Thursday’s Top Tips: Bookings On the Cards in Nations League Semi-Final

Croatia booked their place in the UEFA Nations League final with an extra-time win over a dissapointing Dutch side last night. This evening Spain and Italy go head-to-head tonight to see who’ll face them at De Kuip on Sunday.

Failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup was a major disaster for the Italians in what has been an up and down period for the Azzuri. Sandwiched in-between two non-appearances at the World Cup was glory at Euro 2020 so you’re never quite sure which Italian side will turn up these days.

Spain come in to the game off the back of a 2-0 defeat at Hampden where they looked a shadow of their former selves. They made a meek exit from the World Cup, going out on penalties to Morocco at the last-16 stage after a group defeat to Japan and a draw with Germany who were even more dissappointing.

The nations last met at the same stage of this competition in 2022 when Spain came out on top in a fiesty affair at the San Siro to end Italy’s 37-match unbeaten run. That match saw seven players booked and Italian captain Leonardo Bonucci sent off.

Slovenian Slavko Vinčić is the man in the middle and in his non-domestic games this season he’s averaged 4.58 cards, dishing out four or more in 75% of his matches. Over 3.5 Cards pays 8/13, which could be a good leg for BetBuilders while Over 4.5 could be worth a punt at 11/8 after we saw five cards in last night’s semi-final.

As for the result it’s Spain who are favourites at 5/4 to win inside the 90 minutes with Italy at 12/5 which could be a bit of value.

The Spaniards were really disappointing at Hampden Park albeit they made a host of changes for the trip to Glasgow but they don’t have the same quality to call upon as they did in their prime just over a decade ago.

Italy desperately need to get things back on track and what better way to do so than landing a piece of silverware.

In a match that feels like a bit of a flip of a coin it looks better to be on the 12/5 shots.

Super Single

• Over 4.5 Cards 11/8 Bet365

Upcoming Match Previews & Tips

• International Football Preview: South Korea vs Peru, Greece vs Ireland, and New York City vs Columbus Crew
• Thu 19:45 Spain vs Italy
• Fri 19:45 Denmark vs Northern Ireland
• Fri 19:45 Greece vs Republic of Ireland
• Fri 19:45 Malta vs England
• Fri 19:45 Wales vs Armenia
• Sat 17:00 Norway vs Scotland

US Open Golf Tips

We've reached the third major of the 2023 calendar and the world's best gather in Los Angeles to battle it out for the US Open. As ever The Caddy presents his best picks for the weekend.

• Golf Betting: 2023 U.S. Open Golf Championship Best Picks and Preview

Racing Tips

Truthful was a 13/8 winner for Rizzel, being his one selection for Wednesday. He has picked out a further two fancies for Thursday's racing, coming at Leopardstown and Newbury.

• Racing tips: The weight for age allowance looks deadly on the unexposed Ocean Jewel

As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!

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