Crouch to rise to occasion

England produced a far more promising display when finishing all square with Brazil at Wembley last Friday - arguably their best performance under the Steve McClaren regime - but that performance will plunge into a whirlpool of insignificance if the Three Lions fail to roar with cohesion against the comparative minnows of Estonia on Wednesday evening. Qualification for Euro 2008 was expected to be a given for England, but Group E hasn't been as straightforward for Steve McClaren's charges as was widely anticipated. A 2-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia in Zagreb was sandwiched between woeful draws against Macedonia and Israel. Consequently, England are 11/10 not to qualify with both Hills and Paddy Power. Croatia's ticket for Austria and Switzerland is all but booked - they are poised to emerge from the group as overall winners. If England do not gain the requisite three points against Estonia at the Le Coq Arena on Wednesday, then it will be advantage Russia in the race for the second qualification spot. However, anything bar victory in Tallinn is surely unthinkable. Estonia have lost eight of their last nine matches, including all six of their Group E games played so far. Furthermore, Jelle Goes' men have scored just two goals in the eight games in question. This sort of form explains why the 1.3 million inhabitants of Estonia have failed to embrace football since the Baltic state gained independence from the USSR in 1991. Indeed, the national team's record scorer, Andres Oper, is nowhere near as revered in terms of sporting greatness in Estonia as Kristina Smigun, who won two gold cross-country skiing medals at last year's Winter Olympics. There are some promising players in the squad - including the 6ft 2in striker Vladimir Voskoboinikov who will lead the attacking line with Oper ruled out through an ankle injury - but they really shouldn't trouble England. If there's one criticism that you could probably levy at England following their friendly against Brazil, it's that they weren't adventurous enough when going forward. Then again, given the quality of the Selecao it's hardly surprising that they elected to adopt a cautious approach. And, moreover, there were far more positives than negatives to draw from that collective effort. Needless to say, the spotlight was on David Beckham, recalled to the squad having initially been dropped by McClaren when the former Boro boss was appointed. Whether that was the right or wrong thing to do is subjective, but Becks looked as though he had a point to prove against Brazil and he played with renewed vigour. As such, it was a good call on the part of the coach in retrospect. Alan Smith partnered Michael Owen up front, but the Manchester United man clearly lacks the required sharpness for the big stage at present, and McClaren has indicated that, with Rooney suspended, Peter Crouch will start in attack alongside Owen. I am still of the opinion that playing Gerard and Lampard together in the centre of the park doesn't create the right balance, but with Owen Hargreaves on the easy list the duo are set to be paired once again. However, Joe Cole and Becks on either flank worked well and, even if Gerrard and Lampard do push forward concurrently on occasions, England's defence looks more than solid enough to repel any Estonian pressure. For punters, the advice is to take Peter Crouch to score first at 6/1 with Paddy Power. The Liverpool striker will relish Beckham's pinpoint crosses and, with Owen still on the road to fitness, the beanpole of a forward is by far and away the most likely source of goals given Wayne Rooney's suspension. Verdict - 1pt Peter Crouch in the first goalscorer market @ 6/1 (Paddy Power)