2017-06-18 - MEBET365 - FREE Tips For Betting, Football Bet of the Day

New Zealand v Portugal: Santos' men to reach semis in style

New Zealand v Portugal 
Saturday June 24, 16:00 
Live on ITV 4 
 
New Zealand are set to miss out on a semi-final spot, after losing both of their opening fixtures. Although they were pretty abject against Russia in a 2-0 loss, they were much better in a 2-1 reverse against Mexico. Time and time again, the All Whites found space in the box against El Tri, but the profligate finishing of their central striker Chris Wood proved costly. At the other end, New Zealand really struggled to contain Mexican wingers Jurgen Damm and Javier Aquino, and ultimately they conceded two second-half goals which swung the match away from them. 
 
Portugal have steadily improved. They carelessly conceded a late equaliser against Mexico in a 2-2 draw, but tightened up against Russia, and didn't make the same mistake in a 1-0 victory. Given that the European champions now only need a point to reach the semis, coach Fernando Santos is expected to shuffle his pack. Although captain and talisman Cristiano Ronaldo continues to play at a high level after a Herculean effort in this campaign, he seems likely to be rested ahead of the knockout phase. 
 
Although I was burned last time I previewed a New Zealand match, I'm persisting with the same strategy. Portugal are priced at 1.90 to win both halves on the Sportsbook, and as game as New Zealand are, they should be outclassed by even a slightly weakened Portugal side. New AC Milan signing Andre Silva is likely to deputise for Ronaldo, and the likes of Nani, Ricardo Quaresma and Bernardo Silva make for an excellent supporting cast. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back Portugal to win both halves at 1.90 
 
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New Zealand v Portugal: Santos' men to reach semis in style

New Zealand v Portugal Saturday June 24, 16:00 Live on ITV 4 New Zealand are set to miss out on a semi-final spot, after losing both of ...

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European U21 Championship: A thrilling finale forecast for Group C

Italy U21 v Germany U21 
Saturday 24th June, 19:45 
Live on Sky Sports Mix 
 
Italy meet Germany in Group C of the U21 European Championship on Saturday night knowing there is no room for error. Luigi Di Biagio's boys face a win-or-bust situation in Tychy if the Azzurrini are to reach the semi-finals. 
 
Only the top team in each pool are guaranteed a place in the final-four and Germany are in pole position to qualify having secured two wins from two thus far. Stefan Kuntz's men arrive at the encounter requiring only a draw to progress. 
 
Italy 3.20 made a slow start to the tournament, bossed possession against Denmark but toiling in the final third. The five-time winners eventually made the breakthrough after a rather uninspiring first-half to secure a 2-0 triumph before suffering an unexpected 3-1 reverse to the Czech Republic. 
 
The Azzurrini made four changes to the team and began the encounter strongly; Federico Bernardeschi creating a goalscoring opportunity within 15 seconds but again failed to make their dominance of the ball and territory pay. 
 
Di Biagio's troops fell behind in the 24th minute and only levelled the match up with 15 minutes to play. Two late goals from the Czechs left the Italians reeling and facing a do-or-die situation on Saturday. 
 
Italy leaked just three goals in 10 games en-route to Poland, not shipping more than a solitary strike in a match. But the well-fancied side will need to step-up in class and an improvement from star players Domenico Berardi and Bernardeschi in attack if they're to realise dreams of knockout football. 
 
Germany 2.38 know a point will do in their quest to finish top of the tree but with none of Die Mannschaft's past 18 fixtures ending all-square 3.60, we should expect Stefan Kuntz's side to play to win. 
 
The Group C leaders brushed aside Czech Republic (2-0) comfortably in their opener before dispatching Denmark (3-0) to make it 12 consecutive competitive victories and 16 triumphs in their past 18 outings at this level. 
 
Kuntz's opted for an unchanged XI against the Danes and whilst the outright second favourites were embroiled in a hard-fought first-half, their clinical qualities shone through after the interval with striker Davie Selke, defender Oliver Kempf and substitute Nadiem Amiri all scoring. 
 
