England and Slovenia meet at Wembley on Saturday with Roy Hodgson knowing that a win would see his side already close to achieving their goal of qualification for Euro 2016.
Hodgson’s side have been relatively at ease so far in this qualification campaign, impressively winning in Switzerland and hammering San Marino before Estonia gave them their first true test – one which they just about passed. They return to Wembley here though, away from any sort of an intimidating or hostile atmosphere, and everything is in place for a comfortable victory.
Slovenia will aim to keep things tight against an England side which likes to go forward with pace and energy. San Marino managed to hold on for nearly half an hour to frustrate the likes of Wayne Rooney while Estonia proved that it is possible to keep the Three Lions out for long periods. Eventually we expect the hosts’ energy levels and quality to shine through though and they should win by a decent margin, even if the goals take a little while to arrive.
Hodgson’s men are the clear favourites to win the game, at 3/10 with Bet365, while the draw is available at 4/1 with the same bookie. Slovenia are way out at 10/1 with Sky Bet. We expect the game to be cagey to begin with, perhaps 0-0 or just 1-0 to England at half time, but the hosts should pull away in the second period, perhaps winning by a three or four goal margin. Draw/England may tempt you at 9/4 with Bet365.
Betting Tips
- England to win to nil – England’s terrible defensive efforts at the World Cup appear to have prompted Hodgson and his coaching staff to do something about it. Despite the fact that they have not been playing the strongest of opposition, it will come as a relief to the management that their side is yet to concede a goal since that defeat to Uruguay in Brazil and if such a run continues here, then they should win the game at a canter. BetVictor offer odds of 9/10 for such an eventuality.
- England to win by three or more As aforementioned, it is possible to defy England in the opening stages, but once they find a way through they usually punish you. If the hosts can score an early goal then this could get messy for Slovenia but even if not, it should be a comfortable winning margin. England to win (-2) looks good value at 13/5 with Bet365.
- Wayne Rooney to score anytime – Rooney continues to impress in an England shirt and often seems to score even when his performance levels are not as high as they could be. He scored in every World Cup 2014 qualifier that he started and netted in both the wins over San Marino and Estonia last month. As he closes in on the all-time goalscoring record, he looks good value at 5/6 with BetVictor to score in the 90 minutes here.