Three non-Home Nations World Cup Qualifiers to look out for

It’s still relatively early days in UEFA Qualification for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but every point is already crucial and that’s very much the case this weekend.

The difference between a draw and a win could prove so much more than merely two points when the dust has settled on qualification, so we should see plenty of drama over the next few days.

The Home Nations and the Republic of Ireland are all in action, but we’ve taken the alternative route to highlight three other fixtures worth keeping an eye on.

Poland v Romania

The interesting note ahead of this clash is that neither Poland nor Romania sit top of Group E, with that honour going to Montenegro.

The arrival of Montenegro as genuine contenders has really upped the ante in this group, which also contains Denmark.

A draw here isn’t really going to do much for either side so the only way is to go for a win.

Slovakia v Lithuania

Plenty of eyes at Wembley – mainly Scottish – will be glued to their smartphones to check the score in Trnava.

A draw would be ideal for Scotland – and the last two meetings ended 1-1 – but the bookies odds on a home win at 4/11 suggests the Tartan Army may be disappointed.

Croatia v Iceland

While Croatia were tipped as a Euro 2016 dark horse and failed to deliver, Iceland surprised us all in France.

Now the pair are vying for the automatic entry from Group I with both nations collecting seven points from three games.

With Ukraine and Turkey also in the mix, this is a fascinating Group and a convincing win for either side here would mark them out as Group favourites.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing