Holland vs England Betting Tips

England incurred their first defeat since Steve McClaren took hold of the coaching reigns when beaten 2-0 by Croatia in Zagreb in their latest Euro 2008 qualifier, but far more disconcerting than the scoreline was the Three Lions' performance - it was utterly toothless! That remark also applies to their effort against Macedonia at Old Trafford in their penultimate match, which ended in a depressing stalemate, and, alas, England are no longer favourites for Euro 2008. Quite how they were ever at the head of that market remains a mystery to me. McClaren has had five intended outfield squad members ruled out - Darren Bent, Stewart Downing, Scott Parker, Ledley King, Gary Neville - but Aaron Lennon, Andy Johnson and Joe Cole are all in the mix having been unavailable for selection ahead of the Croatia debacle. This trio offer much needed pace and penetration to England and, despite the handful of absentees, there really will be no excuses if England once again fail to deliver a convincing performance, as there is more than enough quality in the squad - they should at least punch pound for pound with Marco van Basten's charges. The current crop of Oranje stars may not be collectively as effective as those of their manager's era, but they are a classy side nevertheless. Ruud van Nistlerooy, Robin van Persie and Dirk Kuyt are strikers of the highest order while Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder are top notch midfielders that give the Dutch side plenty of width. England have had 16 encounters with Holland since 1935, winning on five occasions, losing four times and the remaining seven matches ended level. Significantly, though, the Three Lions have beaten Holland just once in nine matches since 1988, a stat which is indicative of the fact that the Dutch have been a major force on the international scene since the mid 80s. Personally I am of the opinion that, in terms of cohesion and team spirit, Holland are much the better team and, if this were a competitive match, I'd have little or no hesitation in recommending a wager on the Oranje. But, like the last two friendlies between these two nations, Wednesday's match could easily end as a draw. As far as punting opportunities go, the correct score market looks the way to go with 0-0 at 7/1 with sportingodds and 1-1 at 11/2 with bet365 making most appeal. Incidentally, these were the respective scorelines in England and Holland's last two meetings and, with neither set of players likely to go hell for leather with club commitments in mind, this game could end up being quite subdued. Verdict: 1pt 0-0 in the correct score market @ 7/1 (sportingodds)1pt 1-1 in the correct score market @ 11/2 (bet365)