It's not brave but a bet on Brazil can ease pain

IT would take a brave or foolish punter to get stuck into the international football after Friday’s freak results in World Cup qualifying and, while I will lead the bravery to others, stupidity is my middle name so it’s time to play up on my betting urges.

I was on the wrong end of just about any upset but you just have to accept that’s the way it is sometimes. It’s like a traffic jam when you're already late, a no-smoking sign on your cigarette break and ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife. Or something.

There was me on Armenia and those ruddy Maltese miracle workers land only their second ever win in World Cup history and first since 1993.

How can a team who are ranked 156th by Fifa beat Armenia? I will tell you how, with their only shot on or off target in the whole game.

Then Scotland, a team with two points from six matches, somehow beat Croatia 1-0. Scotland are ranked 74th by Fifa - in between Togo and Jordan - while Croatia sit fourth  in the same list with only Spain, Germany and Argentina above them

It was a great night for the minnows - Malta, Liechtenstein and Scotland - all picked up shock results with the trio carrying a combined Fifa ranking of 388 which adds up to the sum of these things being completely useless.

However, maybe we can use them by not using them if you know what I mean. Instead of following them we will go with whoever Fifa says is the worst side in Sunday’s glamour friendly between Brazil and France.

Les Bleus are 18th, Brazil sit 22nd - 12 places below England by the way - so the only reasonable conclusion is to have a lump on the Samba Boys. With a system like that it's no wonder Brazil are odds-on.

I know it’s far from brave but hopefully it won’t be very foolish either.