A goal shy first half

Sweden's 1-0 win in Turkey have given them a chance of finishing top of their group and advancing to League A if they can beat Russia at home on Tuesday. Despite them requiring all the 3 points to be promoted don't expect their manager Janne Anderson to change his defensive tactics.

Betting tip

Sweden will have been happy with their win in Turkey but they still have to overcome a stoic Russia. A draw won't be enough for promotion, as Sweden have an inferior goal difference (0). Russia lead the group with 7 points compared to Sweden's 4. The last time the two met in Moscow it ended 0-0. Being Swedish I've followed Janne Anderson's pragmatic, if not terribly exciting management of the national team closely and I think that I have a pretty good idea of how he is going to play.

It will be the same old Sweden, taking the safe route rather than taking any risks. With no need of improving their goal difference, he won't risk anything at the beginning, choosing not to concede any chances over trying to score, he will much rather keep a strong defence, and capitalise on a Russia mistake than Sweden going for it.

If we look at how Sweden lined up in their crucial game against Turkey, we can see that their team were more defensively minded than ever before, with Marcus Berg being the only player up front and Johansson in midfield. Considering Sweden will prefer to play to their defensive strengths and keep it safe at the beginning, along with the fact that Russia would rather secure a 0-0 than risk anything I think that an under 1 goal bet in the first half is a so-called 'no-brainer'.

An alternative bet would be 'no goal before 30 mins' - this is tempting, but I would rather go for under 1 goal in the first half at odds of 4/6 with Unibet.

Bet Under 1 goals in the first half Asian handicap on Unibet