David John says Spain's Marco Asensio is the player to focus on from Saturday night's World Cup qualifying action in Europe.
Recommended bets: Saturday World Cup qualifiers
1pt Marco Asensio to score anytime v Italy at 100/30 - outstanding for Real Madrid at the weekend and worth following once more
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Wales and the Republic Of Ireland come to the party on Saturday night for the next round of World Cup qualifying as they slug it out in Group D for ticket to Russia next summer.
Ireland are in a healthier position at the top of the table on 12 points with Serbia - the pair are separated only by goal difference - whereas the pressure is increasing on Wales, who sit four points behind with four games to play.
Martin O’Neill’s side face a long trip to Tbilisi to take on Georgia but the players and coaching staff can while away the journey dreaming of extending a remarkable winning record against this rival which stands at eight victories from eight meetings.
They are 4/5 chances to rack up number nine. As we know, all good things eventually come to an end but O’Neill and Roy Keane will be hoping it is not this weekend.
They face a team with seemingly little left to play for stranded second bottom of the standings on three points but who remain a technically gifted outfit on their own patch and could prove a handful.
It is not a game I have a strong opinion about and the same statement applies when the Welsh play host to Austria.
Both are deadlocked on eight points and a reverse for either could see their hopes of meaningful competition next summer pretty much dashed.
The pair met just under a year ago and scrapped out a 2-2 draw after Chris Coleman’s team twice let a winning position slip from their grasp.
I wonder whether we will get quite the same excitement in terms of goals but drama is very much on the cards with time running out for both to get back in the hunt for qualification.
It will be interesting to see how Aaron Ramsey gets on after taking a fair bit of criticism for his effort - or lack thereof - against Liverpool last weekend where he was yanked at half-time by his manager.
It subsequently emerged that a calf injury was the issue but Ramsey has a point to prove and that could fuel a significant contribution in Cardiff.
The evening’s marquee event is Spain at home to Italy in Group G with two of Europe’s heavy hitters locked at the top on 16 points and the game is well worth an interest from a betting perspective.
Spain hold sway currently with a superior goal difference and are odds-on to stretch away from the visitors as they look to make a significant advantage in Madrid pay full dividends.
Blast-from-the-past David Villa has earned himself a recall having not played for the national team since the World Cup finals of 2014 but the player to focus on is Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid’s rising star produced arguably his best performance for the club last weekend in an all-action display which saw him score twice, including a late leveller in the 2-2 draw with Valencia.
Both goals were precise strikes with his deft left foot from outside of the area - the second a free-kick - and the trick is for him to now transfer that form to the international stage against a very testing opponent.
He looks more than capable on that front at his home ground and the 21-year-old could be the key to unlocking an uncompromising visiting defence that has kept six clean sheets from seven outings.
Only one victory in 15 matches on Spanish soil does not make pleasant reading for the Italians while all five of the most recent meetings have produced under three goals.
There is plenty at stake once more as the finishing line approaches in terms of reaching next summer’s finals and it could well be a talent like Asensio who turns out to be the difference in a closely-fought encounter.
Posted at 1525 BST on 31/08/17.
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