Selke was outstanding last time out and the pace and perceptive from Gnabry, the playmaking quality of Max Meyer and runs from deep by Mahmoud Dahoud ensure the Germans are packed with offensive weapons to upset the best of the continent's young defences. 
 
Goalkeeper Julian Pollersbeck has been called into action but Germany notched 35 goals in qualifying - more than any other side - and are built to out-gun opposition outfits. They've already fired in 46 shots (17 on-target) and I don't expect Kuntz's charges to walk away from their gung-ho style here despite the permutations of the pool. 
 
Italy have no option but to get forward; the outsiders for this encounter have struggled to capitalise on their talent up top but I do believe they're capable of causing Germany a few problems here. However, the Germans boast too much attacking class of their own to dismiss. 
 
Therefore, our best angle of attack is to back a goal-friendly game with Both Teams To Score the likeliest scenario, available to support at a fair 1.70. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back Both Teams To Score 1.70 
 
 
Czech Republic U21 v Denmark U21 
Saturday 24th June, 19:45 
Live on Sky Sports 2 
 
Czech Republic were surprise 6.20 winners against Italy on Wednesday to keep their faint hopes of a semi-final place alive. The Little Lions must beat Denmark here and hope Italy see off Germany to have a chance of topping the section. 
 
Vitezslav Lavicka's men were well beaten in their opener by the Germans, landing only two efforts on-target. But the head coach made three changes to his team for Wednesday's 3-1 triumph over Italy with Man of the Match Michael Travnik, substitute Marek Havlik and a stunner from Michael Luftner securing the points. 
 
Travnik took advantage of Daniele Rugani's slip to give the Czechs a lead midway through the first-half and as the game progressed, the Little Lions' influence became more apparent, with plenty of clever build-up play and the physicality of Lavicka's charges frustrating their more illustrious opposition. 
 
Few fancied the Czechs when Italy equalised in the 75th minute but a superb response ensured maximum points with Travnik particularly catching the eye with a pivotal performance linking the midfield and attack. His defensive diligence stood out as Italy were consistently thwarted when coming forward. 
Denmark's [4.80 ]fate has already been sealed following back-to-back defeats. Niels Frederiksen's side frustrated Italy for large swathes of their opening encounter but were unable to test the Azzurrini in a 2-0 loss. The Danes managed just one on-target effort in a largely toothless display. 
 
Frederiksen made three changes to his team for their clash against Germany. Denmark produced another resolute first-half performance but were unable to make their mark before succumbing to a fair 3-0 reverse. 
 
Winger Andrew Hjulsager forced Julian Pollersbeck into a smart save but leading striker Marcus Ingvartsen was quiet once more in the Danes' 4-4-2 system. The rock-bottom side have now returned W1-D1-L4 in their past six outings, including heavy friendly losses to England, Spain and Germany. 
The 2015 semi-finalists won't find the Czechs quite as ruthless as the aforementioned trio and Denmark should be presented with a few more opportunities to break their duck in front of goal. But ultimately, they're likely to come up short. 
 
The Czech Republic 1.78 have kept just four competitive clean sheets in 15 outings since 2015 with no finalist conceding more goals in qualifying (10) than the Little Lions.  
Indeed, the pre-match favourites leaked home and away to both Moldova and Latvia, suggesting goals could be on the agenda. 
 
Over 2.5 Goals has proven a profitable formula in 10 of the Czechs past 12 matches whilst Both Teams To Score has banked in seven of their most recent nine. I'll count on the Little Lions securing the success they require alongside a game involving goals at both ends with a generous 21/10 on offer. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back Czech Republic to win and Both Teams To Score 21/10 
 
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European U21 Championship: A thrilling finale forecast for Group C

Italy U21 v Germany U21 Saturday 24th June, 19:45 Live on Sky Sports Mix Italy meet Germany in Group C of the U21 European Championship ...

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MLS Betting: Back the Bulls to win battle of New York

New York Red Bulls v New York City FC 
Saturday, 18:30 
Live on Sky Sports 5 
 
The New York derby takes centre stage this MLS rivalry weekend, with both clubs looking to push closer to the top of the Eastern Conference and try to apply some pressure on Toronto FC and the in form Chicago Fire. 
 
