Andy's Wednesday tips - England to excite
England, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are all in international action on Wednesday evening, so we asked our man in the know Andy Gray what he made of their chances...
England v France
Fabio Capello is likely to select an experimental 11 for this match and I think England fans will welcome that. It's always good to see new players winning international caps and the likes of Andy Carroll will get their chance at Wembley against the French.
This is the ideal opportunity to try some new players because I expect the French manager to be doing the same. Laurent Blanc has won three and lost two of his five games in charge and he is still trying to find his best team.
Some people complain that friendlies are dull but I think Wednesday night could be the exception at Wembley. Those who do step up from the Under-21s and their club sides will be desperate to impress Capello and that could lead to an exciting game.
Two of England's last three games produced four goals and I expect Wednesday to be similar. Every England friendly this year has broken the 2.5 goals barrier, with half featuring over 3.5 so there's no reason to think this match will be a dour affair.
With untried players, as well as the likely experimental nature of the French team, it's difficult to predict whether or not the Three Lions can win, so I'm going to predict a 2-2 draw.
Recommended Bets:
Back the draw at [3.3]
Back the 2-2 draw at [21.0]
Back over 3.5 goals at [4.8]
Republic of Ireland v Norway
I like the Republic under Giovanni Trapattoni and I hope they qualify for a major tournament under the Italian.
Recommended Bet: Back Republic of Ireland to win 1-0 at [7.6]
Northern Ireland v Morocco
Nigel Worthington's men are, as some of the super powers of world football know, a tough proposition at Windsor Park and I expect them to win this.
Recommended Bet: Back Northern Ireland to win 2-0 at [14.0]
Andy Gray is now on Twitter so follow him for his exclusive tips and his take on the biggest stories in football each week.
Published: 17 Nov 2010
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