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Conditions in Bangladesh favour spin bowling, and without Broad, stand in Captain Alastair Cook will have a big decision to take, along with the selectors. They have the option of drafting in a straight replacement, probably Tim Bresnan, or simply going with four bowlers instead of five. England are not short of bowlers on the tour, they are short of experienced bowlers though. Youngster Steve Finn made an impressive debut in a warm up match, as did spinner James Tredwell, who took six wickets in the Bangladesh first innings. Ajmal Shahzad is also in line, after some steady bowling. But it is the dynamics of Broad which would be missed most, the pace and fire he can deliver, even though he has the tendency to be expensive.

Onions played with great consistency in the recent tour of South Africa, and his departure is a blow to England. With the level of opposition in Bangladesh, not being the sternest test England will face this year, the England hierarchy may not want to risk Stuart Broad, even though he has been practicing in the nets for the past couple of days. There is a long year ahead for England, and this tour has seen the rise of some of the players from the England Lions, in reaching the full squad. Batsman Craig Kieswetter hit a maiden ton in the successful ODI series for England, and batsman Michael Carberry is looking to take his big chance, with Andrew Strauss missing the tour. There are places up for grabs at the top of the batting order, especially with Kevin Pietersen still searching for form.

Pietersen, since getting back into action in the tour of South Africa, has not managed any score of note, which is a worrying sight for English cricket fans. The big hitting maverick is often the hero of the England batting, but he looks extremely short of confidence at time at the crease. After failing in the ODI’s and the warm up test match against Bangladesh A, this could be an important stage of Pietersen’s international career. But there are plenty of positives to take from this tour, and England should be able to comfortably keep their unbeaten record against Bangladesh going. The late call on Stuart Broad’s fitness, will determine the shape and balance of the England team in the first test, but whether four or five bowlers, whether it is two spinners or not, and English victory is expected.

England to win: 4/11 at Bet365
Draw: 4/1 at BetFred
Bangladesh to win: 8/1 at William Hill

Series Betting (Two Tests)
England: 1/4 at ExtraBet
Drawn series: 6/1 at  Stan James
Bangladesh: 12/1 at Totesport

Ireland dramatically won the Grand Slam last season at the Millennium Stadium, in a thrilling match, helped by Stephen Jones missing a last minute penalty for Wales. The Irish were pushed all of the way and could well have lost, and memories of that will be ringing around the Irish dressing room on Saturday. Ireland should remain unchanged from the starting fifteen which took on England so well at Twickenham. The Irish showed a lot of determination and resilience, despite not having much of the ball at all, but they possessed one thing that the English did not have. Clinical finishing. Ireland won the game 20-16, after being on the back foot for most of the game. Following a dour win against Italy in their opener, and then the crushing defeat to France, there were doubts over whether Ireland could replicate what they did last season. As good as team as they, they rode their luck then, but with the French side so powerful this season, any frailties exposed will be the thin line between them retaining the title and not. Two years ago the Welsh beat the Irish in Dublin.

For Wales, this season has been all about thrilling entertainment, which, unfortunately for them, has resulted in just one win from their opening three matches. In all of their matches so far, Wales have found themselves behind in the early stages of the game, having to always play catch up. Against England, Scotland and France, they staged some thrilling second half comebacks, taking risks in running and throwing the ball around. In other words, doing what Wales do best. However, the Welsh defence has not been good at all, and their best defensive displays have come when they are attacking and recycling the ball at pace. The comeback strategy worked against Scotland, but failed against England and France.

There has been little continuity by Wales, which is what you would naturally associate them with. Their scrum has not looked as steady either, and they have their fair share of problems with injury in that area, losing the majority of their front line. Mr Consistency himself Martyn William will become Wales most capped forward when he leads his nation out on Saturday, just five short of the magical 100 mark. Wales haven’t managed to put a whole game plan together for 80 minutes yet, and that’s probably what they will need to do against Ireland, if they want to repeat their success of two year ago at Croke Park. It is hard to delineate whether Wales are as bad as their results have suggested. There have been passages of play which they look anything but a cohesive team. Other passages have shown how dangerous they can be when they put things together.

Wales try to employ the same blitz defence which the French do so well. This kind of living-on-the-edge defence can look frail when it doesn’t work, and there is not a great margin of error for it. The Irish should have the edge in the pack, although their scrimmaging has come under some scrutiny. Another area in which Ireland should be able to attack is in the line out. Pound for pound, Ireland should be the better team in all areas, especially in defence, as shown against England. They probably haven’t got the overall speed and fluidity of the Welsh backs, but they have power and players who can turn the game with a flash of ingenuity.

