England vs Greece Betting preview

England has beaten Greece in six of their eight encounters and there will be some extremely glum faces in Steve McClaren's camp if their charges fail to deliver the goods at Old Trafford in their friendly against Otto Rehhagel's men on Wednesday evening. Let's not kid ourselves here, England were dire in the World Cup Finals in Germany - for a squad of their strength the performances we were treated to just weren't good enough, hook, line and sinker. However, new manager, fresh impetus and some long overdue changes mean that better times could be afoot. During his tenure, some of Sven's decision-making was decidedly bizarre, and his reluctance to omit David Beckham at any stage became infuriating. For the most part, few can question Golden Balls's work rate, but the time had clearly come for someone like Aaron Lennon to take to the right of midfield, as while Beckham's passing range is outstanding, he was completely ineffective when running at players with the ball. The signs are positive under the new gaffer. It appears as though the ex Boro boss is going to take the necessary steps towards eradicating the cliques within the ranks that Eriksson created. And in dropping Beckham - and, above all else, appointing Terry Venables as assistant coach - McClaren has made two fantastic decisions already, which augur well for the direction in which the Three Lions are collectively marching. McClaren has made clear that he intends to give some of the young guns more of a chance - describing the changes as "evolution not revolution" - and he remained true to his word. In addition to dropping Becks, Sol Campbell and David James are also out of the equation. Instead, young strikers Darren Bent and Dean Ashton have entered the mix, while Jermaine Defoe has been recalled, which seems a good move given his pace and ability to run at defenders, the sort of game-play England lacks without an on-fire Michael Owen. England will not have things all their own way. The Greeks will be keen to atone for failing to qualify for the World Cup, and will be bidding to go into their Euro 2008 qualifiers in good form, ahead of a tilt at retaining their crown. The likes of Charisteas and Giannakopoulos are always a threat, and will test England's defence.However, when it comes to the crunch, England should have far too many guns for their rivals. I cannot envisage a rout, but splitting stakes and backing England to win 2-0 and 3-0 at top prices of 6/1 and 9/1 respectively with expekt and Betfred looks the way to go. It's hard to say for sure who McClaren will elect to start up front, but any potential combination of strikers would prove more than a handful for the Greek defence. For all their courage and exemplary team spirit, the Greeks are an ageing side and they will find it particularly difficult containing pacey wingers like Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips should that duo take to the flanks during this encounter. Verdict - England to win 2-0 @ 6/1 (expekt) & England to win 3-0 @ 9/1 (Betfred)