England No French Fancy

Live on ITV 1: Wed 20.00: A new-look England face France at Wembley and are a slightly opposable 6/5 at .

The timing of England’s friendly fixture with France – shoe-horned in between league matches, means that both managers are likely to make plenty of substitutions and the upshot could be that the Wembley contest is as about as competitive as Audley Harrison.

It’s not a fixture to get excited about from a betting perspective then and only the bold would back England at just 6/5 with . Indeed, France coach Laurent Blanc has selected a squad that bears more of a resemblance to a full strength group than that picked by his England counterpart Fabio Capello, whose hand has been forced by a host of injuries and withdrawals.

Nevertheless, while on the face of it, it would be tempting to oppose the home side by backing France at 11/4 with Coral, that wager brings risk in the sense that debutants and fringe players, eager to impress for England, might perform well.

Instead, in what is set to be a disjointed and slightly pedestrian affair, it’s worth considering William Hill’s 21/20 for both teams to get on the scoresheet as Capello’s charges have conceded in their last seven friendly matches against varying standards of opposition.

Newcastle’s Andy Carroll is proving to be a handful for Premiership defences and might be an interesting proposition to score at some point having recovered sufficiently from a groin injury to secure a start. He’s 12/5 (Paddy Power) to get on the scoresheet while someone like Theo Walcott could also make an impact. The speedy Arsenal winger is a 10/3 chance at bet365 to strike.

Recommended Bets:
Both teams to score in England v France – 21/20 (William Hill)
Andy Carroll to score anytime – 12/5 (Paddy Power)

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