Ireland v Wales Betting Stats

Ireland: W46, D6, L62
Wales: W62, D6, L46

Ireland biggest winning margin: 54-10
Wales biggest winning margin: 29-0

Ireland average points v Wales: 10.43
Wales average points v Ireland: 11.55

Match Prices
Ireland to win: 3/10 at Stan James
Draw: 25/1 at Totesport
Wales to win: 7/2 at SportingBet

Now it is onto the Calcutta Cup in their penultimate match. The Grand Slam chance has gone, but they can still take the championship down to the wire with a victory over the Scots. After winning their opening sequence of games against Wales and Italy, England failed to capitalise on the fact that France beat Ireland. Another defeat for the Irish would have put them out of contention, but now there is a three way race for Six Nations title, thanks to their victory at Twickenham. France of course, still dominate, and everything should go down to the wire on the final day, when England travel to Paris. England stuck with the same team that had laboured so badly against Italy, and there were not a lot of signs from the backs that things are improving. While the ball retention in the forwards was better, there were still to many mistakes at crucial times. Yes, there is an air of inexperience in the side, but players do not look to be taking on any responsibility for themselves. Whether that is down to coaching or individuals, or a mix of both is anyone’s guess at the moment.

Again, Johnson has refused to make wholesale changes to the starting fifteen. Johnson though, has called up Leicester’s young star scrum half, Ben Youngs, who will start the match at Murrayfield on the bench. This is the culmination of a rapid rise for Youngs, who was nominated for Premiership Young Player of the year last season. The scrum half position, is occupied by Danny Care at the moment, who has yet to really stamp his authority over any game. Johnson has only made one tactical change of personal to the side, with big Joe Worsley coming back into the pack, while Louis Deacon takes over from Simon Shaw who picked up an injury against the Irish. There were calls for the exciting talent of Ben Foden to start the match at full back, after making a great impact with his running instead of the kicking of Delon Armitage, but that hasn’t happened, as he start on the bench. The England camp are still looking for their finishing to be more clinical. The pressure which England have exerted over opponents during the tournament, has often looked a long way short of being translated into points.

Scotland, about which much has been made of their strong midfield, have yet to win in the Six Nations so far. Coach Andy Robinson has suffered defeats against France, Wales and Italy, and will relish nothing more than finding a way to beat England. Robinson had an unsuccessful as England manager, but can be buoyed by the fact that Scotland have beaten England in the last two encounters at Murrayfield. If a repeat of that happens, it should pretty much hand the 2010 RBS Six Nations tournament on a plate to the French. The results for the Scots may not be as harsh as they, like England, have failed to turn bouts of pressure into points, lacking a clinical edge to them. Robinson has made changes for the Calcutta Cup because of injury, after losing Mike Blair and Alasdair Dickinson though injury. Robinson has drafted Nick De Luca into the starting three quarters, while moving out Max Evans, one of Scotland’s most potentially potent attacking players onto the wing.

Scotland have yet to pick up a point, despite running Wales close at the Millennium Stadium in their second game. They have only ran in two tries in their opening three games, the lowest joint total along with Italy. This will be a passionate clash of horns at Murrayfield, with both sides desperate for points, but England will be expected to edge it in a tight, slow match.

Scotland v England BETTING STATS

Scotland: W42, D17, L67
England: W67, D17, L42

Scotland biggest winning margin: 33-6
England biggest winning margin: 43-3

Scotland average points v England: 8.56
England average points v Scotland: 11.40

2009 Six Nations Result:
England 26, Scotland 12

Match Prices:
Scotland to win: 2/1 at SportingBet
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
England to win: 8/15 at Stan James

After stretching their legs at the top of Pool B, Spain put a blemish on their group record, running out 2-0 winners. That mean that Australia had the chance to leapfrog England at the top of the pool, and they took that chance with a 2-1 win over Pakistan, which gave them the goal difference they needed, as both they and England finished on 12 points. Australia’s only defeat came against England in their opening fixture, and they remain strong. The second semi final sees Australia go up against the Netherlands, who have looked impressive during the tournament. The Dutch finished one point behind the Germans, equal on points with Korea, but their superior goal difference saw them squeeze through at the death.

Germany are Ranked number one in the World, Australia second, the Netherlands fourth and England 6th. Spain (3rd) and Korea (5th). That is the strength of the competition left in the final four. With England being the lowest ranked team left in, an appearance in the final would be a major accomplishment. They were full of confidence going into the tournament, with their aim being able to get out of the pool. They have achieved that target with some aplomb, but will need to dig deep again in order to get the better of the Germans. Germany went undefeated through their pool matches, the only points being dropped by them, coming against the Netherlands. That match ended in a close 2-2 draw. Both of the semi final matches are played on Thursday, with the culmination of the tournament, held in India, coming on Saturday.

