The World Cup is just around the corner, and while the countdown is exciting, the sudden absence of Premier League football has left a very real, very painful void in our lives.
Weekends feel a bit emptier, group chats a bit quieter, and we’re all pretending we suddenly enjoy spending time with our families.
Thankfully, Thursday’s World Cup qualifiers are here to give us something to cling to. It might not be a last-minute winner at St James’ Park, but it is football – and more importantly, it’s a perfect opportunity to put together a parlay.
We’ve picked out four sides that hopefully get the business done and give us something to cheer about at this traumatic time.
Turkey vs Romania
- (Thursday, 26 March 13:00 ET / 17:00 GMT)
Turkey to win
The hosts haven’t qualified for a World Cup since 2002, when they finished third.
They enjoyed a fantastic qualifying campaign, finishing second in their group, three points behind Spain.
Their points total would have been enough to see them qualify in a lot of the other groups, but that’s not how it works, so here they are.
I think they have enough quality to get past Romania. Turkey win.
Czech Republic vs Republic of Ireland
- (Thursday, 26 March 15:45 ET / 19:45 GMT)
Republic of Ireland to win
This is arguably the toughest leg of the four.
Ireland getting this far has been a story in itself; they pulled off three straight wins to finish their qualifying group games, not to mention Troy Parrott’s heroics in Budapest.
The Czech Republic finished second in their group, but it wasn’t without struggles, most notably losing 2-1 to the Faroe Islands – a result that cost then manager Ivan Hasek his job.
The two sides are pretty evenly matched, but you can never count out the fighting Irish! Ireland to win.
Italy vs Northern Ireland
- Italy to win (Thursday, 26 March 15:45 ET / 19:45 GMT)
Italy to win
The Italians have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups, losing in the play-offs to Sweden and North Macedonia in 2018 and 2022.
Their qualifying campaign got off to a miserable start this time out, losing 3-0 to Norway before Gennaro Gattuso took over as manager, sparking a six-game winning run to turn it around.
It was actually a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland that cost Italy automatic qualification to the World Cup in 2022, so they might want a bit of revenge here.
Northern Ireland have done well to get this far, and it’s not to say they are out of the tie, but without defensive standout Dan Ballard, this game gets significantly harder for them.
Italy to win, because they really do have to.
Denmark vs North Macedonia
- (Thursday, 26 March 15:45 ET / 19:45 GMT)
Denmark to win
Denmark’s 4-2 defeat to Scotland in their final group game saw them finish second behind Scotland and settle for a spot in the play-offs.
They actually topped the group with just two games to go, and it looked like they would see it through, but a draw with Belarus before the above-mentioned defeat ended that dream.
North Macedonia finished third in their group behind winners Belgium and Wales, who thrashed them 7-1 back in November.
They actually claimed this play-off spot through their Nations League performance, where they topped their group.
North Macedonia have never qualified for the World Cup in their history, and I don’t think that’s about to change anytime soon. Denmark to win.
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