{"id":15653,"date":"2017-10-04T12:26:26","date_gmt":"2017-10-04T11:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.colossusbets.com\/?p=15653"},"modified":"2021-05-18T15:22:07","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T14:22:07","slug":"martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8"},"content":{"rendered":"

England vs Slovenia \u2013 1<\/h2>\n

While it\u2019s Slovenia that undoubtedly have more to play for\u00a0on Thursday<\/span><\/span>, Gareth Southgate\u2019s men are yet to ensure top spot and failure to do so before the final group game would really shine light on what has been a very underwhelming qualifying campaign. The visitors know that defeat would all but guarantee that they are unable to finish second so will have to open up at some stage, even if they do try to keep things tight in the first half. That should play into England’s hands, and while Dele Alli is unavailable through suspension the likes of Kane, Sterling and Rashford are in strong form and should have too much for their opponents, who are once again without the impressive Kevin Kampl. I’m backing England to beat Slovenia in the first fixture in this week’s Pick 8<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Scotland vs Slovakia \u2013 1 \/ X \/ 2<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s no escaping the enormity of this match for both sides\u2019 chances of securing a place in the play-offs, though it\u2019s Scotland that know anything short of victory would likely be too little. Slovakia have a favourable home game with Malta to conclude their group matches so, provided neighbours Slovenia don\u2019t spring an upset at Wembley, would no doubt take a draw come\u00a0Thursday<\/span><\/span>. In the likes of Skrtel, Skriniar and particularly Hamsik, the visitors have the stronger individuals in key positions but the Tartan Army will be roared on by a vociferous home crowd so this is too tough to call!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Montenegro vs Denmark \u2013 1 \/ 2<\/h2>\n

Another huge game in what is likely to be a straight battle for the runner-up spot in group E, both Montenegro and Denmark enter this encounter in strong form. Both nations have some very fine players and their close proximity in terms of quality is reflected in the group standings, not only level on points but also goals scored and conceded. The home support will create a wild and intimidating atmosphere for the Danes, which could prove the difference, and a draw wouldn\u2019t really suit either side. With match winners in both camps I don\u2019t see this one ending in stalemate.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Northern Ireland vs Germany \u2013 2<\/h2>\n

With the top two spots already assured for these two sides, Northern Ireland could keep their extremely faint hopes of automatic qualification alive with an unlikely victory \u2013 relying on the Germans to lose to Azerbaijan in their final game\u2026 Nevertheless, Michael O\u2019Neill\u2019s side will be motivated to spring an upset of their own and have been buoyed by the absence of the injured Timo Werner from Jogi Loew\u2019s ranks. The visitors are short in attack as a result but their quality throughout the squad should tell in what is likely to be tighter affair than many might expect.<\/p>\n

\"Martin's<\/a><\/p>\n

Georgia vs Wales \u2013 2<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The big news for Chris Coleman\u2019s men is that star man Gareth Bale will miss the two decisive qualifiers in the coming days, which is the worst thing that could have happened. Moreover, Georgia are no mugs and since diminishing Wales\u2019 qualification hopes with a point in Cardiff this time last year they\u2019ve lost just one of their last six matches, drawing the other five. It could be a very frustrating and nervous night for the visitors as a result but the prospect of a winner takes it all match up with Ireland next week should see them through, with a victory capable of keeping their automatic qualification dreams alive should Serbia fail to win in Austria.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Austria vs Serbia \u2013 2<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s almost mathematically impossible for Austria to qualify, while Serbia know that a victory\u00a0on Friday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0would see them guarantee top spot. The potential reward for the visitors is far greater then, and Slavoljub Muslin\u2019s side have impressed throughout the qualifying campaign, where the hosts have underwhelmed massively. After picking up just two points from a possible 15 from the three sides above them in group D, their hopes of qualifying for back-to-back tournaments have dissipated, and so too has the confidence in the camp so an away win is on the cards.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Turkey vs Iceland \u2013 1<\/h2>\n

In what is arguably the most intriguing group in qualifying heading into these decisive two matches, Iceland could take a huge step towards a top two finish with victory in Istanbul. However, now under the tutelage of the vastly experienced Mircea Lucescu, Turkey have rejuvenated their hopes of booking a place in Russia. A 1-0 victory over leaders Croatia last time out blew this group wide open and proved just how difficult an atmosphere it is for away sides. Iceland haven\u2019t travelled well either, with their only victory coming in Kosovo, and the hosts should be favoured to take this group right to the wire in what will be an enthralling end to the campaign\u00a0on Monday<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Belgium \u2013 1 \/ 2<\/h2>\n

