Tag: England

International Soccer – Italy v England Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Although we landed five successful bets on the England v Lithuania match, we were left cursing as England failed to find one more goal to clinch our forecast 5-0 outcome. They now travel to Italy for a friendly International which should tell us more about the progress made by Roy Hodgson’s side in recent months.

Post-match quotes from Wayne Rooney suggesting that teams will start to fear England must be put down to over-enthusiasm from the skipper. I don’t think the Germans will be quaking in their boots just yet after a few comfortable victories against poor opposition. Germany have been spluttering themselves since Brazil and just about scrambled a draw at home to Australia while the likes of Brazil and Spain have plenty of problems of their own.

Italy beat England in the World Cup but showed a lack of adventure which ultimately cost them dear against Uruguay, albeit in a game marred by the Suarez biting incident. The Italians have a new coach and are going through a re-building phase so it should be fairly evenly matched. Had the game been at Wembley, you would fancy England to come out on top.

Of course, I have to mention Harry Kane as the hype machine has gone into overdrive after his debut goal. Hodgson will be under pressure to give the Tottenham striker his first full cap on Tuesday and that will provide him with valuable experience. I don’t like these friendly games much as a betting medium and a draw seems the safest option.

The pick of the evening’s International games has to be the clash between The Netherlands and Spain. The visitors will be spurred on by the prospect of revenge for that 5-1 thrashing in Brazil which effectively brought their World Cup dreams crashing down. They too are trying to rebuild and are likely to introduce some new players on Tuesday night.

Both sides struggled in their weekend Euro qualifiers, Spain scraping a 1-0 win over the Ukraine and the Netherlands rescuing a point in a 1-1 home draw with Turkey. The Dutch are without the influential Robben and Van Persie at present while Diego Costa is an absentee for Spain. I expect this game to be tight as well but Spain may just be good enough to grab the victory. The Netherlands are struggling under Guus Hiddink in his second spell with four defeats in seven games.

Italy v England DRAW @9-4 Ladbrokes

Italy 1 England 1 @11-2 William Hill

Spain to beat The Netherlands @6-4 Betfred

Netherlands 0 Spain 1 @8-1 Paddy Power

Euro 2016 – England v Lithuania Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Marco Reus struck early for Germany against Australia to give Betcirca followers a 5-point profit but what a great effort by the visitors to draw with the World Champions. Admittedly it was only a friendly but it continues a worrying run of form for the Germans since their famous win in Brazil.

Attention turns to England on Friday and their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania. England have already got one foot in the next round with four wins out of four and are not likely to slip up here. Roy Hodgson has not been blighted by the Premiership managers on this occasion and should be able to field a strong side.

A stray bit of paper indicating that Harry Kane will lead the attack was enough for the media to go into a frenzy but it is hardly a surprise. With 29 goals in all competitions and a relatively easy home game, this is surely the ideal time to see if the Tottenham man can fulfil his potential on the International stage.

He has come a long way from being a fringe player at the start of the season and is now the first name scribbled on the team sheet at White Hart Lane. Bookmakers are apparently dreading goals from the Spurs man on Friday with 20-1 proving surprisingly popular for a Kane hat-trick. I’m not sure if he will accomplish that on his debut but there are probably worse bets than the 4-5 that he scores during 90 minutes.

Let’s not forget the great form shown by Wayne Rooney since he took over the captaincy. He is also on hand for any penalty awards that go England’s way so is also worth considering in the goals markets.

Lithuania have beaten San Marino and Estonia but were thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland and this could be one of those nights when England can bag a few goals. The odds on 5-0 and 6-0 make plenty of appeal and that would underline England’s dominance in the group.

