Just occasionally, the importance of the beautiful game pales into insignificance in the grander scheme of things, and the terrorist atrocity in London on Wednesday reminds us all that football, well, it’s just a game, no matter how much we love it.
But this latest in a long line of Russia World Cup qualifiers offers the England football team a chance to pay their respects to those who were injured or worse in Westminster, and to show the world that London specifically is united!
Progress in this qualification campaign has been liquid-smooth so far for Gareth Southgate’s men, with three wins and a draw from their four outings and no goals conceded. Equally as encouraging was the experiment with a 3-4-3 formation in the 0-1 loss to Germany in Wednesday’s friendly.
Okay, so the result wasn’t perhaps what was wanted, but to be the better side for large swathes of the game against the reigning world champions certainly feels like progress. For so long England have appeared almost prehistoric in their tactics and so the advancement the Three Lions have made under Southgate in his short spell in charge to date is refreshing.
His side look ready to tackle the big boys on the world stage, but for now a date with Lithuania awaits. Needless to say, England are a short favourite with all the major online betting sites against what is, with all due respect, a minnow of the modern game, so can they get the job done in business-like fashion on Sunday?
If there is a team anywhere on the planet as efficient as England when playing at home, then they deserve all the plaudits they get. That’s because the Three Lions have been in sensational form on home soil since the redeveloped Wembley Stadium opened its doors, and they have shone particularly bright in European Championship and World Cup qualifiers against lesser outfits.
England football betting has never been an easy task – and neither has been writing an accurate betting preview for that matter, but in the past few years there has been a certainty to the national side when playing in front of their own supporters. They have triumphed in 11 of their last 12 World Cup qualifiers on their own turf, and when you add in European Championship qualifiers as well that record extends to W21 D3 L1.
As mentioned, you won’t find many records better than that in world football. Most pleasing is the ruthless efficiency with which they have gone about their business; netting 42 times and conceding on just five occasions in those 12 World Cup qualifiers mentioned. Consequently, we have to presume that England will simply have too much for a Lithuanian side that they beat 4-0 at Wembley almost two years ago to the day.
There is no such thing as a certainty in football betting, but these international clashes that pit an improving side against a mediocre one are as close as punters can get to a ‘sure thing’. Unfortunately, the betting sites and bookmakers are acutely aware of that fact, and so England are a measly 1/9 with bet365.
So clearly, to squeeze any betting value out of this game a certain tact is required, and a delve into the handicap and ‘Win to Nil’ markets is encouraged. England won all five of their home Euro 2016 qualifiers; four of which were without conceding and all five clearing a -1 handicap.
So far in World Cup 2018 qualification they have beaten Malta 2-0 and Scotland 3-0 at Wembley, which again adds a couple of ticks to both of those options listed above. So a flutter on England -2 is advised at 20/21 with NetBet, while England to win to nil is available at 1/2 with bet365 and looks a rock-solid wager despite the stingy odds.
There is a Dutching opportunity too – and who doesn’t love one of those? England to win 3-0 or 4-0 can be backed at 9/2 and 13/2 with BetBright respectively; meaning that if either wins a handsome return is guaranteed. For all your World Qualier betting needs, head over to bet365 anytime, day or night!
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