One of the worst international teams in the world takes on one of the best as San Marino host Germany on Friday.
We all know what we are getting with San Marino – whipping boys and a team who opponents use to boost their goal difference and nothing different is in store here. Whilst San Marino do find themselves on the end of a thrashing most games, it must still be a great thrill for the players to represent their country and face some of the best players in world football.
Pierangelo Manzaroli’s side got the headlines last month when they scored their first away goal since 2001 in their 4-1 loss to Norway. The celebrations for Mattia Stefanelli’s strike were alike to a team winning the World Cup – it was great to watch.
La Serenissima last won an international match against fellow minnows Liechtenstein back in 2004. Their 1-0 victory is also their biggest ever winning margin. However, this was not their last success as they did brilliantly in November 2014 to secure a competitive draw and a proud point against Estonia.
The contrast from San Marino to Germany is stark. The Germans are World champions and were disappointed to not win Euro 2016 in the summer. Manager Joachim Low, who recently signed a new contract, has seen his side win all three of their World Cup qualifiers so far without conceding a goal and the currently sit comfortably top of Group C.
There is almost no point in looking at the Germany squad or its strengths and weaknesses as they are going to win this game without a shadow of a doubt. They do have a couple of key players missing in the likes of Toni Kroos and Jerome Boateng, but I am not expecting too much rotation from Low. Even though this match is only against San Marino, Germany take every game incredibly seriously and the majority of their big players should be on show.
Of course the main question is: “what markets can you realistically bet on here?” Well, there are a couple of selections on the goal markets that look worthwhile.
San Marino’s biggest ever loss was a 13-0 loss to the Germans back in 2006 and a similar score here really could be on the cards.
The first bet to go for is ‘Germany to Score Over 7.5 Goals’ at 6/4. I am surprised that this bet, which of course would usually be ridiculous, offers even a price of 6/4, such is the difference in class here. Perhaps the bookmakers are hoping that the Germans will take this match lightly and keep their foot off the throttle, however, this is not how the German team go about their business and I think they should score at least eight goals on Friday night.
Another bet in this fixture is ‘Germany to score Over 3.5 First Half Goals’ at 9/5. It’s not hard to see the Germans storming out of the blocks here and putting this lowly San Marino team in their place early on. Perhaps the bookmakers think four first half goals is a bit ambitious but, again, it is in the German nature to take this match incredibly seriously and get the job done properly and I fully expect them to do that here.
See more World Cup Qualifying tips here.