Football Bet of the Day: Gini can make Dutch wishes come true

Football Bet of the Day: Gini can make Dutch wishes come true

After picking up an odds-against winner in the Republic of Ireland, Kev's looking for another in Eindhoven.

LVG homecoming should be fun

Netherlands v Montenegro
Saturday 04 September, 19:45
Live on Sky Sports Red Button

Our Both Teams To Score bet landed inside 51 minutes last night, as St. Patrick's Athletic edged out Longford Town 3-2. We head into the final couple of days of the week in profit.

We'll look to maintain that position in Eindhoven, as the Netherlands are up against Montenegro in a vital World Cup qualifier that has significant ramifications for both sides.

The Dutch have turned to Louis van Gaal for a third time, as they look to bounce back after a disappointing European Championship. Frank de Boer's side sparkled in the group stage, only for the coach to be found wanting in the first knockout game against the Czech Republic. Van Gaal has led his nation to the semi-finals of the World Cup (they lost on penalties to Argentina in 2014), and he has been coaxed out of retirement for another crack at global glory.

Virgil van Dijk's return from injury is a big boost, although the Liverpool defender isn't quite at full capacity yet after such a long spell on the sidelines. Gini Wijnaldum has become the heartbeat of the side in midfield, and effervescent forward Memphis Depay has made a great start to life in Barcelona, scoring goals in a dysfunctional side that represents a dysfunctional club.

Having lost 4-2 in Turkey and having been held to a 1-1 draw in Norway in midweek, the Dutch don't have much margin for error if they want to top the group. Encouragingly for them, they won all three of their games on home soil at Euro 2020.

Montenegro have made a strong start to the group stage, and they fought back admirably from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 in Turkey in midweek. That effort was all the more impressive when you consider that forward Stevan Jovetic was absent because of injury. Montenegro have scored in three of their four qualifiers so far, although their Nations League results last year (they lost to Luxembourg and drew with Azerbaijan) suggest they might not be able to maintain this level of performance.

There are a few options here. I like the look of backing Both Teams To Score at 2.3, as the Dutch still have a few defensive issues, and the players are re-adjusting to what van Gaal wants from them. However, the bet I've settled on is to back Gini Wijnaldum to score at any time at 7/5. The PSG midfielder is a big-game player who found the net three times in three group games at Euro 2020, and he'll be asked to gallop forward to support the attack, as the Netherlands try to break Montenegro down.

If, for whatever reason, Wijnaldum is ruled out ahead of kick-off, revert to the BTTS bet.