England v San Marino Odds : Punters look to goalscorer markets as price on Three Lions too short to back
England face what should be a straight forward task at home to San Marino tonight as Paddy Power announce free bets offer on the game and report that unsurprisingly, there has been little interest in backing Hodgeson’s men at a price of 1/100.
Roy Hodgson’s side make the next step in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup against a San Marino side which cause uproar in 1993, when a misplaced Stuart Pearce back pass gifted them a 1-0 lead after only 8 seconds.England fans will be hoping there are no slip ups tonight, in what should be a straight forward three points at Wembley.
Having beaten Moldova in the opening game of qualifying, the Three Lions had a frustrating evening last time out, drawing 1-1 at home to Ukraine. It could have been a lot worse though were it not for a late Frank Lampard penalty to secure a point.
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Tonight’s fixture is against very weak opposition though – San Marino lost 6-0 at home to Montenegro last month – and England should be able to run riot. With the attacking talent they have at their disposal, it should be a massively comfortable home win.
England fans will tell you that nothing is ever as simple as that though and an early goal would be very welcome. Should they grab one inside the first few minutes, Hodgson’s men can play with freedom and express themselves, something San Marino’s defence won’t be able to handle.
In terms of the squad selected for this fixture, Ashley Cole has joined up with his team-mates despite a Twitter rant at the FA during the week.
Meanwhile, there could be an opportunity to shine for the likes of Ryan Shawcross, Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson, especially if England are comfortably ahead in the latter stages
Hodgson may then choose to rest some of his more senior players for the much tougher encounter against Poland on Tuesday next week.
As for San Marino, well they will want to challenge England as much as possible, but it is going to be very difficult indeed. They have lost every single fixture since a very rare win back in 2004, while against Holland last year, they lost 11-0.
In some ways, three points is the main thing for England. However, anything other than a massive win will be criticised. So, this is an evening where Hodgson needs to show he can send England out to attack, attack and attack with clinical finishing the key.
England offer no value at 1/100 for punters, but Theo Walcott to score first at 5/1 and Leighton Baines at a big looking 12/1 look the best bets, with the Three Lions aiming to score early and put the game to bed. Baines in particular could be asked to take the spot kicks and that price is surely to large to ignore considering the Everton man’s recent domestic form.
This one gets underway at 8pm tonight.
