The Dos and Don'ts of International Weekends

Given that there aren't as many matches on this weekend (and, I'll level with you, readers: I don't consider mayself knowledgeable enough about the current squads of Austria and Lithuania to write up their match tomorrow), I thought I'd impart some of my "wisdom" when it comes to betting on internationals:

• DO research in your normal way: past results, league tables, form guides, notes on players, etc. The pointers to results for club teams remain the same in international football
• DO back Germany at 15/8 away to Russia tomorrow- an absolute stunner of a price at Coral. Speaking of great prices on the Germans, they are a massive 11/1 to win the World Cup
• DON'T just put the big teams to beat minnows on outright. These bets, even on an accumulator, offer no value. France at 1/100 to beat the Faroe Islands is a somewhat pointless bet, likewise Portugal at 2/11 to beat Hungary. Bookies are notoriously stingy on these games, due to the number of casual punters who will pile in on them
• DO think about the supposed smaller sides, especially at the moment. Liechtenstein are biting back, after years of ineptitude. Andorra recently scored a goal. Bosnia, once also-rans, are on the verge of a play-off place. Montenegro are an emerging outfit, with talent in attack such as Stvean Jovetic and Mirko Vucinic. And, last but by no means least, earlier on in this qualifying campaign: Switzerland 1 Luxembourg 2
• DON'T pay £4.99 or however much this Kentaro mob are charging to watch Ukraine v England. One bookmaker, whose name would suggest that they are open every single day of the year, are streaming it free of charge
• DO look away from the outright markets for value. As discussed, France are not worth backing outright to beat the Faroe Islands, however over 4.5 goals (and, let's face it: France could well stick 5 or more past the Faroes, given the quality they have in attack) is worth a small stake at evens with Sporting Bet
• Do take a cheeky look at the lower league action taking place this weekend. This writer would recommend taking a punt on Charlton, Stirling Albion and Queens Park on Saturday