12 sides will become six in the race for Euro 2024 qualification on Thursday with six play-off ties taking place. This will be fascinating viewing for neutral observers with so much on the line for the 12 nations.
Every match is covered on our bet builder stats tool which is a great resource for bettors ahead of the summer, you can also check out Andy Robson’s Euro 2024 Supporters Guide to whet your appetite ahead of the tournament in Germany. We are committed to keeping you up-to-date with Euro 2024 tips and insight throughout the international break.
Thursday’s Euro 2024 Qualifying Accumulator Tips
Poland v Estonia
Poland start as overwhelming favourites to overcome Estonia, clearly the weakest team in the draw, at home in their Euro 2024 play-off encounter in Warsaw – and rightly so.
Estonia finished rock bottom of Group F by scoring just a single point from eight matches. They finished those games with a goal difference of -20 and managed to stay within a goal of their opponents on only one occasion. Their record was wretched.
On the other hand, Poland boast a decent home record. In 2023, they went undefeated at home, and while they were held by Moldova and Czech Republic, they were able to overcome Germany.
Crucially for the home side, they find Robert Lewandowski, their ace striker, in better form than he was in the second half of 2023, with the 35-year-old central to their hopes of progression. The Barcelona man has scored more than twice as many international goals as the rest of the squad combined, so his quiet end to last year was to the detriment of his country.
Lewandowski is just 1.53 to score anytime in this match, while Poland should be expected to win with some room to spare against an opponent they have beaten on seven of the nine occasions they have faced them in the past.
Israel v Iceland
Israel look a strong bet to overcome Iceland in their Euro 2024 play-off encounter, despite being moved to Budapest for this encounter.
Playing on neutral territory is becoming rather familiar for the designated home side, who drew with Switzerland and were only narrowly beaten by Romania in Hungary at the tail end of the group stage. Much of their squad is drawn from Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa, who have grown used to playing European matches on neutral territory this season.
The positive experiences of these Israeli teams on the continent this season – they both progressed through the group stages of their respective competitions to reach the last 32 of the Conference League – will undoubtedly help the national team here.
And in any case, Israel have been going well lately, rarely losing against weaker opponents.
Iceland’s star has fallen since the highs of Euro 2016, meanwhile. They are now ranked only two places above their opponents but are in far worse shape. They finished fourth in qualifying Group J and suffered four defeats from five away from home, winning only against a Liechtenstein team that was by far the poorest in their group.
Israel to avoid defeat in 90 minutes looks a strong bet, with the teams having shared a pair of 2-2 draws in Nations League Group B in 2022.
Wales v Finland
Wales take on Finland after only narrowly missing out on automatic qualification to Euro 2024 and will be desperate to make up for that disappointment in the play-offs.
Wales have stepped into the post-Gareth Bale era impressively. During qualifying, they suffered only a couple of defeats and recorded a memorable 2-1 victory over Croatia at home. They were only 20 minutes away from overcoming group winners Turkey, too.
Finland might have finished third in Group H, but it was one of the weaker groups. A 1-0 win in Kazakhstan was comfortably their most impressive away display as they struggled to overcome Northern Ireland or San Marino – both teams significantly weaker than the one they will face on Thursday.
Wales have the upper hand in this rivalry. The hosts have not lost in four against their guests, including a 3-1 win at home in Nations League Group B in 2020.
The hosts, unbeaten in their last six overall, also have the advantage of being experienced on this stage. They navigated the World Cup play-offs successfully with a pair of home matches in 2022 to progress to Qatar – an experience that will serve them well here.
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Written by an Andy verified content writer