Saturday represents Roy Hodgson’s last chance to have a look at his squad in action as England take on Belgium at Wembley before the real business starts at Euro 2012 in a week’s time.
It has not necessarily been the easiest of weeks for the England manager as he has had little time to prepare for Euro 2012 to start with, and has been forced to cope with the losses of John Ruddy, Gareth Barry and now Frank Lampard from his original squad.
Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka and Jordan Henderson are the beneficiaries of those injuries but the squad has obviously been weakened – and there will be those who are thinking Henderson would have done well to get into any other squad at the tournament, let alone the fourth favourites.
There is an underwhelming feeling for many punters going into the tournament regarding England, perhaps more of dread than anticipation, but at least the players will not be burdened by over-the-top expectations that usually accompany them in major tournaments – and which they usually fail to live up to.
Not many will be tempted by the 10/1 about England to lift their first European Championship title but things may look different following the weekend’s fixture.
Belgium obviously failed to get into the Poland and Ukraine showpiece but were given a tough assignment having been drawn in the same group as Germany and Turkey – and ultimately finished behind both, with a 1-1 home draw with the latter proving costly.
However, they are a nation that is seemingly on the up given the success of some of their stars in the Premier League and they could perhaps upset the odds on Saturday (England 8/13, draw 11/4, Belgium 5/1 – Match Betting).
Vincent Kompany has been an absolute rock at the heart of Manchester City’s defence as he led the Citizens to their first league title since 1968, while Thomas Vermaelen at Arsenal, Everton’s Marouane Fellaini and Fulham’s Moussa Dembele have also impressed this season in England’s top flight.
Perhaps more excitingly for spectators is a first glimpse of wonderkid Eden Hazard who, after a number of impressive seasons in France, is seemingly set to move to Chelsea at some point in the summer, having also been courted by Manchester United and Manchester City.
The 21-year-old finished off the season at Lille with a hat-trick and might well tempt those looking to invest in the First/Last Goalscorer markets at a price of 12/1, while he is 10/3 to score at anytime.
Romelu Lukaku (10/1 and 11/4) was not given much of a chance at Stamford Bridge this season but is very much one for the future and this appears to be a Belgium team that is definitely improving.
As it is a friendly it would be prudent to wait until team news is announced closer to kick off to get a better idea of the chances of either side but Belgium should be more relaxed as they have nothing else to worry about.
England’s midfield appears to be a problem following the withdrawals of Lampard and Barry, as Scott Parker has also been struggling with an injury and may well be rested on Saturday to keep him as fit as possible for the real business.
That means Henderson could well get a start in midfield or Hodgson could re-employ Phil Jones but it looks to be an area where England may struggle.
No doubt Hodgson will try and involve as many players as possible given that it is the final time he will see any in meaningful action, while it is also only his second game in charge.
The former West Brom boss at least got off to a winning if unspectacular start and he will be hoping for more of the same to give the squad a boost going into the France game on June 11.
He will try to make his side hard to beat rather than an offensive powerhouse but who can blame him – you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
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