England vs Andorra

Following the impressive 4-0 drubbing of reigning European champions Greece, England fans have been injected with renewed enthusiasm following what was a dismal World Cup campaign. For Steve McClaren's first game in charge could have hardly gone more swimmingly and while it was just a friendly - and Greece were ultimately pretty poor on the night - all the Three Lions could do was beat the opposition in front of them. And they did it well. Since taking hold of the reigns, McClaren has been consulting Premiership managers, particularly Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, in an attempt to create "Club England". The ex Boro boss wants the national side to play like a club team. Essentially, he's aiming to instil a greater sense of understanding and unity among the players. This is a good thing since the players looked completely disjointed when the Sven was at the helm. As England embark on their qualification campaign for Euro 2008, they face Andorra at Old Trafford on Saturday and, without wishing to disrespect the visitors, this really should be a veritable penalty kick for England. Anything less than an emphatic victory will be viewed as an absolute travesty against opponents far, far inferior in every area of the park. With Owen and Rooney out of the fray, and Dean Ashton still on the easy list, Everton's Andy Johnson gets another chance to prove his worth in an England shirt. Johnson has started the season in cracking form for Everton following his move from Crystal Palace. There is strong competition among England's strikers as Peter Crouch and Jermaine Defoe are also pressing for a place. Defoe, strangely enough, just doesn't seem to excel in an England shirt. By contrast, all 6ft 7ins of Liverpool's Peter Crouch continues to go from strength to strength for both club and country. Crouch was the first man on the scoresheet against Greece and I reckon he'll also be the first on Saturday. At 3/1 with Betfred, Peter Crouch to score first looks a bet worth a couple of quid of anyone's money. With a tougher-looking encounter with Macedonia coming just four days after this game, I envisage that the strikers will really turn on the style in a bid to stake their claim for a place in the starting line-up for that fixture. At present, the race for a regular slot up front with Rooney is wide open, as Owen will be out of action for a while. Given the quality of the players vying for that role, Andorra's defence should be ripped to pieces. As such, my advice is to take a small flyer and have a punt in England to win 5-0 in the correct score market, about which Betfred are a stand-out 8/1 (generally 6s and short as 11/2 in a place). The signs are good. But England have a long way to go to justify their position as favourites for Euro 2008 with their World Cup exertions still fresh in the memory. Although Rooney's absence detracts from England's attack, and Rio Ferdinand will probably miss this match after picking up a minor foot injury, their is so much quality in this side. Now is the time for the stars to start really shining. Come on England! Verdict - 1pt Peter Crouch in the first goalscorer market @ 3/1 ( Betfred & 1pt England to win 5-0 in the correct scorer market @ 8/1 ( Betfred )