Montenegro vs Wales Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips: Cards on the menu in Niksic

Wales will be looking to build on their home Nations League point against Turkey when they travel to Montenegro on Monday night, live on S4C and BBC iPlayer at 7.45pm.

Montenegro vs Wales Preview

New Wales manager Craig Bellamy will be content with a point from his opening match against Euro 2024 quarter-finalists Turkey, but the fiery competitor in him will be disappointed at being unable to push on and claim the win after their opponents were reduced to 10 men with 30 minutes still left on the clock.

Wales dominated possession with 66.7% of the ball and had 15 shots, but could only register one on target. Still, fans will be have been encouraged at the refreshing high-tempo and high-risk approach.

The Dragons will look to build on that performance on Monday when they clash with Montenegro at the Gradski Stadion in Niksic. The Brave Falcons suffered a 2-0 defeat to Iceland in their opening game, which extended their losing streak to three games.

However, Montenegro can draw on a decent return of four wins from their last five home games, albeit against opponents they would expect to be beating: Lebanon, Lithuania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.

The hosts are priced at 2/1 to nail down the win, visiting Wales can be backed at 7/5 to get the first victory of the Bellamy era, while a draw is available at 23/10.

Our first bet comes in the cards market.

Wales have received at least one yellow card in each of their last 10 matches: 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1, 2. Notably, in eight of these encounters, they have been issued two or more yellow cards, including two in their most recent match against Turkey.

It's a similar story with Montenegro who have accumulated three or more yellow cards in three of their last four games. In Friday's defeat to Iceland, four players were cautioned, and during the loss to Belgium in June, they had a player sent off.

Moreover, referee Georgi Kabakov is hardly shy when it comes to issuing cards, having dished out 22 yellow cards across just five matches this season.

This cards trend from all three parties subsequently points me in the direction of over 4.5 cards in the match, which is available at 21/20 with Paddy Power.

Wales may have been installed as the favourites here, but it's the draw that stands out at 23/10 with bet365, a bet that's landed in five of their last seven games.

The Dragons looked much improved against Turkey yet, ultimately, they were unable to complete the job. After all, this is a side that have been starved of wins, having claimed just one in their last seven matches, while they've failed to find the back of the net in four straight games dating back to March.

On top of that, they have only recorded one win in 10 on their travels, with four of their last seven outings ending level.

Montenegro's recent record may raise concerns, however, they've been a tough nut to crack on home soil, where they've been defeated only once in six games.

I've teamed this bet with Brennan Johnson to have a shot on target to form a 5/1 Bet Builder with bet365.

Johnson looked very lively against Turkey, during which he had two shots. For Tottenham this season, he has successfully registered a shot on target in each of his away games in the Premier League, and he should find himself in at least a couple of goalscoring positions against a Montenegro side that have conceded seven goals in three games.

Montenegro vs Wales Bet Boosts