International Football Betting: Brazil v England

Internationals / Mike Norman / 13 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

Wayne Rooney will be one of just two regular starters taking to the field against Brazil on Saturday. Will under strength England be able to cope?

Best Bet: Back Brazil to beat England @ [2.16]

Other Bets: Back Brazil/Brazil @ [3.8] in Half Time/Full Time market; Back Over 2.5 Goals @ [2.06]; Back Luis Fabiano @ [6.2] in First Goalscorer market

Forgive Mike Norman if he doesn't sound too enthusiastic ahead of Brazil's clash with England, but with the Three Lions below strength there should only be one winner. Best Bet: Back Brazil at [2.16] to beat England.

Hats off to the organisers of this relatively pointless friendly - a 5pm kick-off means it won't clash with Strictly Come Dancing or The X Factor, but it does give us a great excuse not to watch Harry Hill!

England v Brazil is usually a fixture not to be missed, but with the game taking place at a neutral venue in Qatar, and with many of England's 'star' names either missing or withdrawing from the squad (as is the norm when a friendly is on the horizon), trying to wet the appetite ahead of the clash is a tad more difficult than usual.

But one thing that is certain is that there will be an outcome, and whether you fancy Brazil ([2.16]), England ([3.9]) or The Draw ([3.5]), having a wager is definitely one way of making your viewing more exciting.

Team news is going to be essential if you're thinking of having a sizeable bet pre-match, though personally I'd wait until the teams are announced before making a conclusive decision as to where to place your hard earned. What we do know is that Fabio Capello is without David James, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Theo Walcott, Emile Heskey, Aaron Lennon and David Beckham. And news just in is that John Terry may miss the match after picking up a knock on his ankle.

So it's going to be a very weak starting 11 for England, with perhaps only Gareth Barry and Wayne Rooney starting as regular members of Capello's team.

So what about Brazil? Robinho will be there won't he? Well yes, but he's not allowed to play say Manchester City. Wonderkid Alexandre Pato, Liverpool's Fabio Aurelio, and the now not-so-brilliant Ronaldinho are other noticeable absentees.

But fear not, Brazil manager Dunga is likely to name star players like Kaka and Daniel Alves in his line-up whilst also giving a debut to Porto striker Hulk. England meanwhile can call upon the services of Gary Cahill and Stephen Warnock... whoop whoop. Forgive me for not getting too excited!

Like England, Brazil cruised through their qualifying campaign and look every inch serious contenders to win their sixth world crown in 2010. But more imminently, Dunga's men should be too good for a seriously below strength England side on Saturday, and backing them at [2.16] to triumph looks a decent bet to me.

Friendlies are always tricky to weigh up, but generally the 'serious' action occurs in the first 45 minutes before the rhythm and tempo of the game is disrupted because of a mass of half-time substitutions. With this in mind, and presuming Brazil start with a strong a side as possible, then backing Brazil/Brazil at [3.8] in the Half Time/Full Time market also looks a decent wager. Alternatively, Draw/Brazil ([5.5]) and Draw/Draw ([5.4]) are other options to consider.

I may not be enthusiastic about the game but I can't see it being without a few goals. England's likely defence has to be a worry against the likes of Kaka, whilst if the Three Lions do put up a good showing, then Rooney and Defoe are more than capable of troubling the Brazil goalkeeper.

Over 2.5 Goals is available to back at [2.06] and is how I'd want to be playing, though at bigger odds I wouldn't put anyone off backing Over 3.5 Goals at [3.75]. Under 2.5 Goals can be backed at [1.91] if you think the game will be a low-scoring one.

First Goalscorer markets are very popular in most live games and I like the look of Luis Fabiano who is almost certain to start in attack for Brazil. He is available to back at [6.2], just ahead of Hulk ([7.4]), Rooney ([7.8]), Kaka ([8.2]) and Defoe ([8.6]).

This Brazil v England fixture might not be the best that's ever been staged, but there's certainly money to be made. Tune into ITV1 for all the action, live, kick-off 5pm.