ENGLAND VS EGYPT PREVIEW AND LATEST BETTING TIPS

England vs Egypt is a really widely-anticipated friendly match and the shadow of John Terry, the fallen captain, looms largely over this fixture. According to top UK bookmaker William Hill, England are significant favourites to get the result here at home, and I can see this match being a good warm-up for the 2010 World Cup fixtures. Egypt are no slouches and they performed supremely well during the 2010 African Cup of Nations.

You’ll find England’s odds to beat Egypt at 4/11 while the Egyptians trade at 7/1. The draw is listed at 19/5 and I think the only way that pans out is if England have a very poor first half and wind up chasing the match. What they want to do is make an early statement and put Egypt on the backfoot. The Egyptians have players who can score, and players that a lot of the English team don’t know a huge amount about. I think that’s the ace up their sleeve going into this fixture.
The favoured correct score outcomes are England 1-0 and 2-0, both listed at 9/2. England to win 2-1 pays out at 6/1 while a 3-0 victory rewards at 7/1. A 1-1 draw pays 13/2 while a 2-2 draw (not out of the question) can be backed at 18/1.
William Hill is running a promotion on this match where punters can earn a free £10 in-play bet by wagering £20 on the double result market. The shortest odds in that one are England/England at an odds-on price of 10/11. Draw/England pays out at 3/1 while Draw/Draw can be backed at 6/1. Egypt/England is a solid 30/1 payout, but if you’re in it for the free bet, England/England or Draw/England are your best bets. Keep in mind that this promo applies to new and existing William Hill customers.
The goalscorer markets are supremely interesting with Wayne Rooney being heavily-favoured to score at any time. Personally, I think that Capello may opt to rest Rooney or start him on the bench as he seems to have just shaken off a minor injury. I don’t really think he would learn anything new about Wazza in this one and he may choose to see some other strikers have a go at things. Rooney is 8/13 to score anytime and a slim 12/1 to hit a hat-trick.
Jermain Defoe is listed at 8/11 to score anytime while Peter Crouch and Carlton Cole are both odds-on at 10/11. Emile Heskey can be backed at 6/5 while Frank Lampard is at 6/4. Steven Gerarrd is set to captain the side and he is 7/4. Theo Walcott is short-priced at 2/1 and I’m not sure if that’s a great bet. Stewart Downing could surprise and is a solid 11/4 alongside James Milner- who could be a solid tip if he gets the start.
David Beckham is 7/2 to score a goal for England. You can also back John Terry to make a statement by scoring a goal and he’s an enticing 7/1.
Amr Zaki is well-priced to score for Egypt at an 11/4 listing. Emad Moteab is trading at 10/3 anytime and he is a solid bet along with Modamed Zidan at 7/2. Keep your eyes on Ahmed Hassan as well, he’s listed at 11/2.