Estonia welcome England to Tallinn for this D game, with the Baltic nation knowing that any sort of positive result would go a long way to helping them edge into the top three and prolong their dream of major tournament qualification.
In reality the visitors should win at a canter and maintain their 100% record but the road to France 2016 has already proved a rocky one for some of the continent’s finest sides and there will be no complacency in Roy Hodgson’s camp.
The Three Lions are priced at best odds of just 1/4 with Bet365 here, Estonia out at 12/1 with BetVictor and the draw is 11/2 with Coral. Estonia lost in Lithuania but did beat Slovenia at home, both of those games ending 1-0 and we could see another tight encounter here, despite England’s commitment to attacking football.
Estonia may play for a draw and we expect a cagey first period. San Marino were able to keep England quiet for most of the first half before tiring and Estonia will feel they can do the same. Backing the draw at the break could be a decent bet, whilst at longer odds 0-0 after 45 also offers some appeal.
Of course, ultimately England’s superior skill, fitness and experience will prevail but we think this will be closer than the odds suggest, with England rarely convincing away from Wembley. If the visitors get an early goal the pattern of the game will change but we don’t see that happening and they may have to rely on a moment of brilliance from one of their lively front three, or perhaps a Wayne Rooney penalty or free kick, to break the deadlock.
Estonia v England Betting Tips
- Both teams to score – England should get the job done but their defence remains a weak spot and whilst the hosts are short on any serious class in the final third they could still have enough to get a goal. BTTS is very solid value at big odds of 13/10 with Coral so get stuck in – then you don’t need to worry about England conceding!
- England to win by one goal – England’s away record in qualifying has been poor and whilst they got a fine 2-0 win in Switzerland we wouldn’t be surprised to see them scrape this by just a single goal. Odds of 29/10 with Ladbrokes are well worth a wager in a game that could end 2-1 or, despite the above tip, 1-0, to the Three Lions.
- Wayne Rooney to score first – Bet365 offer the Man United forward at 3/1 to make the breakthrough here and despite missing some fine chances on Thursday we think he’s a good bet. His record in qualifying games is superb and he’ll want to silence any critics with yet more goals as he edges towards the all-time England scoring record.