The Red Bulls beat NYCFC in last week's US Open Cup game, and while the Cup is often an unreliable form guide, the fact that both teams played close to full-strength teams means that there's plenty that we can take from that 1-0 win for the Red Bulls, and from their home form in general. 
 
Jesse Marsch's team have played eight home games in MLS this season, and won five of them. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth about the loss of their undefeated home record against LA Galaxy, but that blip masks the fact that the Red Bulls are normally rock solid when they play in New Jersey. 
 
Last week's late victory in Philadelphia also strengthens the feeling that the Red Bulls are over-reliant on Bradley Wright-Phillips, but you can make exactly the same claim about David Villa and NYCFC, and the crux of a betting strategy for this game relies on measuring the merits of this weekend's visitors. 
 
And I'm still not sure about them: Villa is obviously one of the League's outstanding players, and it was his brilliance that got them the win against Seattle last week, but they still look poor defensively and tactically at times, and it's no surprise that they have conceded at least once in all but one of their last eleven games. 
 
The Red Bulls are hardworking and efficient, and give me the impression of a team who get the job done, particularly at home. More exciting Red Bulls teams have failed in their pursuit of an MLS Cup, this rather functional one might just have a better chance of getting that job done, and shouldn't be odds against to win this weekend. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back New York Red Bulls to beat NYCFC @ 2.02 
 
 
Chicago Fire v Orlando City 
Sunday, 01:30 
 
Orlando City salvaged a point in Seattle in midweek, but after a run of three consecutive home matches, that game heralds the start of a three-match road trip. A journey from Seattle to Chicago with three days' rest is far from ideal preparation before taking on the form team in MLS. 
 
I spoke glowingly about Chicago last week, and so won't repeat myself, but Velkjo Paunovic has something special going, and I can't see a tired Orlando getting in their way here. 
 
The Fire have now won six home games in a row, and four of those were by at least two goals. Even though Orlando have managed to keep things relatively tight all season, the MLS schedule is starting to kick in (and it's brutal) and I think that Jason Kreis will struggle to keep that backline as rock solid as it has been. 
 
Chicago have so much attacking talent that they seem certain to expose Kreis' men, and if they take their chances as they have been doing, I see a comfortable home win, with Chicago well worth backing conceding a goal on the Asian Handicap. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back Chicago Fire to beat Orlando City -1 on Asian Handicap @ 1.90 
 
 
Columbus Crew v Montreal Impact 
Sunday, 00:30 
 
Both Columbus Crew and Montreal Impact were involved in high-scoring games last weekend, and I expect that trend to continue here in Ohio. 
 
Gregg Berhalter's Crew have become a real team to follow for goals, with only one of their last nine games failing to go over the 2.5 mark, while Montreal's much-vaunted forward line has finally clicked into gear, but Mauro Biello's considerable problem is that his team can't defend. 
 
There've been goals in every Montreal game this season, and four of their last eight have gone Over 4.5, and more importantly, I feel that these two styles will combine to make an open game. When you watch both Columbus and Montreal, games tend to be stretched, teams seem to play on the front foot, and that means space for the likes of Federico Higuain and Ignacio Piatti to exploit. 
 
And we have a form line too, a recent one: the two sides met on May 13 in Montreal and it finished 3-2 in favour of the Crew. At that point, Montreal were undercooked going forward and yet still managed to find a way past Berhalter's backline, while Justin Meram and co tore the Impact apart. 
I'd struggle to have a strong opinion on who'll win this weekend, but I'd be surprised if there aren't at least four goals. 
 
Recommended Bet 
Back Over 3.5 Goals in Columbus Crew v Montreal Impact @ 2.40 
 
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MLS Betting: Back the Bulls to win battle of New York

New York Red Bulls v New York City FC Saturday, 18:30 Live on Sky Sports 5 The New York derby takes centre stage this MLS rivalry weeken...