Germany to win: 13/10 at Paddy Power
Draw: 10/3 at Ladbrokes
England to win: 8/5 at Coral

Australia to win: 4/5 at Bet365
Draw: 7/2 at William Hill
Holland to win: 10/3 at Ladbrokes

Baltacha is in the bottom half of the draw, and in her quarter, she could run into Maria Sharapova again, who beat the British players recently in the quarter finals at Memphis. Baltacha also has 18th seed Jie Zheng and Anabel Madina Garrigues (29th) in her quarter. Britain also has Anne Keothavong in the bottom half of the draw, and she goes up against Russian Anna Chakvetadze in the first round. Keothavong has been getting back into the swing of things after a big injury problem last year, and has reached the quarter final and semi final of her two tournaments in 2010. World Number 3 Svetlana Kuznetsova is the top seed for the tournament, with Caroline Wozniakci and Victoria Azarenka, second and third seeds respectively.

March 11th
Elena Baltacha to win: 4/1 at BetFred
Alexa Glatch to win: 12/5 at Bwin

Anna Chakvetadze to win: 4/7 at SkyBet
Anne Keothavong to win: 6/4 at Boylesports

WTA Indian Wells Outright
Justine Henin: 10/3 at Extrabet
Kim Clijsters: 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Victoria Azarenka: 9/2 at Ladbrokes
Elena Dementieva: 12/1 at Boylesports
Maria Sharapova: 14/1 at Boylesports

Elena Baltacha to win: 1/2 at SkyBet
Ekaterina Bychkova: 7/4 at Paddy Power

Other British interest comes from Anne Keothavong, who is already in First Round of the Main draw:
Anna Chakvetadze to win: 8/1 5 at ExtraBet
Anne Keothavong to win: 9/5 at Boylesports

It took Baltacha three sets to get past American wildcard Julia Boserup, but winning is all that matters, and now she faces a one match shoot off to earn her place in the main draw. Ranked 65th in the World, Baltacha, forever smiling and looking as if she is having fun, put in some impressive performances at the Australian Open, and queen of tennis Maria Sharapova denied her a genuine title shot in Memphis recently. She now has to square off against Ekaterina Bychkova to reach the main draw. With the main draw itself having already been made, there is one stand out portion of the draw, which is going to draw a lot of fans and betting interest. The Indian Wells tennis tournament, appears to be all about Vera Zvonareva and Ana Ivanovic.

Russian Zvonareva has picked up a tour title already this year, winning in Thailand. It was she who beat Ivanovic in the final at Indian Wells last year, taking the crown from the defending champion. Now Ivanovic, who’s best performance this season came in reaching the semi finals in Brisbane, has a lot of work to do, with Zvonareva probably being the better of the two at the moment. The young Serbian, who made headlines recently with her Swimsuit Illustrated shoot, has not done much since to suggest that she can make an impact at the event. Yes, you guessed it, these two are on a collision course again this year, but it won’t be in the final, it will be in the third round, if everything goes to plan.

In the same half of the draw, is the likes of feisty favourite Victoria Azarenka, Daniela Hantuchova (who has won at Indian Wells twice before, and just lost the final in Monterrey, so is in good form) and the always dangerous Yanina Wickmayer. The other half of the draw has Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin (who both continue their comebacks), Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova, along with a good outside bet in Serbian Jelena Jankovic. Top seed for the draw is Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, who has lost twice in the final at Indian Wells. It is difficult to see her, from a betting point of view, get back the wealth of talent in her half of the draw. For now, we shall see if Britain’s Elena Baltacha can make her way into the main draw, and over the next two weeks, there will be match previews and tennis betting opportunities to explore here.

WTA Indian Wells Outright
Justine Henin: 10/3 at ExtraBet
Kim Clijsters: 9/2 at ExtraBet
Elena Dementieva: 12/1 at Expekt
Maria Sharapova: 12/1 at Bet365
Victoria Azarenka: 14/1 at Expekt

The Men’s tournament at Indian Wells is also in the qualification stage, with the players hoping to join the world’s elite in the main draw. Yes, everyone is there. World Number one Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Britain’s Andy Murray. Spaniard Nadal beat Andy Murray in the final at Indian Wells Garden last year, and after reaching the final of the Australian Open, Murray will be hoping to go one better. There is still the matter of three times champions Roger Federer to deal with though. There is an awesome amount of Tennis to come over the next fortnight, and we will be brining you the highlights of the competition right here, along with betting advice and tips.

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The final of the 2010 Champions League is at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, where Real Madrid play their home matches. They would love nothing more than enjoy the experience of the final on home turf, but first they have to overcome this tricky hurdle, against a Lyon side which have produced some incredible defensive displays recently. It has been 620 minutes in all competitions since Lyon have conceded a goal. That is roughly seven matches, and keeper Hugo Lloris has naturally played a massive part in that. Lyon are part of a trio of French sides, which are somewhat elevating the status of Ligue 1 around Europe. Naturally all focus is on the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga, but the likes of Italy, Germany and France really are not that far behind in terms of quality.