England/England H-T/F-T @1.45 Sportsbet

Over 3.5 goals @8-5 888Sport

England 5 Lithuania 0 @17-1 BetVictor

England 6 Lithuania 0 @40-1 Coral

Kane to score and England win @10-11 Ladbrokes

Rooney to score and England win @8-11 Ladbrokes

England to score 4 or more goals @5-2 Coral

Cricket World Cup: Day 27 Recap and Day 28 Preview

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Day 27 Results

1. New Zealand v Bangladesh

Martin Guptill and the lower order helped New Zealand get past Bangladesh in their final Pool game of the Cricket World Cup, but only just.  Chasing 289 to win, the Black Caps looked to be cruising with Guptill and Ross Taylor controlling the chase, however, the brave Bangladeshi slow bowlers refused to give the game away and took it right down to the wire.  In the end, cameos from Corey Anderson (39), Daniel Vettori (16) and Tim Southee (12) were needed to see the locals home with seven balls to spare.

Bangladesh had earlier recovered from a poor first ten overs – they were 29/2 – to post an excellent 288.  That was largely thanks to Mohammad Mahmudullah’s second consecutive hundred.  His 128 was as good if not better than his previous knock against England.  If featured, nervy start, in which a couple f chances went down within his first few balls, but then controlled aggression and supreme patience.  He allowed others to build partnerships around him and later destroyed Mitchell McClenaghan in the final overs.

Bangladesh’s tactic of using slow bowlers to curb Brendon McCullum’s free scoring worked well.  Shakib bowled an opening over maiden and then removed McCullum and Williamson shortly after.  The plan was working and they should have been well on top had they reviewed an LBW decision against Guptill that went against them.  Guptill got to 100, Taylor to 50, and New Zealand seemed on course before allowing the late pressure to get a bit much for them.  Instead of cool heads, Guptill; Taylor; Elliot; Ronchi; and Anderson all went for wild swipes and perished.

And just when Bangladesh started to believe, Shakib, the hero of the innings with four important top order wickets, went for 12 to lose by 3 wickets.

New Zealand 289 for 7 (Guptill 105, Shakib 4-55) beat Bangladesh 288 for 7 (Mahmudullah 128*, Soumya 51) by three wickets

2. England v Afghanistan

The second match of the day was damp, dull and decidedly English in conditions and appearance.  Sydney’s persistent rain had reduced play to just 50 overs and reduced the crowd to a sparse smattering.  It was befitting of the England Cricket World Cup campaign that this was how it ended.  No bright lights, no powerful opposition and no fanfare.  Simply a final Pool game won comfortably against an associate nation.

All five bowlers took wickets for England, again there was no standout, and they chased their target of 100 easily.  Just one down, with runs to Ian Bell and Alex Hales.  Ian Bell scored another half century, his third of the tournament, but that just accentuates the problems with England.  Not enough hundreds, not enough wickets, no x-factor and carrying a captain averaging 19 in the tournament.

A comfortable win to finish for England, a disappointing final effort from Afghanistan despite bringing plenty of value to the occasion.

England 101 for 1 (Bell 52*, Hales 37) beat Afghanistan 111 for 7 (Shafiqullah 30) by nine wickets (D/L method)

Day 28 Matches

1. India v Zimbabwe

India – $1.10

Zimbabwe – $7.00

India will look to continue their unbeaten World Cup run that spans not only this edition but also 2011’s tournament.  Five from five this year and verging on ten in total, the Indians ave been mightily impressive, despite being given very little chance to do well at the onset.

So dominant have they been, they’ll relish a challenge and the chance to give more batsman game time if Zimbabwe can come to the party.  That could be too much to ask, but we hope not, especially for Brendon Taylor, who deserves a fitting farewell in his final match for Zimbabwe (he’s signed for Nottinghamshire on a Kolpack deal).

2. Australia v Scotland

Australia – $1.01

Scotland – $17.00

Australia will make short work of Scotland in the second of the day’s matches.  Scotland have been the biggest disappointment of the associate nations and you get the feeling they’ll just want to get home.  The only unanswered questions in this match are the size of the total if Australia bat first, the overs taken to chase down Scotland’s effort if they bat first, and whether Shane Watson will play (which might be a tip for who gets the quarterfinal spot).

