Estonia v England: Euro 2016
Euro qualifiers tonight with Estonia v England our featured match for which we have a couple of offers…..
England are currently at 2/7 (1.29) to win this fixture but you can get an enhanced 4/1 (5.0)…….HERE
England manager Roy Hodgson says the way his substitutes played against San Marino has given him a dilemma for the Euro 2016 qualifier in Estonia.
Andros Townsend scored in Thursday’s 5-0 win at Wembley, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set up Danny Welbeck’s goal and Adam Lallana also impressed.
“They gave me a headache,” said Hodgson ahead of Sunday’s game in Tallinn.
“I would be very disappointed if players get their chance and they didn’t take it.”
England have met Estonia only twice before, once at home and once away, winning both games 3-0.
Hodgson, who revealed his starting line-up to the players on Saturday, added: “That would disappoint more than the potential headache I have because they have done well.”
The 67-year-old looks certain to retain the bulk of the team that has performed so efficiently in their first two games – wins over Switzerland and San Marino – with Calum Chambers expected to continue at right-back, despite competition from Nathaniel Clyne.
Hodgson must also ponder his midfield diamond formation, where Lallana will hope he has done enough to merit a start, though Manchester City’s James Milner and Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph – who made an impressive first start in Basel – are also contenders.
The England boss had a lengthy chat with Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling on the pitch at Le Cor Arena as the players took a short walk on what looks to be an excellent surface, but refused to be drawn on its contents, though he seems very unlikely to leave the talented teenager out.
Reflecting on the performance of his replacements against San Marino, Hodgson said: “I thought Lallana’s performance was very good but I thought all the substitutes did exceptionally well. Of course it gives you food for thought but that is what you want.
“I don’t want to have 11 players and nine that come along and are nice blokes who don’t cause you any problems.
“This is England. If we are going to be any good we are going to need the pressure that comes from getting happy for being chosen but also thinking ‘I’d better do the job that my team-mates expect as this guy is breathing down my neck.'”
Estonia
Estonia kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 1-0 home defeat of Slovenia. It was a good result – Magnus Pehrsson‘s team are ranked a full 64 places below their Group E rivals in the FIFA rankings. They were unable to build on that in their second group game against Lithuania on Thursday night however, losing 1-0 to a second half goal.
This Baltic nation has found the going pretty tough since returning to the international arena at the fall of the Iron Curtain. Estonia have failed to qualify from all five European Championship campaigns since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. There was broad improvement, however, in their attempts to reach Euro 2012, finishing second in qualifying only to lose a two-legged playoff 1-5 on aggregate to Republic of Ireland.
This is not a team of stars – Blackpool’s Sergei Zenjov (35 caps) and Motherwell’s Henrik Ojamaa (18 caps) are the only UK-based players in the team. They have plenty of experience, but not many goals and will look to make life difficult for England by keeping it very tight at the back.
England
For all their failures at Euro 2012 and this year’s World Cup, England tend to do just fine in qualifying. Hodgson’s team were undefeated in qualifying for Brazil 2014, and judging by the quality (or lack of it) in Group E they’ll very likely remain undefeated in this campaign also having already won 0-2 in Switzerland last month.
Hodgson’s men were largely disappointing against San Marino on Thursday night, leading just 2-0 at half-time after adisjointed display before eventually running out 5-0 winners thanks to a slightly better second half performance.
The Three Lions struggled to break down San Marino sufficiently enough to run up a big number, and while the final scoreline was satisfactory it would have been far more encouraging to have seen them get round the back of the minnows’ defence more regularly and create some clear cut chances.
Both Adam Lallana and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain impressed when coming on against San Marino and could start against Estonia on Sunday afternoon, though the shape of the team will be the same with Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck operating just ahead of a diamond.
Betting….
The ‘Under 2.5 goals market’ is available to back at around 2.3 and with England’s lack of creativeness against San Marino, Hodgson’s men are not a side that are going to go out and thrash these low ranked teams.
Estonia have played nine internationals in 2014 with eight of those games going under the 2.5. During this sequence they’ve faced the likes of Latvia, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Slovenia, nations that if pitted against England, we wouldn’t be recommending a high-scoring game either, so why should we expect one here?
Pehrsson is sure to set his side up not to lose and the only way to do that is to keep England’s attack at bay for as long as possible. Hodgson’s men will very likely make the breakthrough, but possibly not until later in the game and therefore Under 2.5 Goals has to be the best bet of the match.
Suggested Bets…..
Booooom