Belgium could be forgiven for taking their foot off the gas having already qualified from group H with ease but Roberto Martinez has named his strongest squad possible in the absence of Dembele and Benteke. The likes of Batshuayi and Mertens may have a chance to prove their worth from the front if Lukaku is rested due to a minor injury, but that just highlights the Red Devils\u2019 strength in depth. Bosnia have a strong squad themselves and as such their struggles to cement second spot have been a little surprising. Defeat could see them slip below Greece ahead of the finale, who finish up against Gibraltar. The incentive to win for the hosts is huge as a result, so either way I don\u2019t see this ending in a draw.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Join Martin Laurence’s Pick 8 Syndicate\u00a0here!<\/a><\/h2>\n

Martin is the content manager for\u00a0WhoScored.com<\/a><\/h3>\n

You can follow more of his tips on Twitter\u00a0@WSTipster<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

England vs Slovenia \u2013 1 While it\u2019s Slovenia that undoubtedly have more to play for\u00a0on Thursday, Gareth Southgate\u2019s men are yet to ensure top spot and failure to do so before the final group game would really shine light on what has been a very underwhelming qualifying campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272,174,265,177],"class_list":["post-15653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome","tag-news","tag-syndicate","tag-ticker"],"yoast_head":"\n\u00a310,000 Pick 8, by Martin Laurence including England v Slovenia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colossus Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SportsBigger\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EnglandPick8ML.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Martin Laurence\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/martinlaurence7\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ColossusBets\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Martin Laurence\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Martin Laurence\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8befd78c3f515e5e2c694a8374e5a7d1\"},\"headline\":\"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":973,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Pick8.png\",\"keywords\":[\"FeatureHome\",\"News\",\"Syndicate\",\"Ticker\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2017\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u00a310,000 Pick 8, by Martin Laurence including England v Slovenia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Pick8.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00\",\"description\":\"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Pick8.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/10\\\/Pick8.png\",\"width\":510,\"height\":618,\"caption\":\"Martin's Ticket\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Colossus Blog\",\"description\":\"Colossus Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Colossus Bets\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/rYeFCrFc_400x400.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/01\\\/rYeFCrFc_400x400.png\",\"width\":400,\"height\":400,\"caption\":\"Colossus Bets\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SportsBigger\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/ColossusBets\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/colossusbets_\\\/?hl=en\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/colossus-bets\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/ColossusBets\\\/featured\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8befd78c3f515e5e2c694a8374e5a7d1\",\"name\":\"Martin Laurence\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Martin Laurence\"},\"description\":\"WhoScored.com stalwart and Content Manager, Martin has been integral in the website\u2019s editorial development. He contributes regularly to the Aston Villa club website, as well as The Guardian, Sky Sports, Football365, TEAMtalk, ESPN, The Independent, Eurosport and more.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.WhoScored.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/martinlaurence7\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.colossusbets.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/martinlaurence\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u00a310,000 Pick 8, by Martin Laurence including England v Slovenia","description":"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8","og_description":"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/","og_site_name":"Colossus Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SportsBigger\/","article_published_time":"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/EnglandPick8ML.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Martin Laurence","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/martinlaurence7","twitter_site":"@ColossusBets","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Martin Laurence","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/"},"author":{"name":"Martin Laurence","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8befd78c3f515e5e2c694a8374e5a7d1"},"headline":"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8","datePublished":"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/"},"wordCount":973,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Pick8.png","keywords":["FeatureHome","News","Syndicate","Ticker"],"articleSection":["Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2017","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/","name":"\u00a310,000 Pick 8, by Martin Laurence including England v Slovenia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Pick8.png","datePublished":"2017-10-04T11:26:26+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-18T14:22:07+00:00","description":"Martin Laurence takes a look at the \u00a310,000 Pick 8 kicking off Thursday, in what is crunch-time for many teams bidding a place in next year's World Cup.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Pick8.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Pick8.png","width":510,"height":618,"caption":"Martin's Ticket"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/martin-laurence-previews-10000-pick-8-9\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Martin Laurence previews the \u00a310,000 Pick 8"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/","name":"Colossus Blog","description":"Colossus Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Colossus Bets","url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/rYeFCrFc_400x400.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/rYeFCrFc_400x400.png","width":400,"height":400,"caption":"Colossus Bets"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SportsBigger\/","https:\/\/x.com\/ColossusBets","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/colossusbets_\/?hl=en","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/colossus-bets\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/ColossusBets\/featured"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/8befd78c3f515e5e2c694a8374e5a7d1","name":"Martin Laurence","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/34a6ae3a58bc16738ade27a0fa60aec9ea87c53d91dcc4affbd37c9983e526ae?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Martin Laurence"},"description":"WhoScored.com stalwart and Content Manager, Martin has been integral in the website\u2019s editorial development. He contributes regularly to the Aston Villa club website, as well as The Guardian, Sky Sports, Football365, TEAMtalk, ESPN, The Independent, Eurosport and more.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.WhoScored.com","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/martinlaurence7"],"url":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/author\/martinlaurence\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15653"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40397,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15653\/revisions\/40397"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}