England

There are some big Euro 2012 qualification matches coming up for the home nations over the next few days, and online bookmaker Paddy Power are leading off with a great football betting promotion. Paddy Power are offering a Euro 2012 Qualifiers money back special on the forthcoming matches for England and Ireland. England are out in Bulgaria on Friday evening, looking for a big win which would help keep Montenegro off their backs. England are level with Montenegro at the top of the group, and cannot afford any more slip ups, but have been dealt a blow with news that striker Darren Bent may not be able to take part because of injury. There is a big three points on the line in Sofia. On Friday night, Ireland have some home comforts as they take on Slovakia. Ireland too have everything to play for, as they top their group on goal difference, but are level on points with Russia and Slovakia. A win here for Ireland would keep their noses in front and really hinder Slovakia, and it would also serve as a massive confidence booster ahead of a long trip to Russia on Tuesday. As things are set up, the Russia v Ireland match on Tuesday could well be a group decider, and Ireland need one of their biggest four days in international football if they want to guarantee their place at next Summer’s Euro 2012 Championships. On Tuesday there is also a British derby taking place at Wembley Stadium, which should be a raucous affair. England v Wales will help determine whether England are going to book top spot in their group, but after having beaten Wales away, they know that the Welsh will be keen to turn up and spoil their party in London. So these are big matches ahead for Ireland and England, and doing your Euro 2012 betting at Paddy Power will offer some insurance. If Ireland or England lead at half time in either of their next two matches, but fail to go on and win their match, then Paddy Power will offer refunds on all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast singles which have been placed on the match. This applies to the Bulgaria v England and Ireland v Slovakia matches on Friday, and the Russia v Ireland and England v Wales matches on Tuesday. This Euro 2012 Qualifiers money back special from Paddy Power allows you to dip into the aforementioned markets and take some coverage. Both England and Ireland really need to step on the gas in qualification, so get your betting coverage at Paddy Power. The highly rated online bookmaker Paddy Power offer a £50 free matched bet when opening a new account. New customers can register and when they place a first stake of up to £50, Paddy Power will match the value of this stake up to that maximum.

Wales v England Rugby betting for Saturday, August 13th at the Millennium Stadium, will see the two old rivals go back into action against one another for the second weekend running. England ran out 23-19 winners at Twickenham in their first encounter, which was a bit of rusty affair after players were getting back into action. England had to survive a good second half comeback from Wales in the second half, and while some questions for the coaches will have been answered ahead of Saturday’s rematch, there are still plenty awaiting conclusion. Wales v England rugby betting is another step along the path to the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and that is what this is all about. While the Southern Hemisphere teams scrap it out in the Tri Nations, the home nations square off against each for vital fine tuning ahead of the tournament. England go into the match having made 13 changes from last Saturday’s line up at Twickenham. Centre Mike Tindall will take over the captains armband again as regular captain Lewis Moody remains under cautionary watch. It should be an England side closer to what we may see at the World Cup. The likes of Toby Flood, Dan Cole and Courtney Lawes will be on display in a strong side. After the match against Wales, coach Marin Johnson will trim the current 40 man squad down to just 30.

England were surprisingly cautious and not really willing to play with too much width. Delon Armitage did try and get things moving, and the steady old hand of Jonny Wilkinson was attempting to move the ball, but the width was not there. Certainly not the kind of invention we had seen in the Six Nations from the English. Still, Martin Johnson used the match very wisely in only fielding four players from the 2011 Six Nations in the starting line up. Johnson wanted a good look at players on the fringe of the starting fifteen, so that players could have their chance to impress and make a World Cup starting place their own, or even book their place in the squad travelling to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup which starts on September 9th in new Zealand. While England were the better team in the close quarters, and Jonny Wilkinson gave a very controlled and efficient performance in taking over from Toby Flood at fly half, the expansion wasn’t there. That is not to say that is it is not coming, that it is not going to be there at the World Cup, but this was more of a match for Johnson to see what further work needed to be done on the training ground. One area is certainly in discipline as the English defence gave away a lot of penalties when they came under pressure from the Welsh toward the back end of the match. They won’t be able to afford to do that against better teams on the day. There was a lot of solidity about the pack, and England do look to have pretty good coverage in depth in that area, just what is needed for a tough World Cup campaign. One of the bright sparks for England, was Manu Tuilagi, who ran in a fantastic try off a Jonny Wilkinson pass. His pace and power in the midfield is something England will certainly benefit from at the World Cup. He gives England big options there to split a game open. England will know that they can still rely on Wilkinson himself, who was precise and controlled all afternoon, and while he may not get the starting call in New Zealand, he is still pressing hard for a starting place. England said that they needed realistic pressure to really see where they were, and because the whole test match was a bit lack lustre (just compare it to the relentless blood and thunder of the New Zealand v Australia Tri Nations match earlier in the day), both sides will probably feel satisfied to shake the rust off and look ahead.

Wales, for their part, although they lacked a bit of quality at times, put up a better show than many were expecting. After losing Stephen Jones in the warm up and then Morgan Stoddart to a broken leg in the match, there was a degree of disruption going on for Wales. Still, they tried to approach the game with as positive a mind set as possible and they will be relatively happy with what they delivered as a whole. They kept their penalty count down to a minimum and they threw the ball out wide. They also made England work very hard at the break down, because the Welsh were very, very keen in aggressive defence. Granted, Wales do need a bit more defensive organisation, and their pack looks as if it needs someone to hold it together and give it a bit more cohesion. On the first outlook of the match at Twickenham, Wales may get easily bullied by opposition packs. Young captain Sam Warburton was something of a revelation for them, and is a definite huge prospect for the future, while Rhys Priestland stood up very well in goal kicking duties. There will be worries about the strength of depth that Wales will be able to carry down to New Zealand for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but there does look to be something taking shape there, so there are positives to take and build upon. Coach Warren Gatland does need quite a bit more time on the training ground with his squad, and they looked as if they were playing off the cuff as to having any concrete game plan in how to approach the game. We could see a much stronger, more experienced Welsh side, with the likes of Lee Byrne, James Hook, Matthew Rees, Gethin Jenkins coming back in to the fold. Hook will come in at Full Back on Saturday, while Gavin Henson also makes his way back into the starting fifteen in the centre. Wales want to send a message to their rivals and their fans that they can compete.

