Germany and England renew rivalries
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Standout of the midweek goes in Dortmund
It’ll be friendly in name only when Germany and England lock-horns at Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday evening, live on ITV. Click here to place your bets on a number of markets, including match winner, first goal scorer and handicap.
This is, on paper, a chance for both nations to put the finishing touches to their preparation for the weekend’s World Cup qualifiers. Don’t believe a word of it! These old rivals will be desperate to take the bragging rights, and the fact the locals are out for revenge, following a 3-2 loss to England 12-months ago, adds needle.
Germany’s squad a signal of intent
If punters were in any doubt of the importance of this match to both managers, they need only look at the squad Germany announced to the media recently. Premier League big-guns, including Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi of Arsenal, Man City’s Leroy Sane and Emre Can from Liverpool all get the nod. Head coach Joachim Low must make do without goalkeeper Manuel Neuer however, with the shot-stopper pulling out due to a calf injury. That paves the way for PSG’s Kevin Trapp to answer his nation’s SOS.
Germany and England were involved in that five-goal thriller last March in Berlin, with Kroos and Gomez on point for the locals, while England claimed the win thanks to Kane, Vardy and a late clincher from Dier. Goals have been a feature of past meetings between these sides too, with both teams scoring in five of the last six games. The aggregate score in that time reads Germany 11-12 England. That makes Coral’s 3/4 on both to find the net again look massive.
The home side are favourites with our traders to get the revenge they crave, and you can back Germany to beat England in the match betting market at 7/10. That’s sure to be included in a share of midweek accumulators, but those looking for a bit more can try both score and Germany win at 5/2, while 2-1 in the correct score market trades 7/1.
England suffering with call-offs
Gareth Southgate’s preparation has been seriously hampered in the run-up to this one, with a number of first choice players ruling themselves out with injury. That list includes Harry Kane – one of the best strikers in the world, no less – West Ham’s in-form Michail Antonio, Danierl Sturridge, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott.
Where are the goals going to come from, you may ask? Well, that’s a fair question, but The Three Lions do have Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford and Jermain Defoe. Not a bad trio to call as your back-up, but it’s likely only one will start, and I’d be surprised if it wasn’t Vardy. The Leicester hit-man has been seen in the kind of form he was famous for last season, rattling in goals to pull The Foxes up the table, and see them progress in the Champions League too. Vardy to score first against Germany is an 8/1 poke with Coral, while anytime can be had at 11/4. I make the latter a strong play.
England to win the match – that looks one for patriotic punters only, given the strength of both squads, but there’s still plenty of value on offer if you like it, and we’ll give believers 15/4. Those who would prefer to steer clear of calling the winner will be encouraged by Coral’s 4/5 about the game producing over 2.5 goals, which goes as our NAP of the contest.
