Wayne Rooney to Star in England vs Chile?

England face an interesting fixture against Chile on Friday as they kick off a back to back series of friendly matches to prep for the World Cup and allow Roy Hodgson to try something new with his charges. The line-up for this one is a bit different from the past couple of fixtures as there are some key players absent, although the big issue now seems to be Hodgson’s announcement that Joe Hart - previously considered untouchable - will not start the match. 

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It will come down to either John Ruddy or Fraser Forster to step in and that’s going to reverberate throughout the England camp - particularly if either of the replacements has a poor outing. 

Several strikers have withdrawn and Rickie Lambert is just the latest to be removed from consideration. Big names like Steven Gerrard, Jack Wilshere, Michael Carrick and Danny Welbeck round out the list of high-profile absentees. 

Frank Lampard will captain the side that is still expected to include Wayne Rooney - and he’s in a rich vein of form so it may make sense to have your wagers based around a good performance from Wazza as opposed to a lights-out 90 minutes from the rest of the side. 

Forster may prove to be the wildcard and his performances for Celtic have been top drawer - particularly in big Champions League fixtures. Expect him to get the call from Hodgson over Ruddy, who has allowed 15 goals in five matches in the Premier League. 

Expect to see Andros Townsend make an appearance or perhaps even start a match while Jay Rodriguez may be preferred to Jermain Defoe to partner Wayne Rooney up front. You don’t necessarily see Wazza being deployed as a lone striker here - particularly in a friendly match.