With the home crowd, Wales will be keen to overturn the damage done to them at the Millennium Stadium by England in the Six Nations earlier in the year. Then England seemed to be in control and had to weather a come back from Wales. These test matches are never going to be played at full intensity, it is just not going to happen. Both coaches will continue to work the kinks out of their squads, and take a look at players, so there could be several different personnel in action on Saturday. Still, England are the more accomplished, stronger team all round. They are able to knuckle down and win the big battles up front, and if they do expand, then they look ready to pick the Welsh off. But the Welsh will probably be the more open of the two teams again, and that may be a good thing for England’s defence as they test their mettle. England did look a bit naïve in defence, and while it wasn’t anywhere near the starting fifteen that we will see at the World Cup, Martin Johnson will want to know that he can rely on players coming in. This is massive game for some of the players involved, especially in the competitive England squad. There are places to be grabbed on the plane to the Southern Hemisphere to face the best in the world, and the preparations really need to start going up a gear.

Wales v England Rugby Betting
Wales to win: 9/5 at SportingBet
Draw: 22/1 at Paddy Power
England to win: 4/7 at Totesport

Wales v England Rugby Betting Tip:
Has the makings of being close again, with the two teams feeling their way to their strongest squads, yet players wary of not getting injured. Wales will be fired up on home turf, but England may just have that bit of extra control in the end to get the job done. England should still have a greater advantage in scrimmaging power and technique.

Capello looks to keep England on track for future

Focus will be back on Fabio Capello as England v Netherlands international friendly betting takes place on Wednesday, August 10th. The timing of the friendly has been much criticised, because the new season of the Premier League starts just three days later. Well, no matter what, Capello will have to field a side and because of the timing we are likely to see a strong outfit for half of the game only. That is understandable, but it will break the players back into international duty ahead of England’s next Euro 2012 qualifier on September 2nd out in Bulgaria. After missing out on the last qualification match against Switzerland, England should be able to welcome back strikers Andy Carroll and Wayne Rooney into the fold. Their absence left England a little short up front, and the Three Lions played out a disappointing 2-2 draw at Wembley. So Capello will be happy to have a little more punch up front, and will most keen to get Andy Carroll some valuable minutes in an England shirt up front. Capello though will be missing Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere from the squad, most likely anyway, as they are nursing injuries which probably means that they won’t be risked. Their respective clubs won’t want them taking part anyway, not a few days before the new Premier League season. So England won’t have any big surprises in the squad when it is trimmed to 23 players on the weekend. Manchester United new boy Phil Jones will earn a place in the squad, and keeper David Stockdale should be back in the fold after missing the Switzerland match due to wedding commitments.

This is a very important period for England boss Fabio Capello, as he will be exiting the hot seat after Euro 2012. England are really looking to him to ease in a new youthful era of English football, and while he is heading in that direction, there are still position which need some forward planning for. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may or may not make the game, and along with Frank Lampard, make up the back bone of a midfield who may not be around much longer. At the back, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry surely won’t carry the hopes of England’s defence on their shoulders too far beyond Euro 2012, so Capello needs to start giving experience to England’s future. He needs to leave England in a strong position for the next manager to step in, who will be guiding them through World Cup 2014 qualification. LA Galaxy’s David Beckham will be disappointed as he still has England ambitions, but his name was not on the list for the provisional squad. England need to be a bit better than they have been in their past few games. Their friendly defeat by France at Wembley was an eye opener, a draw against Ghana was a disappointment, and then failure to overpower a one dimensional Switzerland at Wembley suggested that there is still a lot of work to do to secure England’s future. England have now only won two of their last six matches, which really is not good enough. While getting to Euro 2012 of course will be the big concern for England fans, the set up really needs to start looking beyond that or risk getting left behind further by the modern football that the likes of Germany, and next Wednesday’s opponents, the Netherlands are playing. England v Netherlands International Friendly Betting Odds really are showing nothing between the two sides.

As for the Netherlands, who made it to the final of the 2010 World Cup and then let themselves down badly, things are continuing to look on the up and up for them. They have kept faith with coach Bert van Marwijk, and rightly so, as they continue to play very good football. They are breezing through their Euro 2012 qualification group, scoring plenty and conceding little, and will provide England a very tough test at Wembley. They play some of the best international football around, and forget that abhorrent display in the World Cup final, that was not the real Netherlands. The men in orange, currently ranked number two in the world, are a threat to most teams across the globe. They have a great set up, are very organised thanks to a holding midfield, but break free with some really clinical ruthlessness. They have the control of a very slick passing game, holding on to possession, but also know how to inject pace. Compared to England’s often one dimensional game, the Netherlands look very versatile and adaptable. The Netherlands took a trip across to South America in the summer to face Brazil and Uruguay in international friendlies. Both of those matches ended in draws, but there were several main players missing from the squad. That gave Marwijk a chance to have a look at some promising youngsters, and three of them have been kept in the squad to face England. Kevin Strootman, Georginio Wijnaldum and former Chelsea full back Jeffrey Bruma will all stay on senior duty to face England at Wembley. The Netherlands are waiting on the fitness of apparent Manchester United target Wesley Sneijder, Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben and Tottenham’s Rafael van der Vaart. So just like England, we may only see a glimpse of the Netherlands’ real strengths in the match, but England v Netherlands International Friendly Betting Odds could offer more value in backing the away team.

