Every Thursday, John Duggan brings you a preview and investment advice for the top football matches in association with Paddy Power...
I am worried about the Republic of Ireland's game with England at Wembley.
Worried that we'll get a pasting, with a depleted squad, against an England team that looks far superior. David McGoldrick has retired, Aaron Connolly is injured and Callum Robinson contracted coronavirus. Where are the goals going to come from?
I am interested to see if Jack Grealish plays for England. He is some baller. Sensational against Arsenal last weekend. I wish we had him. He's 17/10 to score anytime. It would be just our luck for it to happen.
Friendly matches don't serve much of a purpose in my view, apart from commercially. They are also hard to predict with the amount of chopping and changing of players. I wouldn't be optimistic about a result and the game is not a betting proposition.
There is a much more serious football encounter in Belfast, where Northern Ireland face Slovakia for a place at the Euro 2020 finals.
We know from last month's game in Slovakia that they aren't very good. We troubled them in Bratislava and both Conor Hourihane and Alan Browne should have scored before we lost on penalties. They have a top player in their side in Marek Hamsik, but there was nothing else memorable from an anemic display against Stephen Kenny's men. Their manager Pavel Hapal subsequently lost his job. Once again, they are without Inter's Milan Skriniar.
It will look like an inspired move if Ian Baralcough can guide Northern Ireland to a major championship. Following Michael O'Neill was always going to be a tall order, but Baraclough is a proven winner and his players showed fighting spirit in Bosnia, coming through on penalties.
It's a team which includes Premier League players Jonny Evans, Stuart Dallas and Jamal Lewis, while Rangers midfielder Steven Davis has been a fantastic servant. Northern Ireland struggle in attack, with only four goals scored in their last seven matches, but I fancy them to be better organised in front of 1000 fans at Windsor Park.
Their nucleus of players have experience from Euro 2016 and they face a Slovakian side that has shown no evidence of forward progression. Recent Nations League defeats to Israel and Scotland read no better than Northern Ireland's shortcomings against Austria and Norway. I fancy Northern Ireland to nick it and be playing matches at the Aviva Stadium next summer, if the world is in some way normal again.
Football recommendation: Northern Ireland to beat Slovakia in 90 minutes - 6/4
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