England finish their season at Wembley Stadium on Saturday afternoon with a Euro 2012 qualificationclash against Switzerland.
Boss Fabio Capello has several selection problems in his squad, with the strikeforce in particular suffering. There will beno Wayne Rooney through suspension whilstJermain Defoe ismissing through injury, meaning the England forward line will likelybe lead by Peter Crouch and Darren Bent.
Injuries also rule out midfielders Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick but you would think that despite these absences, the Three Lions should have just enough to roll over the Swiss.
In the first fixture in Switzerland, England ran out comfortable 3-1 victors with Bent grabbing his first goal for his country. Bent could play a key role in this game as he looks to continue the good form he has shown of late in an England shirt and with his club, Aston Villa. Bent is 15/4 (Bet365) to open the scoring.
Switzerland should not be taken lightly though, as the bookmakers seem to be doing. Making them a massive 17/2 (William Hill) is quite disrespectful. Lest we forget just 12 months ago, they defeated the team that went on to become World Champions as they beat Spain 1-0 in the World Cup in South Africa. They are certainly no mugs, and will look to have a strong defence to frustrate the home team and the 85,000 fans inside Wembley.
The Swiss are lacking goal power. Bayer Leverkusens Eren Derdiyok will offer the biggest threat to Rio Ferdinand and John Terry. It is in defence that they are strongest and their main aim will be keep out Crouch ! and Bent for as long as possible. Arsenals defenderJohan Djourou, Lazio full-backStephan Lichtsteiner and Wolfsburg goalkeeper Diego Benaglio provide a solid base on which experienced coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has built upon.
The strong Swiss defence, alongside England missing key attacking players, could mean that there may be a lack of goals. Under 2.5 goals can be backed at 10/11 (Victor Chandler, 888 Sport).
I still fancy an England win, but only by the odd goal. With the handcap of a 1 goal start to the Swiss, I would back the handicap draw which is available at 13/5 (Totesport, Betfred). A draw at half-time and England to win at full-time might also be worth a punt at 10/3 (Betfred, Boylesports).
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