England v Netherlands International Friendly Betting Odds
England to win: 7/5 at Bwin
Draw: 12/5 at SkyBet
Netherlands to win: 9/5 at Bwin

England v Netherlands Head to Head
Well the head to head between these two nations have provided a lot of drawn matches, so that will probably be a very good indicator for your England v Holland betting here. Out of 18 encounters, nine of the matches have ended in a draw. As for the win column, England have won five, while the Netherlands have scored four victories. So really nothing to split the teams, and England have netted 26 goals in those 18 matches, while the Netherlands have bagged themselves 21. The last time they played was back in 2009 in Amsterdam, when England came back from a 2-0 half time deficit to draw. That was the fourth draw in a row between the two sides. The last time they played in London was back in 2001, when Holland came away 2-0 winners. The last time England beat Holland in London, was back in 1982.

England v Netherlands Betting Tip
With the start of the domestic seasons really more of a priority than this, and because the teams won’t play to full strength for ninety minutes, and because of all the drawn matches between them, look for a draw option on your England v Holland betting. Four consecutive draws between them looks set to be added to.

England v Wales rugby betting is on the cards for Saturday at Twickenham, as the two nations start their serious preparations for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. England will be the favourites to win this competitive international, as they look to be a fierce force at the tournament in New Zealand later in the year. Now England boss Martin Johnson will look for his side to deliver an impressive series of matches to get ready for the World Cup challenge ahead. England are still developing their side and their squad, so the big question is, are they ready? They won the Six Nations, which was a joyful return to success for the Twickenham faithful, but there was still the huge disappointment of the defeat against Ireland which stopped them winning the Grand Slam. Defeats are often the best tools from learning, and England need to find a way to move on from that. That was a disappointment, just as was the defeat in the 2007 World Cup final to South Africa. Four years on, England are arguably better than then, and there is a great versatility about the squad at the moment, and with Johnson finally putting some faith in younger players, they look ready for the challenge. What they will produce on the pitch of course, under pressure, is another matter. They blew it against Ireland, and therefore they need to still develop a ruthless cutting edge which maybe is missing. But at the same time, they came through some good challenges in the Six Nations, beating Wales in a tricky opener down at the Millennium Stadium, and beating a strong France side at Twickenham.

For the large part of the 2011 RBS Six nations, England did very well, put a lot of things together right, but at times they showed inexperience and it could be the thing which stops them winning the World Cup. So England v Wales rugby betting on Saturday is going to be a good indicator of England’s mentality. Granted there is nothing riding on this match other than getting themselves into shape and for Johnson to get a good look at his starting fifteen, but the squad is just as important as those charged with starting the match. England will go full tilt at Wales on Saturday, they have to, because anything less than that will prove nothing to Johnson. The players in the squad are still fighting for players and have to prove to the boss that they are worthy of starting in the Rugby World Cup. There is a more adventurous and attacking feel about England at the moment, and it has certainly been a long time coming. England ran in twelve tries in their five Six Nations matches, and try scoring has been a problem for England for a couple of years now. They need to continue momentum by putting the Welsh to the sword at Twickenham, before going back to Cardiff for a rematch the following week. England have been boosted by the return of captain Lewis Moody, who is fit again after getting injured in the Six Nations. The newly wed Mike Tindall stepped in as captain then, and there is the perfect example of England’s spattering of steady experience in the side to complement youth.

England start their World Cup campaign on September 10th against Argentina, but preparations and style of play cannot be compared to any of the previous two World Cups. Heading into their World Cup group, England are strong favourites to come out on top, as they are pooled with Georgia, Romania and Scotland, along with Argentina. The question this time around is how well England can get over the disappointments they have suffered since losing the last World Cup final in 2007. England have cut out Joe Worsley for their training squad, making him highly unlikely to make the World Cup. England also cut George Chuter, Thomas Waldrom, David Strettle and James Simpson-Daniel from the squad. That has left big opportunities for the likes of Charlie Sharples and Manu Tuilagi, who are bursts of youthful talent, but their lack of experience could keep them on the fringes. But England do have potentially clinical finishing with the likes of Tuilagi and Chris Ashton who made such a big impact in the Six Nations. England do have a great blend of experience and youth, but they are definitely leaning on building a youthful outlook, not only for this World Cup but beyond. Two good performances against Wales will justify England’s price to win the World Cup, which has shortened a little. As for the immediate options in England v Wales Rugby betting, the home side should be well worth backing strongly. They performed strongly in a 26-19 Six Nations opener in February away from home, so England should be able to exploit and turn on the jets back at Twickenham.

As for Wales, they will head to Twickenham without their Captain Matthew Rees. Wales are on the opposite scale to England, in that coach Warren Gatland seems to be unsure of what his best side is, and is not sure who to put in and where. England’s Martin Johnson has far more options to accentuate a starting backbone without breaking shape or game plan. Wales have been out in Poland trying to get conditioned physically, ready for the World Cup. There is a fragility of Wales, which showed up when they barely managed to beat Italy at the Six Nations, somehow managing to avoid defeat against Ireland before getting trounced by France. Most of Wales’ problems are in the defence and organisation. You can always expect exciting running, but there has not been too much evidence of a well though out game plan. England should be able to dominate in the scrum, as England have certainly developed a great mobility in their forwards. They are not perfect and they can be disrupted, but over the course of eighty minutes at Twickenham, you really have to back an England win. They should be able to set up a strong platform with their forwards, before throwing it around and opening the game up in the second half. The more open Wales try to play the match, they will get punished by the England backs.

England v Wales Rugby Betting
England to win: 2/9 at Totesport
Draw: 25/1 at Bet365
Wales to win: 9/2 at SportingBet

England v Wales Head to Head
There have been 120 meetings between the two nations, with things pretty tight in the overall head to head stats. England have won 55 of the meetings, with Wales winning 53. There have been twelve drawn matches between them. The largest win for England was a 62-5 margin and England do have the advantage in average points per match when the two nations meet. England average 12.97 points per match against Wales, while the Welsh average 11.21 points per game against England. The last encounter between them was in the 2011 Six Nations with England winning 26-19 at the Millennium Stadium.