Day 28 Multi

The Test Best Double

During the Australian Summer two batsman stood out amongst a number of fine efforts.  They were both captains of their sides at various times in the series and both made centuries for fun in the four test series.  That’s why we’re backing them to succeed today.

Virat Kohli to Top Score at $4.75 + Steven Smith to Top Score at $5.00 = $23.75

Odds from Unibet Australia.

Cricket World Cup Day 27 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Not long now until the World Cup starts to get a little more interesting.  Until then, England and New Zealand are predicted to score comfortable wins in Hamilton and Sydney respectively.

Check out our review of today’s actions and the most pertinent questions heading into it:

The Three Big Questions?

Should Ireland be playing test cricket?

Ireland have again led the way of associate nations in this World Cup with a string of decent performances and three wins.  They’ll be pushing for a quarterfinal spot when they meet Pakistan on Sunday.  Whether they make the knockout stage or not they deserve to press their case for test status.  They certainly have the experience, the facilities and the talent to compete in the shorter format, but questions remain about their ability to last five days.  All but three of their squad have played for English counties.  Heck, even their number 11 averages 31.25 in first class cricket.  We support their inclusion on the basis that they start in a second tier comp and are not subject to top team humiliation (even though that’s how every team starts their test journey).

Are New Zealand disadvantaged having every pool game at home?

It sounds silly, but some commenters have argued that New Zealand will struggle with the bigger grounds and different surfaces in Australia if they reach the World Cup final.  Stepping out to a packed MCG could be overwhelming if they haven’t had to experience defending a total on the big ground, or been subjected to the inevitable sheep shagging jokes on the boundary.  Luckily, the conditions won’t be too dissimilar, and home advantage when the public is riding such a wave is more advantageous than not.

Shane Watson or Mitchell Marsh?

Watto will rightly play in the middle order for the rest of the tournament barring injury.  His experience is worth more than Marsh and offers a better bowling option.  Marsh did take five wickets in Australia’s opener but has since been ineffective with the ball in hand.  He must make way for Watson who revived his career with his knock against Sri Lanka.

Today’s Matchups

1. New Zealand v Bangladesh, Seddon Park (Hamilton – fine weather all day), starts 2:00pm local time

New Zealand – $1.12

Bangladesh – $6.25

You might not believe this but Bangladesh have won all of the last seven completed one day internationals against New Zealand.  Granted all of them were in Bangladesh, and when New Zealand were not at home, unbeaten in a World Cup. It’s still a damn fine record and will actually take some good cricket to put a stop to.  Shakib Al Hasan is the key to Bangladesh hopes.  He has an excellent record against the Black Caps and was surprisingly quiet against England.  Expect him to open the bowling to counteract the threat of Brendon McCullum.

Adam Milne is the only injury concern for New Zealand.  He may be replaced by Mitchell McClenaghan.

2. England v Afghanistan, Sydney Cricket Ground (Sydney – cloudy with chance of rain), starts 2:30pm local time

England – $7.00

Afghanistan – $1.10

Home-bound England must conjure up the energy to see off Afghanistan to end their World Cup campaign in style.  The English selectors may be tempted to usher in a host of new faces to plan for a post-enquiry future. That could mean more game time for Alex Hales and Chris Jordan.  James Tredwell could also feature on the traditionally turning Sydney pitch.

Afghanistan will also want to finish strongly.  Their quicks provide their best chance of springing a surprise, but they may be nullified by an unhelpful wicket.

Today’s Multi

The Shock “Bangladesh and Afghanistan Will Win” Mutli

Bangladesh outright at $6.25 + Afghanistan to Win (the toss) at $1.91 = $11.94

Odds available at William Hill Australia.

