England has already qualified for the
UEFA European Championship, which effectively renders the fixture
with Estonia at Wembley on Friday, October 9 meaningless. To have any
hope of qualifying, Estonia must not only beat England, but also rely
on perennial European whipping boys San Marino to take at least a
point off Switzerland in Bern. According to our friends at
Oddschecker, both eventualities are 25/1, so only diehard visiting
fans are likely to make the trip to northwest London on Friday.
Manchester United manager Louis van
Gaal has expressed his hope that Roy Hodgson will spare Wayne Rooney
for at least one of the two remaining qualifying fixtures against
Estonia and Lithuania (on Monday). Hodgson, for his part, has
expressed his desire to finish with a perfect record and hinted that
he is more likely to ‘experiment’ in the game against Lithuania,
so it will be a surprise if Rooney doesn’t take at least some part
on Friday.
It’s worth remembering that only a
Wayne Rooney free-kick separated the teams in Tallinn in October,
after the hosts were reduced to ten men early in the second half, so
there may not be as much between as the 1-x-2 odds of 1/6, 8/1 and
28/1 suggest. Complacency, on the part of the home side, is always a
possibility, but there should be no lack of ambition on the part of
Jamie Vardy, or debutantes Danny Ings and Delle Alli, if called upon.
With 77 places between the teams,
according to official FIFA rankings, and Estonia all but eliminated,
an early England goal could put the visitors firmly on the back foot,
so let’s try a punt on the Three Lions to win 3-0!
Selection: England to beat
Estonia 3-0 (5/1 with Bet365)