England are 12/1 at Paddy Power to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup
Wales are 80/1 at Victor Chandler to win the 2011 Rugby World Cup
 

We don’t yet know the man who will be leading England through your 2014 World Cup qualification betting matches, but whoever it is has been handed a very nice draw. The draw for Qualification for Brazil 2014 was held on the weekend in Rio de Janeiro, and England got the first part of the equation right, in that they avoided some of the big guns floating around the draw, namely France and Russia. Being one of the seeded teams, England ended up avoiding France and instead were drawn in Group H, which looks a very comfortable ride to Brazil 2014. England will face Montenegro (who they are currently battling it out with in Euro 2012 qualification), Poland, Moldova, San Marino and the Ukraine. Things really could have been a lot tougher for them, and on a whole, the draw looks pretty interesting. Remember that only top spot in the group guarantees a place at the 2014 World Cup, so the nine group winners go through, while eight best second placed teams will have to fight it out for the remaining four spots in Brazil. Here we analyze the 2014 FIFA World Cup draw and look what is in store ahead for the UEFA zone.

Group A

Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales
While Wales and Scotland managed to avoid some European heavyweights in the draw, it does through up an interesting home nations clash between the two. It is also a tougher group for them than it may first look, as everyone else in the group should end up chasing Croatia and Serbia. Those two have some very strong, and quite youthful teams, and will therefore be hotly fancied to battle it out for supremacy at the top of the group. Behind them this should be a fairly open group, with Belgium the most likely to pose a threat in upsetting the top two. With everything said and done, Wales and Scotland won’t be too disappointed with the draw, but there is a lot of hard work to be done to get themselves into position. The clashes between Serbia and Croatia should be monumental in this group.
Top Two Prediction: Serbia, Croatia

Group Winner Odds:
Croatia: 9/4 at SkyBet
Serbia: 9/4 at BetFred
Belgium: 3/1 at William Hill
Scotland: 25/1 at Bwin
Macedonia: 80/1 at Bwin
Wales: 100/1 at Bet365

Group B

Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta
A good tough group here. The Italians are the top seeded team, but are still finding their feet after a poor World Cup. They do look to be back on track somewhat, with a good Euro 2012 qualification so far, looking very organised in defence, and showing a much stronger ruthlessness going forward. There should be a lot to come from Italy when it comes to the next World Cup, and there are some good tests ahead in the group. Denmark are a tough, solid team at the moment, very organised and capable of frustrating opposition into submission, while the Czech Republic have a lot to prove to themselves after missing out on the 2010 World Cup. The Czech’s are not quite at the level where they would like to be at the moment. They need to find something more going forward than they have available at the moment, but their technical ability will cause problems if they get their game faces on.
Top Two Prediction: Italy, Czech Republic

Group B Winner Odds:
Italy: 1/2 at BetFred
Denmark: 11/2 at William Hill
Czech Republic: 7/1 at William Hill
Bulgaria: 14/1 at Boylesports
Armenia: 400/1 at Bet365
Malta: 7500 at Bet365

Group C

Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe islands, Kazakhstan
The Republic of Ireland will really fancy their chances of battling their way through this group. Germany, naturally will be the favourites. They are leading the way in terms of exciting European modern football at the moment, and that doesn’t look as if it is going to change any time soon. They are blitzing their way through Euro 2012 qualification as it stands and look a major force to be reckoned with. Ireland will definitely have Sweden in their sights though, who are no pushovers themselves and it should be a great battle. The crunch matches in this group will be between Sweden and the Republic of Ireland as they try and chase Germany. Sweden are very good at their style of play, and are enjoying something of a purple patch in form at the moment, which suggests that they have a lot to build upon. You know what you are going to get from Ireland, a lot of heart and passion. They are standing toe to toe with Russia and Slovakia in Euro 2012 qualification, and this draw for Brazil 2014 represents a very good chance to see them at the World Cup Finals again.
Top Two Prediction: Germany, Republic of Ireland.

Group C Winner Odds:
Germany: 3/10 at BetFred
Sweden: 11/2 at Bwin
Republic of Ireland: 8/1 at SkyBet
Austria: 66/1 at Bwin
Kazakhstan: 1000/1 at Bet365
Faroe Islands: 3000/1 at Bet365

Group D

Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra
The Netherlands will be smiling at the 2014 World Cup draw they have been handed. The defeated 2010 World Cup finalists have lost no momentum, and heads their group in Euro 2012 qualification. When the Netherlands play their own game, they are a tough nut to crack, and this should be an easy enough group for them. It will be interesting to see what the Dutch can build upon for the future at Brazil 2014, because they have the talent now but is there more to come? Still, can’t argue with where they are at right now in the world game, and should take this group without too much trouble. Turkey and Hungary are both doing alright at the moment, and they should battle it out for second place in the group. Don’t see either of them having enough to take top spot from the Netherlands though, because they are not defensively sound enough. Like the direction in which Hungary is heading though.
Top Two Prediction: Netherlands, Hungary

Group D Winner Odds:
Netherlands: 4/11 at BetFred
Turkey: 5/1 at William Hill
Romania: 12/1 at Boylesports
Hungary: 14/1 at William Hill
Estonia: 500/1 at Bet365
Andorra: 5000/1 at Boylesports

Group E

Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland
Does not exactly strike many as being one of the more entertaining groups, and it probably is not going to be. There should be a whole bunch of drawn fixtures in this group without a doubt. Norway and Switzerland are very organised sides, who like to err on the side of caution, who don’t give much away and don’t score a lot either. Albania, Cyprus and Iceland will have a hard job making an impact here and Euro 2012 qualification group H is an indication of that. Cyprus and Iceland are in that group along with Norway, and neither Cyprus or Iceland have managed to win a game in nine matches between them. Norway on the other hand are chasing hard for automatic qualification. We all know the defensive set up of Switzerland, so that leaves Slovenia. Slovenia are one of the better form teams of Euro 2012 qualification, and would expect them to breeze their way through with Norway as they are the most dynamic and adventurous of the bunch.
Top Two Prediction: Slovenia, Norway

