England v Bulgaria Betting Preview, Odds and Recommendations

England v Bulgaria is the big football betting highlight of the weekend (well, Friday evening) as Fabio Capello looks to shake off the World Cup hangover and guide England to the Euro 2012 Championships. England are in a group along with Switzerland, Bulgaria, Wales and Montenegro, a group which they are strongly expected to win. This is the first competitive test for Capello’s new England, after shaking up the squad following the World Cup.

England to win: 3/10 at Totesport
Draw: 4/1 at Bet365
Bulgaria: 12/1 at BetFred

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It has been about a decade since the two nations went head to head in international competition, and the last two matches between them ended in draws. Bulgaria may just be a little tougher than people are expecting, as they gave Russia some a very hard battle in the World Cup qualification group. They probably aren’t going to go out and threaten to beat the home side too much, but there will be a solid, organised team matching up against England. While that may give England some reasons just to show a little caution, and certainly not be too complacent, the home fans will certainly want to see some strong attacking play, and none of the negative, directionless play that plagued their 2010 World Cup Campaign. This almost feels like a new era which England is beginning under Fabio Capello, and football betting on England will be very interesting over the next couple of matches. After the Bulgaria game, England travel to Switzerland next week for their second group match.

England do have some injury problems which will again chance the face of the starting eleven. Chelsea’s pairing of Frank Lampard and John Terry are both missing from action after picking up injuries on club duty, so there are opportunities for players to come in and make an impressive mark. Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand is still missing because of injury, but it looks as if he will be ready to make a return to action soon after making a showing for United’s reserve team this week. That really leaves the central defensive positions wide open, and to some surprise, Capello has recalled Matthew Upson to the squad. Michael Dawson from Spurs will, more likely than not get one of the places, but there is strong competition to see who would partner him. After calling up Manchester City’s Joleon Lescott, Capello has him as an option, or Phil Jagielka or Gary Cahill. Goalkeeping duties will be resumed by Manchester City’s Joe Hart, after making a very impressive start to the Premier League season. West Brom’s Scott Carson has been drafted into the squad as well, along with Birmingham’s Ben Foster, as he looks to rebuild his career after a disappointing season at Manchester United.

England v Bulgaria History
1962 – England 0, Bulgaria 0
1968 – England 1, Bulgaria 1
1974 – Bulgaria 1, England 0
1979 – Bulgaria 0, England 3
1979 – England 2, Bulgaria 0
1996 – England 1, Bulgaria 0
1998 – England 0, Bulgaria 0
1999 – England 1, Bulgaria 1

Fulham striker Bobby Zamora misses out on a spot because of injury, along with Tottenham’s Peter Crouch, who will also miss international duty after he too picked up an injury to his ribs. There is unlikely to be any replacement drafted in, as Crouch was one of five strikers named in the 24 man squad. With Wayne Rooney, Jermain Defoe, Carlton Cole and Darren Bent to choose from as well, the forward positions are well covered. United striker Wayne Rooney broke his long goal scoring drought in last weekend’s Premier League match against West Ham. That was his first goal for club or country since March, and Capello will be hoping from a repeat of the dynamic goal scoring feats which Rooney produced in the World Cup qualifiers.

Another surprise in midfield was the selection of Shaun Wright-Phillips, who failed to deliver any quality at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He gets a spot over Aaron Lennon though in a surprise move, but with wingers Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott and Ashley Young, SWP will probably be down the pecking order. After having a largely disappointing season for club and country last term, Manchester United’s Michael Carrick also makes a surprise return to the squad. Having never really stepped up to the plate for his country, he will remain as backup to Manchester City’s Gareth Barry in the defensive holding role. But Lampard’s absence will be the key factor for Capello to address. This is the ideal chance to use Steven Gerrard in his best position for ninety minutes, as the captain is likely to take over the attacking midfield role. Gerrard, who scored both of England’s goals in their 2-1 international friendly victory over Hungary recently, will be looking to drive his country forward. There is no place in the squad though for his new Liverpool team mate Joe Cole.

Goalkeepers: Scott Carson, Ben Foster, Joe Hart.

Defenders: Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Kieran Gibbs, Phil Jagielka, Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Matthew Upson

Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard, Adam Johnson, James Milner, Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young

Forwards: Darren Bent, Carlton Cole, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney.

Euro 2012 Outright Odds
Spain: 4/1 at Bet365
Germany: 6/1 at Ladbrokes
Holland: 8/1 at Victor Chandler
Italy: 11/1 at Boylesports
England: 12/1 at SportingBet
France: 14/1 at Stan James
Portugal: 14/1 at Coral