It has been over half a decade since Real Madrid have made the semi finals of the competition though, and for Lyon, the reading is worse. They haven’t managed to get past the last sixteen of the Champions League in their last three attempts. Lyon haven’t lost to Madrid in the Champions League, in fact they have been a bit of thorn in the side of the Spanish team’s ambitions, beating them out of top spot in the group stages twice before. Lyon have not lost a game in the Spanish capital, but Real Madrid have had success against French opposition already this year, when they beat Marseille in the group stages. They will be hoping to improve upon a record against French teams. The last three encounters against French sides in the knockout stages, have all ended in elimination for the Spaniards.

Lyon only need to stand firm at the back to squeeze their way through, and there is also the promise of an away goal. Lyon are a good away team, make no mistake about that, and while the stars of Real Madrid like Ronaldo will be trying to put on a show, the humble hard work of the French side, could well be their undoing. Lyon, who are putting pressure on Bordeaux at the top of the French league, have played their way into form, and if they put in one of their solid European performances, and not one of their lazy lacklustre ones, then there is every chance that they can get through this. A draw is simply good enough for them, and Lyon are good enough to achieve that in the Spanish capital on Wednesday night.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
Lyon 1, Real Madrid 0
Real Madrid 2, Lyon 2
Lyon 2, Real Madrid 0
Read Madrid 1, Lyon 1
Lyon 3, Real Madrid 0

Last 5 Match Goals
Real Madrid: 17 For, 6 Against
Lyon: 8 For, 0 Against

Current Form
Real Madrid: W8, D0, L2
Lyon: W7, D2, L1

Win Percentage
Real Madrid have a 93.8 win percentage at home
Lyon have a 44.4 win percentage away from home

MATCH PRICES
Real Madrid to win: 1/3 at BetFred
Draw: 47/10 at Bwin
Lyon to win: 10/1 at Coral

Asian Handicap Advice: Lyon +1.50 Asian Handicap: 9/10 at Victor Chandler

There is no guarantee that Beckham will start on Wednesday night, throwing some confusing on what line up coach Leonardo will go with. Despite setting up the first goal for AC Milan at Old Trafford, Beckham was largely ineffective in his central midfield role, a place where he longed to play for Manchester United. If he comes of the bench, it is fair to say that he will receive a hero’s welcome. It could be a different story however, if he scores the winner which knocks his old club out. Beckham scored twice on his last Champions League appearance at Old Trafford, for the Red Devils. Untied fans will probably have mixed feeling about the possibly of Beckham hitting the back of the net on Wednesday. They’ll probably cheer a consolation, but bite their tongue at a winning goal.

The other unquestionable start of the English show, Wayne Rooney, has been declared fit to play in the big match. United are defending a slender lead, and need their talisman up front to create problems and carry an offensive threat. This last 16 second leg fixture of the Champions League is the one which has been carrying all of the hype and excitement. After aggravating a knee problem in England’s friendly against Egypt, Ferguson had come out and said that Rooney was extremely doubtful for this crucial big match. Rooney know has seemingly made a miraculous recovery after training on Tuesday. Ferguson isn’t without him problems still though, as Ryan Giggs and Wes Brown are missing, as well as Michael Carrick following his red card at the end of the first leg. AC Milan welcome back Pato, who could have a huge influence on the game, alongside Ronaldinho.

BETTING STATS

Head to Head
AC Milan 2, Man Utd 3
AC Milan 3, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 3, AC Milan 2
AC Milan 1, Man Utd 0
Man Utd 0, AC Milan 1

Last 5 Match Goals
Man Utd: 10 For, 6 Against
AC Milan: 9 For, 5 Against

Current Form:
Man Utd: W8, D1, L1
AC Milan: W4, D3, L3

Champions League Form:
Man Utd: WWWDLWW
AC Milan: WLWDDDL

Win Percentage:
Man Utd have a 73.9 win percentage at home
AC Milan have a 52.9 win percentage away from home

LATEST MATCH PRICES
Man Utd to win: 8/11 at SkyBet
Draw: 11/4 at Ladbrokes
AC Milan to win: 9/2 at SkyBet

David Beckham Specials:
Anytime Goalscorer: 13/2 at Stan James
First Goalscorer: 20/1 at 888Sport
To Be Booked: 4/1 at SkyBet
To Be Sent Off: 20/1 at SkyBet

Wayne Rooney Specials:
Anytime Goalscorer: 11/10 at Boylesports
First Goalscorer: 4/1 at Blue Square