Group E Winner Odds:
Norway: 24/13 at Bwin
Switzerland: 15/8 at BetFred
Slovenia: 11/4 at William Hill
Cyprus: 40/1 at Boylesports
Albania: 66/1 at SkyBet
Iceland: 80/1 at Bwin

Group F

Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg
A couple of heavyweights here, which we are looking forward to seeing. The Portuguese still have not found that perfect balance in their side which should make them a stronger force. They struggled to make South Africa 2010, struggled to make an impact there, and are battling with Norway and Denmark to qualify for Euro 2012. Still, there is always that potential there, but Russia are the team which most of the top seeds desperately wanted to avoid. No-one likes those long trips to Russia to play, and they should be looked at as favourites to take this group. The Russia play a big strong game which can disrupt a lot of teams, even it if it without a lot of flair. It doesn’t take a lot for the Russian heads to drop, so they tread a thin line. Really how they perform against Portugal will determine this group. Israel are definitely improving and wouldn’t be surprised to see them pounce on any Portuguese failing, while Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan and Luxembourg will probably be found wanting.
Top Two Prediction: Russia, Portugal

Group F Winner Odds:
Portugal: 4/7 at Bet365
Russia: 5/2 at William Hill
Israel: 12/1 at Bwin
Northern Ireland: 33/1 at Bet365
Azerbaijan: 750/1 at SkyBet
Luxembourg: 5000/1 at Bet365

Group G

Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Lichtenstein
Wide open group in which seeded team Greece will be the big targets. They are playing decently at the moment, but are always a bit hit and miss with how they get on. Would expect a big impact from Slovakia here instead of the Greeks to be honest, but with Bosnia-Herzegovina also heading in the right direction with their national side, this should be a pretty tight group. Tough to call between those three teams, with the other three nations in the group, likely just making up the numbers. Out of the main three though, Slovakia probably have a bit more of a cutting edge over the other sides, and can produce when it matters. Greece will be more experienced, Bosnia-Herzegovina are technically sound, so should be a fascinating tussle here.
Top Two Prediction: Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Group G Winner Odds:
Greece: 2/1 at SkyBet
Slovakia: 2/1 at BetFred
Bosnia: 3/1 at Bwin
Latvia: 18/1 at Bet365
Lithuania: 20/1 at BetFred
Liechtenstein: 1000/1 at Bet365

Group H

England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino
Well, if England don’t qualify from this group, the new manager will be fired. It is as simple as that really, as they couldn’t have been handed a much easier draw. Montenegro will be the toughest competitors here, and they are of course familiar with each other from Euro 2012 group qualification. With England boss Fabio Capello retiring after Euro 2012 (who cheered?) we don’t know what England will be competing in the qualifiers. Will the old brigade like Gerrard, Lampard and Terry be gone? Will the next generation be ready to step up? A lot of questions, but England should still win this group as they always go well in qualifiers. Can’t judge where the Ukraine are at right now, as they are joint hosts of Euro 2012 with Poland so aren’t playing competitive football at the moment. That should work in the favour of England and Montengero.
Top Two Prediction: England, Montenegro

Group H Winner Odds:
England 1/2 at BetFred
Ukraine: 7/1 at William Hill
Poland: 8/1 at William Hill
Montenegro: 12/1 at Bet365
Moldova: 300/1 at Bet365
San Marino: 5000/1 at SkyBet

Group I

Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland
This could have been England facing France, but instead we have a fascinating Spain v France pairing to look forward too. Spain, world champions of course will continue to do what they do, as evidenced in their Euro 2012 qualification. They show no signs of cracking or slowing their momentum, whereas France, now under Laurent Blanc after their dreadful 2010 World Cup campaign are showing a lot of new life in their ranks. France are in somewhat of a transition period at the moment, but from where they are right now, they should only get stronger and stronger under Blanc. The battle between Spain and France here will be the most interesting thing about this group many may think, but Belarus could have a big say here. Belarus are scrapping it out with France in Euro 2012 qualification and giving a good account of themselves, and indeed beat France in Paris.
Top Two Prediction: Spain, France

Group I Winner Odds:

Spain: 1/3 at William Hill
France: 11/4 at SkyBet
Belarus: 80/1 at Bet365
Georgia: 100/1 at Bet365
Finland: 150/1 at SkyBet

2014 World Cup Winner Odds

Brazil: 4/1 at Bwin
Argentina: 11/2 at Bet365
Spain: 7/1 at Unibet
Germany: 11/1 at Stan James
Netherlands: 14/1 at Bwin
England: 20/1 at Stan James
Italy: 20/1 at SkyBet
France: 28/1 at William Hill
Portugal: 33/1 at Bet365
Uruguay: 40/1 at Totesport

England v Sri Lanka Twenty20 International cricket betting, a single match on the Tour between the two sides is being played on June 25th. England will look to build upon their success in the three match Test Series against the Tourists. England could go into the match with a surprise captain to lead the team, as Eoin Morgan was named as the vice captain. There are injury concerns over Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad, who bruised a heel during the third and final test match at the Rose Bowl. Broad has not captained England before and will be hoping that he will be fit enough to lead out his country. Broad took over the captaincy from Paul Collingwood, who led England to their World Twenty20 title last year, so he has big boots to fill The selectors are still pretty hopeful that Broad will make the line up, but the fact that they have turned to Morgan shows how much they are looking forward. Morgan is a short cricket format expert and with his rise in the international game over the last twelve months, the 24 year old looks to be a long term, permanent force in the game. Morgan is one of the most explosive and imaginative batsmen in the short formats of the game, and has not wasted any time in showing the selectors how important he is to England’s cause. His talent really came to the fore when he fired off a strike rate of over 128 when taking England to the World Twenty20  title against the odds. England have dropped Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior from the squad, with Craig Kieswetter coming back in as wicketkeeper.

