All the talking stops for England on Saturday as they kick-off their World
Cup campaign against USA in Rustenburg and I expect the Three Lions to start
with a win.
Whether or not Fabio Capello's men have what it takes to go all the way
remains to be seen but what isn't in any doubt is England's fortune regarding
the draw and victory at the Royal Bofakeng Stadium will surely tee them up for
maximum points in Group B with Algeria and Slovenia to come.
Having already recommended a play on England to do just that and qualify for
the last 16 with a hundred per cent record, I'm looking elsewhere other than the
Match Odds market, where England are 1/2 favourites with
Expekt, and there is
surely value to be had with banking on there to be goals.
The over/unders market isn't usually one of my favourites, I'm not sure there
is an edge to be had that often, but this is the second foray into it in as many
matches and I see both sides finding the net on Saturday.
Rio Ferdinand's pre-tournament injury was a blow to England's chances of
lifting the trophy and it further unsettles a defence that does have a habit of
leaking goals. Often resulting from unforced errors, I see USA troubling John
Terry and likely new partner Ledley King on occasions and it should be noted
that Bob Bradley's side have scored eight times in their four recent warm-up
matches.
Comfortable wins over Turkey and Australia give us some idea of USA's overall
ability but they were found wanting in defeat to both Czech Republic (2-4) and
Holland (1-2) and the third favourites in the outright should prove too strong.
England notched an impressive 34 goals in just ten qualifying matches en
route to South Africa and, facing a team that likes to get on the front foot,
there should be plenty of opportunities for Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard to
create chances for Wayne Rooney in the final third on the break.
Having witnessed their gritty displays at the Confederations Cup last summer,
it is clear that USA are not fazed by any calibre of opposition and while they
ultimately came up short in the final, when beaten 3-2 by Brazil, all of their
previous four fixtures featured plenty of goals.
USA's 2-0 semi-final win over Spain was unexpected at the time 12 months ago
but they haven't risen to 14th in the Fifa Rankings by chance and in Landon
Donovan possess a genuine goal threat from set pieces - an area England have
struggled at in the recent past.
An early strike for USA would ensure England are forced forward but we've
seen under Capello that the 1966 winners usually don't back off, attack proving
the best form of defence, and the bet is a confident one. It should be a match
to savour.
2pts Back Over 2.50 Goals (England vs. USA) @ 21/20 (Bet 365))
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