Football betting: Experimental Roy knows his opponents are no Turkeys
No sooner has the domestic season finished than the countdown to Euro 2016 starts, with England hosting Turkey at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
After naming a 26-man squad on Monday, Roy Hodgson has this friendly, plus two more against Portugal and Australia, to trim his squad and decide on the starting XI for the first group game against Russia.
The manager has plenty of work to do, especially in midfield. He’ll need to assess the fitness of Jack Wilshere and Jordan Henderson, as well as the form of Fabian Delph and Danny Drinkwater.
With over a week to go until he has to name a finalised 23-man squad, he could use this opportunity to experiment with different players and formations, with the result not a priority.
That could play into the hands of Turkey, who are by no means pushovers. Gone are the days of being defeated 8-0 by Bobby Robson’s England in 1984 and 1987, with the Turks currently unbeaten in their last 13 games.
Their last defeat came in November 2014 – to Brazil – and boss Fatih Terim has made them a very difficult side to play. The draw is 16/5 with Betway, which I think is a great price.
All things being equal, England are the better side, but will be missing Chris Smalling, Marcus Rashford and captain Wayne Rooney, who are playing in the FA Cup final 24 hours earlier.
These pre-tournament friendlies are rarely classics – as anyone who sat through England’s 0-0 draw with Honduras before the last World Cup will tell you.
I advise selling total goals at 2.3 with Sporting Index.
Pointers
Draw 16/5 (Betway)
Sell total goals 2.3 (Sporting Index)