thursday, following that up with a 1-0 friendly win over Estonia, so they will be in good spirits as they prepare to host the second seed in Group C qualifying.

Northern Ireland do continue to punch above their weight by even having a genuine chance to qualify from groups with far superior sides, but ultimately, they lack the quality of the top seeds.

They get results against the lesser teams in the group, but are outclassed by the better sides, as shown in their 2-0 loss to Italy in the group opener back in March.

What we rarely see from Norther Ireland though, is them getting beaten handily by anyone. The last time they were beaten by a wider margin than two goals was in September of 2020 against Norway. In fact, they have only lost a three goal margin twice in 40 international games stretching back to 2017.

They remain competitive in matches and don't let their opponent run away with the game.

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Switzerland had a successful Euro 2020, reaching the quarter finals under Vladimir Petkovic, but he has since moved on to Bordeaux, leaving Murat Yakin in charge.

The Swiss beat Greece 2-1 in a friendly before holding Italy to a goalless draw on Sunday, that game showing that they really are among the group of teams just below the standard of Europe's elite.

A win in Belfast would move them five points clear of Bulgaria and six clear of Northern Ireland with just four games remaining, and so far they have made light-work of the lesser likes.

They are a much better side than Northern Ireland, even despite having little time under their new coach, and I would say they have a better chance of winning this game than their price of 3/4 suggests.

If backing short prices is your thing, then absolutely take Switzerland to just win the game, but given Northern Ireland's low-scoring tendencies we can enhance the price a fair bit.

SWITZERLAND TO WIN AND UNDER 3.5 GOALS can be backed at 5/4, so by adding the under goals we are getting a 40% bump in price.

CLICK HERE to back Switzerland to win and Under 3.5 Goals with Sky Bet

Only five of Northern Ireland's last 40 international games have seen four or more goals, while 13 of Switzerland's last 40 have seen four or more.

Eight of Switzerland's last 15 international wins have seen Under 3.5 Goals, and a fair few of those have come against sides that are much worst defensively than Northern Ireland.