Euro 2020 Qualifying Semifinals Path B Odds & Previews: Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Northern Ireland & Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland

• The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying playoffs will decide the last four teams entering into the group stage of the international tournament
• Path B consists of two semifinals between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland and Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland
• Currently, the favorites for these two matches are Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovakia with moneylines of -112 and +150, respectively

With qualifying for the 2020 Euros back in full swing, Path B looks to trim down to its final two sides come Thursday night. Between Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland, only one can advance further into the group stage of the prestigious Euros tournament.

The winner of the group will join Spain, Sweden and Poland in Group E of the competition which was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The winner of these two fixtures will play a final on November 12th in Sarajevo or Belfast for their golden ticket into the Euros.

Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Northern Ireland Odds

All odds taken on Oct 5 at DraftKings

Edin Dzeko Will Surely Have a Hand in This One

The first match in Path B of Euro qualifying is between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland, two sides that squared off twice in 2018. Both of those prior matches were won by Bosnia by a score of 2-0 and 2-1. Edin Dzeko played a big part in both matches, and will definitely have a hand come Thursday night. The international captain has over 100 caps for Bosnia with a stellar 59 goals to match. With Miralem Pjanic playing behind him in the midfield, Bosnia will always have a good chance of winning a match like this one.

Nonetheless, their counterparts, Northern Ireland, will be keen to win their first competitive matches of the year. Drawing to Romania and being thumped by Norway 5-1 in the Nations League will have a sour taste in the mouths of Stephen Davis and company. Jonny Evans is also expected to be fully fit for Northern Ireland which will surely help them in their fight for the Euros.

Despite suffering a slight knock on club duty at the weekend, Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough has claimed there is "nothing to worry about” over defender Jonny Evans' involvement against Bosnia on Thursday

Read what the manager had to say here ⤵️https://t.co/GPiOOMVegS

— Belfast Telegraph Sport (@BelTel_Sport) October 5, 2020

Overall, this one is probably closer than most think but I still favor Bosnia to go through and get one step closer to the Euros. Edin Dzeko is their main man for a reason and he will be the difference come Thursday. With odds of -112, this bet is still valuable, despite Bosnia being early favorites.

My Pick: Bosnia and Herzegovina moneyline (-112)

Slovakia vs Republic of Ireland Odds

Ireland’s Defense to See Them Through in Euro Qualifying

The second feature game of Path B on Thursday is between Slovakia and the Republic of Ireland, two fairly matched sides. These two countries have played three times since 2010 between friendlies and Euro qualifying, and all three ended as stalemates. Both of these teams have also lost one, and drawn one in the UEFA Nations League, against fairly dull opponents to say the least.

While Ireland have quite a strong defense with the likes of Shane Duffy, John Egan, and Matt Doherty, they will be without one of their best on Thursday. Seamus Coleman is forced out due to a knock against Brighton. However, Slovakia is also without a key defender, Lukas Stetina, as he is sitting out with a long-term knee injury. Ireland has a little bit more going forward with the likes of David McGoldrick, who scored a goal against Arsenal on the weekend. Slovakia lack finishing in the final third which is why I am favoring the underdogs to win in this one.

Arsenal 2 – [1] Sheffield Utd – McGoldrick 83' #ARSSHU #PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/uizyt1W7Db

— xxmunich (@xxmunich) October 4, 2020

Milan Skriniar is Slovakia’s best player and he is a central defender which really tells you all you need to know in terms of how Slovakia is looking to play. Overall, this game should be exciting as any Euro qualifier is, and both of these teams are going to leave it all out on the pitch. While trending upwards, Slovakia just do not have the long-term prestige Ireland has in international football. Football heritage is not everything, but it can help us understand games that might be a little to narrow to judge.

My Pick: Republic of Ireland moneyline (+200)