Russia vs Wales: Betting Preview & Tips

Here is our betting preview ahead of tonight’s huge European Championship Group B clash between Wales and Russia.

The Welsh head in to the game looking to seal their place in the knockout stages of the tournament but they’ll need to put Thursday’s disappointing defeat to England quickly behind them.

Gareth Bale scored directly from a free-kick for the second consecutive game to open the scoring against England but Jamie Vardy equalised just after half-time before Daniel Sturridge broke Welsh hearts with a stoppage time winner.

The result leaves Wales sitting second in Group B with their opening win over Solvakia ensuring they remain in a solid position. Victory tonight would guarantee qualification to the last 16 while a draw would also be enough if England beat Slovakia in tonight’s other group match.

Chris Coleman has no fresh injury worries and he may opt to stick with the same eleven that faced England, although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jonny Williams come in for Hal Robson-Kanu with Gareth Bale being pushed up front.

Betting tips

Wales have never beaten Russia in any of their previous four meetings [Lost 3 Drew 1] but they are the odds on favourites to end that poor run this evening. Many leading bookmakers have Wales at 2/1 which is certainly worth a punt but you can use free promo codes to get enhanced odds up to 10/1.

However, here are my top tips:

Gareth Bale to score first: Bale is the obvious dangerman and is the heart-beat of the Welsh side. The Real Madrid super-star will be looking to keep up his record of opening the scoring having netted first against both Slovakia and England and I think he’ll be the first on target again tonight. You can get Bale to score first at 4/1.

Wales to win 2-1: I really fancy Wales to win this game. Russia were fortunate to get a late point against England and were woeful during their loss to Slovakia. The Welsh are difficult to beat and with Bale they always have a chance of scoring, so I can see them easing to a 2-1 win which is on offer at odds of 11/1.

Wales to win 2-1 with Bale first scorer: If you like the first two tips but want even more value, why not combine them in a scorecast? Backing Wales to win 2-1 with Bale as the first scorer can get you odds of 25/1, which I think is an excellent bet.