Andy's Euro qualifier tips - Bet on England
I've talked already this week about John Terry and the England captaincy and this is the first match where we'll be able to see what affect, if any, the whole business has had on the team. Far more important than that though is the result in this match as there are vital qualifying points up for grabs...
Wales v England
The thing about any of the Home Nations playing England is that they know everything about their counterparts, arguably a lot more than what the English players know about them.
The other thing is that these teams have a history of raising their game when up against the Three Lions. Remember Scotland beating England at Wembley (albeit in vain) in the play-offs for Euro 2000 and Northern Ireland getting the better of David Beckham's England in Belfast a few years ago?
This is a good Welsh squad at present and they have a great chance to make a positive, fresh start under Gary Speed, who was such a wonderful servant of Welsh football as a player for so many years.
Craig Bellamy may be the wrong side of 30 but he's still a fantastic talent. He'll be pumped up for this match and keen to remind Roberto Mancini that he's more than good enough to still be playing for a top Premier League team.
The absence of Gareth Bale is a blow as he has been in the form of his life this season but there's solid Premier League and international experience in the likes of Danny Gabbidon and James Collins. Like I have already said, these are guys who know the games of the English players inside out.
If Speed's men are to get anything out of this match, first and foremost they'll need to defend a lot better than they have in recent times. Andy Carroll is almost certain to start even though he's only just come back from injury and I think a Carroll/Wayne Rooney partnership is exactly what the English public want to see.
Whoever is given the job of marking Carroll will know he's got his work cut out for the afternoon. And even if Wales find a way of dealing with the power and aerial ability of the Liverpool man, there's also the talent and skill of a certain Rooney to contend with, not to mention those forward runs of an in-form Frank Lampard.
Wales' best chance of getting something from this match is to make the use of the pace of Bellamy. I think Wales will give England a real game here and, if they make the most of the home support and play to their full potential whilst Fabio Capello's men are caught napping, we could be in for an upset. But those are a few too many ifs and the smart money is on a narrow England win.
Recommended Bets:
Back England to win at [1.44]
Back England to win 2-1 at [9.6]
Back Frank Lampard to score at anytime at [3.5]
Republic of Ireland v Macedonia
Republic of Ireland are in a far better place right now than they were before Giovanni Trapattoni took over. There's more structure to the set-up and the players seem to have a better idea of what is expected of them and what their role is. That's not to say that results have drastically improved of course.
They lost at home to Russia back in October and could only manage a draw away at Slovakia in the next match which means they're still in the mix for qualification, but they do still have to go to both Russia and Macedonia. Any more than two points from those matches would be a superb achievement.
That means winning this game is absolutely imperative and somehow I have a feeling they will. I normally trust Ireland at home and Robbie Keane tends to put in a big performance in Dublin against teams like this, so my money is on the home side picking up a priceless three points.
Recommended Bets:
Back Republic of Ireland to win at [1.5]
Back Republic of Ireland to win 2-0 at [7.0]
Spain v Czech Republic (Friday night)
When a side like Spain play many expect it to turn into a cricket score. Andres Iniesta, Xavi, David Silva, David Villa, Fernando Torres - the names just roll off your tongue. But international football doesn't always work that way and it's the win that's most important, not by how many you win.
Plus, most managers would rather take a clean sheet and scoring a couple than scoring four and conceding one.
Nowadays, the Czech Republic obviously aren't the side they were in the mid 90s who took Euro 1996 by storm but they're a still a resilient team who will make life difficult for their opponents. Spain should win but it could be a lot closer than many would think.
Recommended Bets:
Back Spain to win 1-0 at [7.2]
Back under 2.5 goals at [2.14]
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Published: 25 Mar 2011
Horace Horlicks (March 25, 2011 1:00 PM) said:
I think this game could be tighter than expected. England weren't very good against a poor Denmark side in Copenhagen. Wales will be fired up in front of their own crowd. I think it will be 1-1.