Internationals / Editor / 27 March 2007 / Leave a Comment

Andorra v England, Wednesday 8.00pm

After England's latest abysmal showing in the 0-0 draw with Israel on Saturday in Tel Aviv, Steve McClaren is under even more pressure to send his side out ready to make hay against the minnow of European minnows at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

McClaren started his reign as Sven Goran Eriksson's successor in such positive fashion with a big friendly win over Greece, and then solid performances to beat Wednesday's opponents 5-0 and a tricky Macedonia 1-0 in Skopje.

But since then it has all gone rapidly downhill for the former Middlesbrough boss, and with just a paltry one goal scored in their last five games - and that came in a friendly - the heat is well and truly on as the media calls for his quick removal from the job gather pace.

It would be hard to imagine him holding on for much longer if the unthinkable should happen against Andorra, but even the hardened Betfair punters have a little faith in their ability to beat a side that by all known form should not even be on the same pitch as players of the undisputed class of Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard.

But it is not so long ago that people would have been saying similar things about Israel, and England proved so inept at taking their chances against them that another similar performance could be a possibility for the 1.03 match favourites.

Although England created chances in Tel Aviv, Rooney and Andrew Johnson were unable to take any of them, leaving the door open for someone like David Nugent to get his first chance in the side - anything is possible in the first scorer market with so many attacking options against such poor opposition, meaning the team selection phase could be the most important one.

England did have a fairly easy time in the first meeting between the sides at Old Trafford back in September, when Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe each scored twice - Crouch definitely misses this game as he recovers from his broken nose, while Defoe has to be a possible for the starting line-up after replacing the disappointing Johnson on Saturday.

But Andorra should still be little match for England despite their sorry state of affairs at the moment, although they did hold Armenia to a 0-0 draw last time out in a friendly. They have scored just one goal in qualification so far - in Israel ironically - and have conceded 19 goals at just under five per game...that should be the minimum sort of score England are chasing.

Italy v Scotland, Wednesday 7.50pm

The most important game for any of the home nations in midweek comes in Bari where Scotland could put at least half-a-foot in the draw for Euro 2008 with a positive result, at least a draw, to follow up the battling victory over Georgia on Saturday.

Scotland did not miss a beat following the managerial change from Walter Smith to Alex McLeish, although they were forced to battle hard by Georgia and had to rely on a last-minute goal from substitute Craig Beattie to secure three vital points. That win means they hold on to top spot alongside France, with Italy some five points adrift, with a game in hand, after not playing at the weekend.

But despite that, punters clearly feel that the tough stretch of matches to come for the Scots will see them drop out of the two qualifying places in Group B as they are fourth favourites in the 'to qualify' market at 4.3, behind 1.14 favourites France, Italy (1.22) and dark horses Ukraine (2.8), who won 2-0 against the Faroe Islands on Saturday and are three points behind the leaders with a game in hand.

The World Cup winners have been in something of a transitional period since lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy again last July, with new coach Roberto Donadoni's welcome to the job not helped by unavailability and injury, which again hits his squad for this game.

However they did bounce back from the 3-1 World Cup final revenge rematch with France by beating Ukraine and Georgia, and this will be their first international since a 1-1 friendly draw with Turkey last November.

Donadoni has called up the untested Fabio Quagliarella and Max Tonetto for the first time, while Massimo Ambrosini could play only his second game for his country with the likes of Francesco Totti, Vincenzo Iaquinta, Massimo Grosso and Christian Zaccardo all missing.

So there is some hope for the Scots despite their position as 13.5 outsiders, with the draw a 5.3 chance if McLeish decides to put out a strongly defensive line-up in Bari and try to follow up the 1-1 draw they earned in their last outing against Italy, which came at Hampden Park in World Cup 2006 qualifying.

But they have only beaten the Italians once in six games - and that came all the way back in their first encounter in 1965 - they have lost three and drawn the other two games in a six-match history.

Serbia v Portugal, Wednesday 7.30pm

The big match in Group A could go a long way to deciding the fates of these two World Cup competitors (Serbia were then still teamed with Montenegro in a joint team) in what is a very tough group to predict.

Much like Scotland's group there are still four big players in this section, playing for only two places, with Poland top on 13 points ahead of Finland on 11 and both Serbia and Portugal on 10, but the other three teams all have a game in hand on the group leaders.

However it is Portugal who are favourites with Betfair punters to top the group at the end of the gruelling qualifying campaign, priced at 1.76 ahead of Serbia at 4.1, with Poland 5.8 and surprise performers Finland at 13 in a group they were not really expected to compete strongly in.

But that market will undoubtedly shift immensely if either side can win this clash, to be played in the hot atmosphere of Crvena Zvezda Stadion, as the hosts look to bounce back from a surprise 2-1 defeat by Kazakhstan at the weekend.

Sadly that defeat also cost them the services of leading striker, and their scorer in Almaty, Nikola Zigic who was sent off and will miss Portugal's visit through suspension, meaning more of a role for Danko Lazovic, who could be available at bigger prices in the first scorer market, and would be interesting if he starts.

Portugal struggled for 45 minutes in their win over Belgium on Saturday, but the second half saw them in imperious form as Cristiano Ronaldo continued his stellar goalscoring run with a header and a lovely strike at the end of a shimmying run - as ever the in-form Manchester United star has to be a consideration in the first-scorer market.

And that all makes for a mouth-watering clash of styles on Wednesday, especially with the game taking place on Serb soil, where the hosts are on a run of four undefeated since the split from their neighbours - their last home game, a 1-1 draw with Norway, was the only one they have not won.