Live on ITV1: Sat 19.45: England are 11/10 (William Hill) to make a winning start under Roy Hodgson as they face Norway in a friendly.
Rio Ferdinand’s omission and the inclusion of John Terry were the main talking points as Roy Hodgson announced his 23-man squad for Euro 2012 last week but the new manager’s selection did little to impress bookies, BetVictor responding by pushing England out to 11/1 to win the forthcoming European Championship.
The ‘Three Lions’ remain unchanged at 9/5 via Boylesports to top Group D while Paddy Power quote them at 1/2 to qualify for the knockout stages and punters will get a chance to see how Hodgson’s England will potentially shape up in Poland and the Ukraine as they face Norway in a friendly clash this weekend.
The Oslo contest is 11/10 with William Hill to go the way of the visitors, BetVictor rate the hosts at 13/5 and it’s 9/4 courtesy of Betfred to finish all square, a result that could prove popular given that it’s Hodgson’s first match in charge and the home side are no pushovers.
Stalemate fanciers might also like the look of Stan James’ 11/2, posted against a 1-1 scoreline, it’s 4/1 (Skybet) to be level at the end of each half and the ‘Three Lions’ are available at 1/2 in bet365’s ‘Draw No Bet’ market.
England however, could respond well to the appointment of a new boss, as many club teams do, and they’re 3/1 with Ladbrokes to make a winning start under Hodgson by carding a victory by a one-goal margin.
More specifically, bet365 quote odds of 8/1 for England to finish on the right side of a 2-1 scoreline and in what looks set to be a close affair, William Hill mark 9/2 against an away success following on the back of a drawn first period.
Knowing that his star striker will miss the first two Euro 2012 fixtures through suspension and is carrying a knock, Hodgson will leave Wayne Rooney out of his starting line-up, presenting an opportunity for the other three centre forwards to impress.
Rooney’s Manchester United team mate Danny Welbeck is 6/1 via Coral to break the deadlock in Oslo, where Andy Carroll and Jermain Defoe are also 6/1 shots, at Stan James and Boylesports respectively, to open the scoring.
Those seeking slightly higher odds meanwhile, might prefer to back Theo Walcott in the same market, at 10/1 with Ladbrokes, especially as it isn’t immediately clear which of his trio of front men Hodgson will start with.
Recommended Bets:
England to beat Norway by a one-goal margin – 3/1 (Ladbrokes)
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