On Saturday afternoon, Northern Ireland and San Marino face off at Windsor Park in Group H of qualifying for the European Championships.
Northern Ireland form guideThe home team are currently in fifth place in the group standings, having picked up just three points from their six matches in Group H. A 1-0 defeat in Kazakhstan last time out means they have suffered five straight losses in qualifying.
Michael O’Neill’s team has failed to score in four of their last five matches in qualifying, scoring just twice in the profligate run.
Northern Ireland’s recent qualifying record, dating back further than the current campaign, is also poor, as they have won just one of their last 12 qualifiers.
They have also found wins at Windsor Park hard to come by, as a five-game winless run in qualifying illustrates. Northern Ireland’s recent home qualifiers have been low-scoring, with under 2.5 goals scored in the last five outings.
San Marino form guideThe visitors have been perennial whipping boys in the international game, as San Marino has suffered 22 straight defeats in qualifying for the European Championships.
They have struggled at both ends of the pitch, conceding at least two goals in their recent qualifying losses. At the other end of the field, San Marino has also scored just once in their previous 18 European Championships qualifiers.
Unsurprisingly, San Marino has lost all 41 of their away games in qualifying for the Championships. They have also conceded at least two goals in all of those recent away defeats. They have also scored just two goals on their travels in qualifiers.
What am I backing?Both these teams are poor, but both will be looking to avoid finishing bottom place in the group. The bet I am backing is the home win in a relatively low-scoring encounter.
