World Cup Betting: England v Ukraine

Internationals / Feizal Rahman / 31 March 2009 / Leave a Comment

The scoreline in England's 4-0 win over Slovakia may have been somewhat flattering to the hosts but they should prove too strong for the Ukraine on Wednesday night nonetheless, says Feizal Rahman. Best bet: Back England to win 2-1 @ [9.6].

Appearances can often be deceptive. For instance, the new England home jersey may look like the sort of tasteless polo shirt donned by underage drinkers out on a Friday night but it is - allegedly - a highly sophisticated piece of sportswear. Similarly, the England team performance against Slovakia on Saturday evening may have given the impression that the national side is now a force to be reckoned with. There certainly seems to be a stronger sense of purpose among the players under head coach Fabio Capello, though whether the only thing these perennial underachievers have required is simply a no-nonsense authoritarian with a modicum of tactical awareness, remains to be seen.

Slovakia came to Wembley with no clear intent on providing a challenge and minds were no doubt focussed on their forthcoming qualifying clash with sister nation, the Czech Republic. Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney once again combined well to provide the main attacking threat and England were able to record a rather flattering 4-0 scoreline. The Manchester United striker has now found the net seven times in his last four appearances for his country and is around [5.5] to open the scoring on Wednesday night, while the Liverpool midfield dynamo trades at about [7.4].

Emile Heskey didn't seem to know too much about his own opener on Saturday but along with Carlton Cole, he is ruled out of this one with injury. Despite also receiving a knock, Peter Crouch may be fit enough to step into the target man role, though he lacks the muscular presence that Capello clearly appreciates in the injured two. Typically, it was hard for David Beckham to stay out of the limelight and he added to the honour of becoming England's most capped outfield player by providing an exquisite assist for Rooney's first. Still able to make an impact when required, Beckham's crosses and dead balls remain rapier-like. Should he be selected for his 110th cap then a punt on captain John Terry to successfully convert a delivery may tempt at [23.0] (first) or [8.4] (any time).

England have welcomed Ukraine to these shores twice before for friendly encounters, the hosts winning with ease on both occasions; 2-0 in May 2000 and 3-0 in August 2004. The match odds suggest another comfortable win - England [1.41], Ukraine [11.5] and The Draw [4.7] - but with World Cup qualification points now at stake, the visitors can be expected to provide a much stiffer test and show far less generosity than their eastern European neighbours.

As with so many teams against England, Slovakia were actually able to pass the ball around in midfield with ease for periods but simply lacked the conviction to create chances. With Gerrard positioned on the left hand-side, his frequent ventures forward to link up with Rooney provided gaping holes that were begging to be attacked. With Aaron Lennon also lacking defensive instincts on the right, Ukraine may find some joy on either flank with the pace and skill of Oleh Husyev and Maksym Kalynychenko, the latter at [8.4] to get on the score-sheet at any point in the 90 minutes.

West Ham's Matthew Upson had a couple of nervy moments in the centre of defence on Saturday but will certainly be replaced by Rio Ferdinand who was rested with this game in mind. Yet, both Ferdinand and Terry will be all too aware of the potential threat posed by Ukraine's forward line, with two familiar faces possibly paired up against them.

Andriy Shevchenko was once the most feared striker in Europe so it wouldn't be unreasonable to label his time at Chelsea disastrous. Now on loan back at AC Milan, the one-time lethal hitman has scored as many league goals in the last two seasons as most people have fingers and thumbs - though he may well be itching to make a point, in particular to his former Chelsea team-mates. Andriy Voronin, meanwhile, had an equally unproductive spell at Liverpool. However, he has since set the Bundesliga alight following his loan move to table-toppers Hertha Berlin, scoring eight times since the winter break. Yet, with seven goals in European competition this season, Ukraine's main goal threat may come from Dynamo Kiev's Artem Milevsky who provides value to score any time at [6.0].

Capello pointed out that most of the Ukrainian side ply their trade in their native league and having only recently returned from a three-month winter break, they may have fresher legs than the English players who are exposed to a relentless fixture calendar. The Ukraine backline is likely to be marshalled by the experienced Andriy Rusol, in possible partnership with the towering Dmytro Chyhrynsky. Should Rooney play up top on his own, the visiting defence may be able to frustrate the fiery frontman - as it has done with other forward lines in its three previous group games, being breached only once. In three of England's four group games, they have been level at the break before securing victory in the second half. Goalkeeper David James, meanwhile, has only been able to keep a clean sheet against lowly Andorra, with England conceding in six of their eleven matches thus far at the new Wembley.

As determined to achieve a result as they may be, Ukraine shouldn't be good enough to cause an upset. They failed to qualify for Euro 2008, finishing behind France, Italy and Scotland in their group. They may well be able to frustrate England and even provide for a few hairy moments but the home side should have enough to prevail over 90 minutes. The Draw/England double result can be backed at [4.5] with a 1-1 scoreline after 45 minutes available at [14.0]. The [9.6] on offer for a 2-1 full-time result appeals the most, with Ukraine +1.5 available at around [1.8] on the Asian handicap.