 

Cricket World Cup: Day 23 Recap

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

England were sent packing from the Cricket World Cup following an embarrassing 15 run loss to Bangladesh.  In the process, Bangladesh qualified for the knockout stages for the second time in their history and sent the nation into a state of total delirium.  Whereas, England will be on the receiving end of some hefty criticism.

Day 23 Results

Bangladesh v England

It began so promisingly for England.  They won the toss, the ball was swinging, James Anderson returned to form and took two early wickets and then they took their foot of the throat.  From 9/2, Bangladesh were able to recover through the promising Sarkar and Mohammad Mahmudullah.  The pair put on 8 to start the recovery, before Mahmudullah combined with captain, Mushfiqur, in the second signigficant partnership of the innings.  Mahmudullah went on to became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a World Cup hundred with a frantic single, and Mushfiqur thumped 89 from 77 balls to help his side reach a defendable 275.  The total was their best ever ODI effort against England and came without a notable contribution from Shakib.

If England’s bowling began promisingly, so too did their batting effort.  Despite the early loss of Moeen Ali, England were handily placed at 121/2 with Ian Bell and Joe Root looking well-settled.  However, a flurry of wickets instigated by the energetic Rubel Hossain took the wind from the sales and left the chase in tatters.  121/2 became 132/5 (and then 163/6) as the Bangladesh fielding and bowling unit created a cauldron type environment for the English to melt.

Asking too much of Jos Buttler (65) and Chris Woakes (42*), England fell 15 runs short to wrap up their most disappointing World Cup campaign of all time.  Ruben took four wickets including the final wicket of James Anderson to book the quarterfinal spot, and book an early flight home for England.

Bangladesh 275 for 7 (Mahmudullah 103, Mushfiqur 89) beat England 260 (Buttler 65, Bell 63, Rubel 4-53) by 15 runs

Cricket World Cup: Day 23 Preview

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

A weekend of Cricket World Cup action left plenty of unanswered questions.  Our day 23 preview covers three of the most important questions and previews today’s game.

The Three Questions

Is Maxwell more dangerous than AB?

On the analysis of his last two knocks, Maxwell is well and truly more dangerous than AB de Villiers.  They have similar skill sets and mind sets.  They are both fearless, creative, and have an uncanny knack of hitting the ball where the fielders are not (maybe calling it a knack does them a disservice, because it’s such a conscious decision).  But Maxwell’s dangerousness also comes from the platforms he’s getting from his side.  Coming in against Afghanistan and Sri Lanka with big runs already on the board has freed him up considerably and is likely to have him outscore de Villers in the tournament.

Is Sangakkara the best ODI batsman of all time?

You would have to think so. How’s this for a record – 402 matches, 14065 runs, 41.73 average, 24 hundreds, 93 fifties.  It’s the second highest aggregate in history (behind Sachin Tendulkar) but has often come while keeping wickets, often without the support of teammates, and in all conditions.  He is the complete batsman in all forms of the game and never gets the credit he deserves.  This piece will pay the dues however – he’s the best on history.

How are the quarterfinals shaping up?

Here are our predictions:

South Africa v Sri Lanka, Sydney
India v England, Melbourne
Australia v Pakistan, Adelaide
New Zealand v West Indies, Wellington

Today’s Matchup

England v Bangladesh, Adelaide Oval (Adelaide – chance of showers), starts 2:00pm local time

England – $1.24

Bangladesh – $4.00

The winner of this match will march towards the quarter-finals, the loser will be heading home.  It should never have come down to this for England, but their inconsistent form now sees them in a do or die encounter against the sometimes sub-continent surprise packages.

Bangladesh have some form and confidence from their win against Scotland, although they’ll be hoping they don’t concede 300 again.  On the other end, England have beaten Scotland too, but that’s the only win they have managed.

England should have too much quality in this one, but a close game could test their mettle.

Today’s Bet

The “captain delivers against the odds” bet.

Eoin Morgan to Top Score just when his team needs it.  He’s paying $5.50.

Odds taken from Luxbet.