SpenniesEURO 2008 Qualifiers, March 24
March 24th 2007 00:56
Israel – England
Israel is on 4th place in group E, with 2-1-1 stats. They’ve won against Andora at home 4:1 and Estonia away 0:1, drew with Russia away 1:1 and lost at home against Croatia 3:4. They’ve played with two tough opponents and won only one point, so this is their actual strength. O course, in Israel they could make some troubles for some teams but objectively they are at least one class below England. Israel will have three important missing as forward Yaniv Katan is injured, Bolton midfielder Idan Tal and their best striker Colautti are suspended. Also , midfielder and probably one of the most influential players, Yossi Benayoun is doubtful and that could be a major problem for Israelis.
Team (probable): Aouate; Ben Haim, Yoav Ziv ,Ben Yosef ,Shpungin; Benayoun ?, Badir, Toamah, Golan ;Balili, Sahar.
England is on 3rd place with 7 points as their today’s opponents . They have 3 points less than Croatia and 1 point less than Russia. England have won over Andora 5:0 and against Macedonia in Skopje. At home they’ve just drew with Macedonia and finally , they lost in Croatia 2:0. Not good start for coach Steve McClaren. England is practically in a must win situation and all in squad are aware of that. England public is very unsatisfied with McClaren performances so far and this will be additional pressure for the guests today. But England national team have way more to give and I think they will push very strong today with strong aim to make three points and to catch Croatia and Russia. Gary Neville and Jonathan Woodgate are out.
Team (probable): Robinson; Carragher, P Neville, Terry, Ferdinand; Gerrard, Hargreaves, Lampard, Lennon; Rooney, Johnson.
England have more qualities than hosts. I don’t see how Israel could respond to strong England midfield and I believe this part of the filed will be crucial for England winning today. My pick is England to win (AH -0.5, 1.85 @ betsafe).
Spain - Denmark
Spain is in very difficult situation after three rounds. They’ve won only against Liechtenstein and lost both away fixtures , against Sweden 2:0 and Northern Ireland 3:2. It’s still early phase of qualifications but Spain must start to win points and to climb up on the table. Match against Denmark and the next one against Northern Ireland could be crucial for Spain qualifications in EURO ’08. Similar like England , Spain is more or less in a must win situation. They have two important defenders out as Puyol and Sergio Ramos are suspended, so we can expect probably Havi Navarro and Angel instead.
Team (probable): Casillas; Angel, Javi Navarro, Marchena, Capdevilla; Iniesta, Albelda, Xavi, Silva; Villa, Morientes.
Denmark laying on 2nd place with 7 points out of 3 games and they are in much better situation than Spain. But this match is also important for them as any result except losing will make their chances for qualifying better. They are solid team , but they come to Spain in very dramatic moment for hosts and that will make things harder for them. They have few players from domestic league in team and it’s questionable can they play on satisfying level as Denmark championship started just few weeks ago. This is certainly disadvantage for the visitors. Martin Laursen, Thomas Helveg, Soren Larsen and Peter Lovenkrands are out.
Team (probable): Sorensen; Jacobsen, Gravgaard, Agger, Niclas Jensen; Poulsen, Daniel Jensen; Rommedahl, Jorgensen, Kahlenberg; Tomasson
It wouldn’t be easy for Spain today as Denmark play very strong and tough football. But Spain have bigger need for points , they will have home field advantage and more games in the legs than some Denmark players. It’s enough for me to pick Spain to win ( 1.70 @ betsafe). Or if you’re looking for better odds Spain AH -0.75 ( around 1.90)
From other matches I believe France and Serbia should win, also Georgia AH 1.25 could be a wise choice.
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