Online bookmaker Paddy Power have a great Money Back Special running for Norway v England betting on the weekend. England head to Norway, the scene of some embarrassments in the past, on Saturday, as Roy Hodgson begins his reign over the national side. After finishing the season with West Brom in the Premier League, Hodgson now has just two international friendly matches to put his plans into motion. Will that be enough to lead a competitive Euro 2012 campaign? That remains to be seen, and the first steps will be taken in Norway v England betting. Hodgson handed the captain’s armband to Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard, and if Gerrard scores the first goal in Norway, then Paddy Power will refund all losing First Goalscorer, Last Goalscorer, Correct Score and Scorecast bets placed on the match. So there is plenty of great coverage for your Norway v England international friendly betting with Paddy Power. The popular online bookmaker Paddy Power offers a free £50 bet for new customers registering an account with them.
Norway v England Betting Odds at Paddy Power
England 11/10, Draw 23/10, Norway 12/5
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Well this is the kind of match that you want to see England not only win, but put in a convincing display. The kind of display that was sorely lacking at the 2010 World Cup, one of passion and pride. So Roy Hodgson will have to start planning for life without Wayne Rooney up top, as the Manchester United striker will be absent from the first two group matches because of suspension. It is United’s team mate Danny Welbeck who looks most likely to get the start, but with Hodgson’s penchant for a big man up front as well, Liverpool’s Andy Carroll could have an important role to play. This won’t be the sternest test that England will face all year, but it is challenging enough to see where England could deliver or fail at Euro 2012. Primarily the task will be how well the English can break through what will be some stubborn resistance form the Norwegians. Do England have the patience and creativity in their ranks to prise open an organised defence? It is a test which will set England up well for when they face Sweden and Ukraine in the group stage at the summer’s finals.
Liverpool’s defender Martin Kelly has been added to the England squad for the friendly, which has mostly been a move because the Chelsea trio of Ashley Cole, Gary Cahill and John Terry have all been handed an extra rest after their Champions League final exploits. So it won’t be the full on strongest side that we will see from England, but we should get an idea of shape and structure from the match, two things which Roy Hodgson is very passionate about. Players will be expected to be disciplined in keeping the team shape, and Hodgson has also called on them to represent themselves and the country well, by behaving themselves during Euro 2012. England will be primarily keen to avoid another embarrassment out in Norway too, as they haven’t won on their last three visits there. England have been defeated in Oslo twice in their last three visits, and haven’t beaten the Norwegians in the last five attempts anywhere. The last time the two sides met though was back in 1995, when a 0-0 draw was played out in an international friendly in Oslo. So really nothing too much can be taken away from those results. This should be a different time for England, one in which they need to produce a good performance.
Norway missed out on the Euro 2012 finals, finishing third in their group behind Denmark and Portugal. However, they did pull off a home win against Portugal along the way. In typical Scandinavian style, Norway will be solidly competitive and hard to break down. They don’t look too big of a threat going forward, and so a lot of the impetus in the game will come from England. All the questions that are going to be raised will about England. What is the formation and tactics going to be from Roy Hodgson. Do England have the fire-power without Wayne Rooney? Will Gerrrard and Lampard work together? With just two games to go before England start against France on June 11th at Poland and Ukraine 2012, there isn’t too much time for experimentation. Can Hodgson get it all right in such a short space of time? While the result is not going to be important, the performance of Hodgson’s men in Norway v England betting, is.
Prediction: England should win this, even though they don’t have a great recent history against the stubborn Scandinavians. With the promotion in place, you may as well have a good punt on a England 1-0 Correct score for 6/1 with Paddy Power, because it will probably be a tighter game than many expect, but one which England should edge.
