Early goals for friendly encounter

An old and famous rivalry will be renewed at the reincarnated Wembley Stadium on Wednesday evening when England and Germany lock horns in an international friendly as part of the build-up to the 2008 European Championships, for which both nations figure prominently in the betting. German pride was dented the last time they crossed swords with their sworn enemies in 2001 - the Three Lions roared to a famous 5-1 victory - but the travelling fans will have fond memories of Wembley from October 7, 2000 when, in the penultimate meeting between these sides, Germany prevailed by a goal to nil. On that occasion Dietmar Hamann scored what turned out to be the last goal at the 'old' Wembley. In the one game which England has played at the 'new' Wembley the result was far more positive. Indeed, Steve McClaren's men produced a fine performance, recording a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Agonisingly, the visitors equalised in stoppage time, robbing England of a memorable win. Arguably, however, this match will provide a sterner test to their credentials given the deeply-seated rivalry which exists with Germany. This will be a friendly in name only. Joachim Loew's charges are very much an attacking side and covered themselves in glory as the host nation during the 2006 World Cup, setting the tournament alight with high-octane offensive football. However, this match has lost lustre through the injury-induced absence of a number of key players. England and Germany will be without their respective midfield driving forces, Steven Gerrard and Michael Ballack. McClaren will also be missing Sol Campbell, Owen Hargreaves, Darren Bent and Wayne Rooney, while Germany are short of Bastian Schweinstiege, Torsten Frings, Tim Borowski, Lukas Podolski, Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose. The absence of Gerrard and Hargreaves will place added emphasis on the contributions of Frank Lampard and David Beckham, who looks set to make his 97th appearance for his country, while Joe Cole may also start. McClaren may elect to pair Michael Owen and Peter Crouch up front, a combination which should prove effective. Loew has called up Christian Pander, Serdar Tasci, David Odonkor and Gonzalo Castro in an attempt to paper over the cracks. If both teams were at full strength I would have little hesitation in nominating Germany as the likely winners, as they are far more cohesive, incisive and spirited in their approach. However, McClaren's selection headaches have been fewer and less intense than the full-blown migraine Loew has been nursing recently. Advantage England, it would seem. Bookmakers are of that opinion - England are generally 5/4, with the Germans around 2/1 and the draw is offered at a top-priced 11/5. It is dangerous to underestimate the visitors, depleted though their squad is, because many of those that received late call-ups will be eager to prove themselves on such a grand stage. Consequently, I envisage this game being played at a high tempo. And for those anticipating a quiet first half, you could be in for a surprise. This game should open and will flow well and the recommendation is to opt for the first half having the most goals at 21/10 with SportingBet. Verdict: 2pts first half to have most goals 21/10 (SportingBet)