Football Bet of the Day: Bellamy’s boys can dim the Black Stars

Wales welcome Ghana to the Cardiff City Stadium in an international friendly on Tuesday (7:45pm BST, BBC iPlayer). The Dragons will be wondering what might have been this summer, as they watch the 2026 World Cup having agonisingly missed out on qualification via penalties in their UEFA Play-Off semi-final.

There is a familiar face in the Ghana dugout as former Manchester United assistant and Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz leads out the Black Stars. Read on for my tip for this game that we’re calling our Football Bet of the Day. Ooh, the pressure.

Craig Bellamy’s side were bitterly disappointed to miss out on the 2026 World Cup. Four years ago, a Gareth Bale-bolstered Dragons side entered their first finals since the 1958 tournament in Sweden.

The current vintage lacks the standout superstar that Bale was and feels like a team in transition.

Danny Ward is a holdover from the heroes of Euro 2016. But the stars of 2022 are the ones who remain central to this side. Ethan Ampadu has risen from young prospect to vice captain. Joe Rodon and Dan James remain after helping to keep Leeds United in the Premier League. Ben Davies is now the captain, having taken the armband from the retired Bale.

The squad is also bolstered by newbies like Swansea City’s Cameron Congreve and West Brom’s Ollie Bostock.

Football Odds

Ghana boast some serious talent in their ranks. Jordan Ayew is 119 caps deep into his Black Stars career. Antoine Semenyo has been excellent at Manchester City. Inaki Williams remains a talent, though he has rarely replicated his Athletic Club form at international level.

The Ghana squad is less consistent quality-wise compared to Wales, which is where I think this tie will be won and lost. Bellamy has big match experience at his disposal, along with young talents inspired by the Wales side that reached three consecutive major tournaments between 2016 and 2022. 

Ghana are in poor form, having lost their last five on the trot. Wales have two wins, two draws and a defeat in 90 minutes in their recent history. That run included a 7-1 walloping of North Macedonia. I’m backing Bellamy’s boys to win here, though admittedly not by that sort of margin. Wales will prevail though, even with a -1 handicap.