Neither Arsenal or Chelsea will want to welcome this weekend's international break with the current form they are in, but the Gunners' Robin Van Persie has the opportunity at least to keep his goal run going when Holland (19/10) visit Italy (13/10) in what will be a tight encounter.
That fixture is one of several mouth-watering weekend internationals with England (9/4) facing a toughie away at the mighty Brazil (21/20). However, the game is being played in neutral Qatar and is one that Brazil may not take seriously as they have a big domestic weekend and players will be unavailable, so a check of the starting line-ups is a must.
England should field a decent side, though, and if Jermain Defoe makes the team, he represents good value with Sportingbet at 12/5 to score at any any time in the match – and he'll be hungry for action following a suspension.
Pride will be on the line when Wales (6/4) host Scotland (8/5) in Cardiff on Saturday in another friendly whose outcome will rely heavily on the starting line-ups.
With both Simon Davies and Craig Bellamy unavailable for Wales, Scotland can leave with at least a draw – something they have achieved on three of their last five Welsh visits – especially if fielding Darren Fletcher and James McFadden.
There should be goals and passion in this one, so I'm siding with Scotland to win 2-1 (9/1) and the draw at 2-2 (16/1).
Saturday also sees four World Cup play-off matches in Europe, with the Republic of Ireland (19/10) squaring up to France (13/10) in the first leg at home.
If the Republic get on top early, they could spring a shock as the French tend to drop their heads when bullied, so it may be worth watching the first 10 minutes before placing an 'in-play' wager with Sportingbet. However, as I have to make a prediction five days in advance and not 10 minutes into the match, the draw looks the safest option in what should be a tight, low-scoring affair, and scorelines of 0-0 (13/2) and 1-1 (5/1) seem realistic.
Although the Premier League is missing this weekend, there is still League One and Two action, where the former presents a punting opportunity with Colchester (3/5), Millwall (29/20) and Norwich (2/5) all looking good to continue their decent form. A win treble on all three returns just over 5/1.
The weekend also stages a cracking three-day meeting at Cheltenham over the jumps, where the main betting event is the Paddy Power Gold Cup on Saturday. Several stars have won this over the years, like Cyfor Malta, Our Vic and Exotic Dancer, but the question is: who will land this year's renewal?
Chapoturgeon heads the ante-post list at 11/2, but the three which fit all the main trends and look solid are Poquelin (7/1), Tarotino (7/1) and Northern Alliance (10/1). The former was mightily impressive in scoring over course and distance last time out and has Ruby Walsh booked to ride.
Thursday sees the start of golf's UBS Hong Kong Open which features the likes of Rory McIlroy (9/1) and Lee Westwood (10/1), who both performed well in last week's big event in Shanghai where Phil Mickleson, Ernie Els and Tiger Woods made the top 10.
McIlroy should again go well here, and 9/1 is a fair enough price. But at almost double those odds is Franceso Molinari (16/1), who finished in the top 16 in Shanghai and has a good form at this venue with a second place finish last year.
Snooker's Premier League also features on Thursday when it enters the penultimate qualifying week – the semis and final are on 28/29 November.
Rookie Judd Trump last week shocked Ronnie O'Sullivan, and this week takes on the unbeaten John Higgins in what will be a classy affair.
This quicker format of the game – 30 seconds between each shot – clearly suits Trump who has notched the most centuries so far and, interestingly, is still available at a generous 7/1 to win the final with Sportingbet.
The best punt on Thursday night, however, lies in the second match between Neil Robertson and Shaun Murphy. Murphy has struggled in the Premier League this term and may have to give way again here to Robertson, who needs to win if standing any chance of making the semis. Check Sportingbet's website for all the latest odds.
Week's best bet: Jermain Defoe to score for England at anytime against Brazil (12/5, sportingbet).