While there is nothing but pride riding on this Twenty20 Match, there is some future considerations to look at here. Later in the year England will defend their World Twenty20 crown out in Sri Lanka, so they will want to keep up their increasingly strong performances in the game. England do now have a target on their backs in the format of the game after their World Twenty20 success, so this will be interesting. Sri Lanka have always been a powerful short format team in world cricket, but they have lost some strengths like Muralitharan and Malinga. As shown in the three Test Matches, the Sri Lanka bowling attack has fallen just a little bit shorter of the mark, but they do have some superb talent in the batting  line up. England v Sri Lanka Twenty20 Cricket betting does not have too much history to call upon. The two sides have met just twice in the format between 2006 and 2010. The head to head record stands at one each at the moment, with their highest total standing at 161. England have played 36 Twenty20 International matches, having won 18 and lost 16 (with two no results). Their record has largely been improved over the last 18 months to be truthful after making a very slow transition the rapid scoring game. England lost to the tourists in the only previous Twenty20 international cricket match on home turf, but got their revenge out in the West Indies on their way to the World Twenty20 title.

England v Sri Lanka Twenty 20 International Cricket Betting

England to win: 8/11 at SkyBet
Sri Lanka to win: 23/20 at SportingBet

England v Sri Lanka Twenty20 Cricket Betting Tip: Well, you want to expect just a little bit more from their bowling attack from what they produced in the Tests. England should have the edge on their home turf again, and you will look to their very strong batting line up to make the biggest impact in the game. They should be able to post a big score.

England Squad: Stuart Broad (captain), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Craig Kieswetter, Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright.

England v France – this is the big one. This has been penciled in a the Six Nations decider, the England v France battle royale at Twickenham on Saturday. Both sides have enjoyed winning starts to the new season, picking up two victories from two matches. England started with a bang against the Welsh down in Cardiff, in what was billed as a tricky test for them, and was a key indicator of how well they would fare in the Championship this year. England came through that challenge with great aplomb, and then completely destroyed the Italians at Twickers the following weekend, with winger Chris Ashton running in four tries in the one sides match. As for France, they were made to work by Scotland in their opening match in Paris, but they showed sustained quality in the forwards and from running from the back in counter attacking positions. The French looked the best side of the tournament on the opening weekend, full of flair, control and adventure, even though there was a weak spot or two in their defence. But then they went to Dublin, where the Irish gave them a much sterner test. This was a massive match for both sides, and it could have swung either way. Neither side were great to be honest on the day, trading blows, trading mistakes and the French, who were accused of being arrogant and complacent in the match, squeezed through with a three point victory. Quite how big a victory that will prove to be in this year’s Six Nations for the defending champions remains to be seen. While the Grand Slam has been seen to be out of reach for any side in this year’s competition, the winner of the England v France match will be over half way to that task.

England will be favourites, mainly because of home advantage, and because of the way the French performed on the road in their last match. England look to have come on leaps and bounds under Martin Johnson finally, with the players finally getting the message about playing expansive attacking rugby. The right personnel is in the line up, with the likes of Ben Youngs, Chris Ashton and Ben Foden being able to exploit space so very well. Toby Flood has shown a new level of maturity on the international scene, and while the defence in the midfield could still be stiffened up somewhat, at least England are showing a penchant for crossing the try line, something they were struggling for so long to do. One worry for the home side in this big match against France, is about opening the game up too much. France are experts at exploiting any tiny little opportunity presented to them with space, they can counter from anywhere. This will be England’s biggest test so far of the 2011 RBS Six Nations, and they will face the toughest defence they have encountered so far. For England, the match could all be won up front. France aren’t the heaviest in the scrum, but have shown great scrimmaging technique, but England have the power, technique, control and mobility to win the match up front. Even though England haven’t been at their strongest up front because of injuries, the replacement players have come in to the set up with tremendous performances. Andrew Sheridan and captain Lewis Moody could both return to the starting fifteen on the weekend.

This is a big match, not only for the Six nations, but for the World Cup ambitions of both sides as well. Both sides are on the fringes when it comes to being tipped to win the World Cup, but this match should carry a lot of momentum and confidence forward this year. This is the match which should decide the 2011 Six Nations really, and with home advantage, England should be in the driving seat. This is a massive match though, and no doubt the French will be up for this, and France coach Marc Lievremont has bluntly come out and said that the French do not like the English. While this is a clash of the two unbeaten teams in the tournament, slipping into World Cup mode is important, and England look as if they are already moving through the gears. With France’s awkward stumbles against the Irish last time out, this will be a major test in seeing how they are progressing. It is all well beating Scotland comfortably at home, it is the difficult away days against the best teams which really set your standards. France have already made changes to their side, with Sebastien Chabal, Vincent Clerc, Yannick Jauzion and scrum half Dimitri Yachvilli coming into the side. Apparently the French have a plan up their sleeve to stop the big threat from Chris Ashton on the wing. England need the big carries from the likes of James Haskell up front to really get into the French, and that initial contact and recycling the ball quickly is the one big area in which England can gain dominance.

France squeezed out a 12-10 win over England in the tournament last year on their way to the Grand Slam, that was in Paris though. The last time the two met at Twickenham, there was a substantial 34-10 victory for England in 2009. That completed a run of three straight victories over the French for England, and England do hold a pretty decent head to head record against the French. In 93 test matches, England have won 50 matches, while France have picked up 36. The biggest margin of victory for England was a 37-0 thrashing, and the biggest points total that England have ran up against the French at Twickenham was 48. Can we expect that kind of return again from a resurgent England? Probably not, as this should be a close match, with no more than seven points separating the two sides realistically. England average 15 points per match against France, while the French in reply average just under 12 points per match, so a close match is on the cards. Can England take full advantage of playing at Twickenham? Or will the French spoil the party? Back an England win, home advantage could just tip the scales between the two European giants.

