Football Betting: Live on Skysports 2: Tue 19.45: Switzerland v England; Capello’s men would love to get 3 more points but will have to pick there way through a very organised Switzerland to get them.
England travel to Basel for their 2nd qualifying game of Group G to face a Swiss side noted for their resilience.
England head out as 10/11 match favs (Betfred) after seeing off the Bulgarians 4-0 on Friday night but there was an element of flattery to that scoreline. Switzerland, who beat World Champions Spain 1-0 during the World Cup, have attracted 7/2 from Coral, which at first glance looks pretty large for the home team.
Hitzfeld has created a very strong defensive unit that has only conceded 7 goals in 10 outings but they simply do not score enough. 4 goals in their favour is all they have racked up in those same 10 games and, frankly, Totesport’s 5/2 about the draw is immediately appealing.
Switzerland did not play on Friday while England were seeing off Bulgaria due to an odd-numbered group size and have a slight disadvantage in preparation. They did play out a highly frustrating 0-0 draw with Australia (in which they also missed a penalty) but local press have seen it as a worrying sign that the Swiss are simply too short on firepower. Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio will miss out due to paternity leave.
England can take heart from this but given Capello’s men are traditionally slow risers, coupled with a tight Swiss back line, a draw at half time looks like a good bet at 11/10 with Bet365. England should then go on to take the match to justify their fav tag, a HT-FT rated as 7/2 by Boylesports.
It remains to be seen if England will have it all their own way though. With extensive centre half problems, Dawson being the latest injury, Cahill may come in to partner Jagielka in one of England most inexperienced partnerships at the back in recent years. Switzerland must exploit this frailty to stand a chance of getting 3 points but if they couldn’t do it to Chile, Honduras or Australia recently, England, you would think, could hold firm. Totesport have 13/10 that England can keep a clean sheet.
Much the same line up is expected for the England side, minus Dawson, while Rooney will probably play despite recent discussions about his ‘mental state’. In a game that will most likely provide under 2.5 goals (8/11 Skybet), picking a goalscorer is tough. Hattrick hero Jermain Defoe is a reasonable 11/2 at Victor Chandler to get on the scoresheet 1st while Theo Walcott could grab a goal at anytime at 11/4 with 888sport. However, the tricky Adam Johnson could be the man to provide a spark for England. His excellent cameo against Bulgaria showed how much of a threat he is and Paddy Power’s 4/1 on him to score anytime would seem reasonable.
Switzerland away is far from a straight forward assignment but England should come away with maximum points, even if it is only by 1 goal to nil (11/2 William Hill).
Recommended Bets:
Draw at Half Time: 11/10 (Bet365)
Under 2.5 goals 8/11 (Skybet)
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