England vs Macedonia Betting Tips

Two games in charge, two victories, nine goals scored and none conceded. As far as Steve McClaren and England go things are, as they say in Houston, 'looking good'. Looking very good in fact. It's easy to pick holes and say that Greece looked pretty poor when beaten 4-0 by the Three Lions and it's probably fair to suggest that beating Andorra 5-0 wasn't much of an achievement. However, a team can only beat what's put in front of them and it augurs well for England that they are playing with a level of fluency which was completely absent from the Sven Goran Eriksson-led team. No disrespect to David Beckham, but McClaren's decision to drop him was a good one - a long overdue decision at that! Steven Gerrard played extremely well down the right. Both he and Aaron Lennon offer greater penetration than Becks ever did down that flank, as they have the ability to run at defenders, not something with which Bechkam was synonymous, it has to be said. Now the spotlight will shine on the Three Lions as they are entertained by Macedonia in a Euro 2008 qualifier in Skopje on Wednesday evening. Sadly, the last time England played here the home fans directed racist chants at Emile Heskey. Let's hope that such behaviour doesn't rear it's ugly head again. In terms of the squad at McClaren's disposal, Rio Ferdinand is back in the fray following a minor injury, but the injury-jinxed keeper Chris Kirkland is once again on the easy list, while Luke Young wasn't deemed fit enough to travel after a niggling ankle injury flared up again. It's unlikely that McClaren will change much - why reinvent the wheel after two solid performances? - perhaps Ferdinand's inclusion in place of Wes Brown at the centre of defence will be the only notable difference. The last time England took on Macedonia in the 18,000-seater Gradski Stadium, they emerged victorious, prevailing by two goals to one. Once again, I think this will be a close call. Many will be expecting England to brush Macedonia aside, but it won't be so easy in their territory, especially with their supporters' hostility. One suspects that Peter Crouch will be in the starting line up, with Defoe or Johnson along side him. Crouch benefited greatly from Gerrard's deliveries from the right against Andorra, and he'll once again be a veritable nightmare for the oppositions defence. But I am going to suggest steering clear of predicting who will score and the actual result itself, and instead have a foray into the total goals market were a wager on 2-3 goals at 11/10 with Blue Square looks the way to go. Macedonia will be a far tougher unit to break down than Andorra, so I fear that those expecting a resounding scoreline like the last two we've been treated to will be disappointed. I do expect England to come through this game with flying colours, though, I just cannot envisage more than two or three goals being scored. This should be an informative match as it will provide England with a sterner test of their mettle. All that's left to say is "come on England"! Verdict - 2.5pts on 2-3 in the total goals market @ 11/10 (Blue Square)