England to win: 1/2 at SportingBet
Draw: 22/1 at Bwin
France to win: 19/10 at Unibet

Great Rugby betting promotion from Paddy Power on the England v France game. If England winger Chris Ashton scores a try and performs the Swallow Dive (something which he has been berated for doing from manager Martin Johnson), then Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer and winning margin bets on the match! Paddy Power welcome new customers to their site, with a free £25 bet when opening a new account with the popular online bookmaker, who really excel at money back special promotions on sports betting!

England are 8/11 at Victor Chandler to win the Six Nations
France are 13/8 at Bet365 to win the Six Nations

Just how well will England fare in the 2011 Cricket World Cup? Not well enough to win it probably, even though they have previously been mentioned in the same breath as India and Sri Lanka as potential winners. England’s odds on winning the little gold trophy have drifted way out following their hammering at the hands of Australia 6-1 following the success of the Ashes. Yes, they have bit hit by injury, and while they are expected to have Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan back, it won’t be enough. Their key player in the short format of the game, and the man who has carried them so well over the last twelve months or so with the bat, Eoin Morgan is missing, and that will hurt them badly. You will likely make more profit in betting against England than by backing them. Just saying. While the 2011 Cricket World Cup looks as if it will be a pretty open affair, England look to just have too many cracks in their line up. Sure, Pakistan are too unpredictable and volatile to back heavily. Sure India and South Africa have choker labels on them, so should that put England in the hunt? No. Their struggles against lowly Canada, where Kevin Pietersen was surprisingly deployed as opening batsman, will not have instilled much confidence, winning by just 16 runs. England have one more warm up match to come against Pakistan.

England will do well enough to be in the quarter finals for the knockout stage. They are in the tougher Group B of the draw, and have to negotiate matches against South Africa and India (who are potential tournament winners). A good run of three wins would push any team through to the knockout stage, so that leaves victories against the Netherlands and Ireland as being essential, and there is a very tricky match against the rapidly improving Bangladesh. There’s not a lot of certainty around England here, and they looked a bit tired and beaten up in the one day series against Australia. England do not have a solid opening partner for Andrew Strauss, they are missing Morgan, and Kevin Pietersen cannot be relied upon so much as he has been throughout his career to fire England to victory. Graeme Swann should be able to make a big impact with his spin bowling, and will be happy to get into conditions which will suit him after the dry flat tracks Down Under. There probably isn’t enough in the bowling attack to really damage the top level opponents in this tournament, and the batsmen are not the best players of spin. Tim Bresnan is being eased back into things but will miss the opening matches, Broad has just returned from injury (although he is suffering from an illness at the moment), Ajmal Shahzad is nursing a hamstring injury, England are short on fully fit bowlers at the moment. There is not the explosive batting which you can rely on from England, and once they get bogged down against spin, it is hard to see them running up large unassailable totals really.

So, are we looking at an early exit for a somewhat beleaguered England? You can take the price of for them not to qualify, and when you break it down, there is the possibility of it happening. Of course, they won the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup as complete dark horses, but you look at the 50 over format and see so much potential elsewhere.

Let’s picture England squeezing through as one of the top four teams in the Group (and they could be pressed hard by Bangladesh), then a quarter final exit for England will fetch 15/13 at Bwin. If you don’t think that they will even get that far, there is a lot of value in taking England for an early exit from the group stage for a price of 13/2 at SkyBet.

The top England batsman market may as well fall on Kevin Pietersen, now he is getting a run out as opener. Who knows with him, as he still have the most talent and the most to offer in the batting line up. Decent return on Pieterson for 4/1 at Unibet. This would have been the ideal category to back Eoin Morgan, but England have been robbed of him. Other potential big scorers really are only Matt Prior (12/1 at Unibet) on his day, Andrew Strauss (4/1 at Totesport) and the more plausible figure of Jonathan Trott (7/2 at Totesport). Trott scores heavily, but scores slowly and that is why he isn’t a natural one day player. But he has great temperament, sticks around and will get valuable runs on the board.

The top wicket taker for England will likely be pushed by James Anderson (7/2 at Bet365) and Graeme Swann (5/2 at Boylesports). Swann will get a lot more action with the conditions favoring him, and Anderson is the go to guy, Mr. Reliable when it comes to swing. Bresnan really would have been a top contender here, as he is so dangerous at the top of the innings and at the end. Not sure what level of participation he is going to be able to offer, so stick with the two main men.

Head to Victor Chandler for your Cricket World Cup betting for outright winner. If England win the tournament, then all losing bets placed on the outright winner market will be refunded. This is well worth doing your cricket betting at Victor Chandler, because you just never know, and it provides some kind of coverage. With great prices available right now on favourites Sri Lanka and potential outsiders of South Africa and even the unpredictable Pakistan, it’ll be worth picking up your odds now at Victor Chandler. Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet for new customers opening an account with them.

England coach Martin Johnson will keep faith with the starting fifteen which gave him a winning start to the 2011 Six Nations tournament. Hendre Fourie, after being ruled out of the Wales match because of injury, has been called into the squad, but James Haskell keeps his starting his starting position at open-side flanker. Fourie has been called up as a replacement for Joe Worsley. England made an impressive start to their Six Nations campaign, which they started as favourites at the bookmakers, by taking out Wales at the Millennium Stadium. Although the English opened up a solid lead against the home side, the Welsh did battle their way back into it. But perhaps the most impressive thing about England’s overall performance, is that they didn’t look rattled at all when they came under pressure, instead they remained calm and in control, and didn’t resort to any panic tactics after losing their 14 point lead. The main man at the centre of it all was Toby Flood, who pretty much ran the entire show for England, and was one of the most commanding performances by the fly half. So there are plenty of positives to take forward for England, as they start a run of three home matches by facing Italy at Twickenham on Saturday. This should be a win for England in front of their home support, having never lost to the Italians in the Six Nations. Even though England were depleted in some respects through injury, the replacement players who stepped in, showed plenty of composure.

There could be a bit more attacking flair through the centre, it has to be said, as Flood didn’t use the centre’s enough, but it was an away match and England did what they set out to achieve. Win. That is an important victory on the board, and with the Italian match expected to double their points from their first two matches, England will be in a strong driving position. There is a crunch home match to come against France, but England have gotten one of the two tricky away matches out of the way for now. The win in Cardiff was a major boost for them and their Grand Slam, Six Nations and World Cup ambitions. Yes, England finally look to be growing, to be gaining an identity in attack. It was a good solid all round performance. They are not a world beating team at the moment, don’t be fooled into parting with all your money on England winning the 2011 Rugby World Cup yet, they are quite a way from that, but at least there is progress. After some horridly labouring and lackluster performances in Johnson’s reign, finally brave selections of attacking players like Chris Ashton, Ben Youngs and Ben Foden are starting to pay dividends. There should not be any hint of an upset at Twickenham against Italy.

Italy, to their credit almost beat Ireland on the opening day of the 2011 Six Nations. At home in Rome, the Italians pushed the Irish all of the way, and it was only a late drop goal from Ronan O’Gara which won the match for Ireland. Italy, rank outsiders in the Six Nations again, are a young side, who are heading in the right direction. What they always bring is a fantastic team spirit and energy, but they have yet to really find a way to last the full ninety minutes in their international matches in Six Nations. Having only ever beaten Wales and Scotland in their Six Nations history, there are still a lot of walls to break down for Nick Mallett’s Italy. Mallett has made four chances to his squad as they head to Twickers, and have lost the services of exciting young scrum half Edoardo Gori for the match, which will be a blow. In sixteen matches against the English, Italy have failed to register a  win in the encounters, but they may take heart from the grueling work they made England go through in Rome last season, where they lost a narrow match 17-12. But while Italy are changed, England are also a much better side than last season’s Six Nations, and you would expect them to run in some tries, especially in the second half. The strength of the Italians really is in the front line, and if England negate that threat, or drain the Italian forwards in the first half, it really will open them up.

While England still lack that clinical cutting edge to properly kill off games, this is a big chance to build some confidence ahead of the visit of France. This really should be something of a showcase for England to run up a decent victory. They have set the groundwork with a strong away victory, something which hasn’t happened often during Martin Johnson’s reign. You have to look for England to be a good eleven points better than the Italians, because the difference from playing at home to playing away is immense. The Italians will give their all up front, and while England’s defence in the centre of the park isn’t great, it should be able to withstand what Italy can throw at it. The game will be won up front of course, and with England’s forwards picking and driving relentlessly and with good handling against the Welsh, that will be a major factor against Italy too. It is the platform from which England will go onto to win games. Toby Flood needs to continue his brilliant form, and if he controls and Chris Ashton finishes, then England will be OK. This is a must win, and the unthinkable should not come close to happening. This is the time for more than just a professional job from Martin Johnson’s men, it is the time to show that they really have another aspect to their attacking game. England win.

England to win: 1/33 at BetFred
Draw: 50/1 at Bet365
Italy to win: 20/1 at SportingBet

England are 5/2 favourites at Paddy Power to win the Six Nations
England are 5/2 at Boylesports to win the Grand Slam

Online bookmaker BetFred are running a great rugby betting promotion for the England v Italy match. If the player you back as First Tryscorer lands the first try of the match, and then scores a second try for himself at any time during the match as well, BetFred will double your initial odds. If you had taken this offer on England’s Chris Ashton last week, you would have been doubly happy at BetFred! There is further good news, as if your First Tryscorer lands a hat trick of tries after scoring the first of the match, then you will be paid out triple your original odds. BetFred welcome new customers to their site with a £50 free bet when opening a new account.

With a thrilling opening weekend of the 2011 RBS Six Nations over and done with, it is time to take stock and assess things ahead of the next round of matches. SportingBet are running a great Rugby betting promotion for the duration of the Six Nations, as the best of the northern hemisphere square up against one another in the hope of Grand Slam and Six Nations glory. France are the defending Champions, and they put in an all round impressive performance against Scotland in Paris, but there were just a couple of cracks in their defence to suggest that they are beatable. Ireland just about escaped from Rome with maximum points, as the Italians were in touching distance of their first ever Six Nations win over Ireland, until Ronan O’Gara dropped a late winning goal. England went to Cardiff on the opening night, and saw off the challenge of the Welsh, in a performance which should give a lot of hope to the England supporters. England are currently favourites to win the Six Nations, with a run of three home games to come giving them a big advantage. SportingBet are running Six Nations Rugby Handicap Tie Refunds for all their match betting for this year’s tournament.

Here is the promotion deal. When you place a bet on either team to win a Six Nations match in the SportingBet Handicap Prices market, but the match ends even in a Handicap Tie (not a physical tie on the pitch, but if the handicap spread finishes as a tie), then the popular online bookmaker will Refund your losing bet as a free bet, and this is covered by a value of up to £25 per match bet on. So, if for Example, you took England -2 Handicap v France, and England won by exactly two points, then the Handicap would be tied. Your bet will have lost because England failed to overcome the handicap, but with this bit of added insurance, your rugby betting on the 2011 Six Nations is covered. Check out Handicap betting at SportingBet for the Six Nations. There is value to be picked up there, an it adds an extra dimension to your regular rugby betting.  SportingBet are great exponents of sports betting promotions and really should be looked at, for their excellent betting services and rewards on their website.