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Pearce’s young Lions to roar on

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Stuart Pearce’s England Under-21s can continue their good start to their Euro 2013 qualifying campaign when they meet Iceland in their second Group 8 game on Thursday (England 8/13 – match prices).

Pearce’s side kicked off their bid to qualify for the Euros in two years’ time with a thoroughly-convincing 6-0 win over Azerbaijan at Watford’s Vicarage Road last month and, while they are likely to be asked more questions in Reykjavik, another victory looks on the cards.

The Under-21s have plenty of Premier League experience within their squad with Liverpool pair Jordan Henderson and Martin Kelly, Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell and Arsenal starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain among the players who have featured regularly for their clubs in recent weeks.

Add to them Manchester United defender Phil Jones and the return from injury of Spurs’ Danny Rose and you have a very capable squad at this level.

With talent such as this, it is likely Pearce’s side will have too much for an Iceland side that have won one and lost one in Group 8 so far.

The Icelandic youngsters kicked off their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Belgium, before slipping to a 2-0 reverse in Norway to suggest they will be harder to beat at home than on the road (Iceland 18/5 – match prices).

England will have to be wary of their opponents, especially early on in the Icelandic capital, but, with a bit of patience, a comfortable victory can eventually be secured to keep them top of the qualifying table and, looking at the markets for the game, Draw/England – HT/FT at 10/3 appeals.

Henderson, Henri Lansbury and Martyn Waghorn were all on target in the 6-0 thrashing over Azerbaijan but don’t expect a repeat scoreline in Iceland. A more realistic 2-0 to the young Lions looks a good bet at 13/2.

Pearce is set to make full use of his squad with another qualifying game coming up in Norway on Monday. With that in mind, Aston Villa striker Nathan Delfounso may get the nod to start up front in this one while Connor Wickham, who has struggled for action at Sunderland since his summer move there, will also hope to be in the first XI.

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Young Lions to roar against Israel

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After a superb start to their qualifying campaign, the England under-21s (2/7 to beat Israel) are back in action on Monday in a friendly against Euro 2013 hosts Israel and looking for another superb performance as they look to build form in their quest to qualify for the European Championships in 2013.

Stuart Pearce’s men (1/4 to open the scoring) opened their qualification with a convincing 6-0 victory against Azerbaijan on Thursday and look to have got over the disappointment of their poor showing at the European Championships in Denmark earlier this summer.

A number of that squad have subsequently moved up to the senior side but, as Thursday proved, there is no shortage of talent within the English game and the future certainly looks bright for Pearce’s young squad.

In the absence of Phil Jones and Chris Smalling from the squad, West Brom defender Craig Dawson netted twice on his debut for the young Lions and will be hoping for a similarly impressive performance in Monday’s match, as he looks to establish himself in the side.

Another man who will be looking to prove himself will be Jordan Henderson, who has bounced back from a difficult European Championships and now looks to have rediscovered his form. Henderson has been superb since his switch from Sunderland to Liverpool and, if handed a start, will be looking to take control of the match with the Israelis.

However, Israel (15/2 to win at Oakwell) shouldn’t be dismissed lightly and themselves have a number of talented youngsters who will be looking to make an impression.

Due to their automatic qualification as hosts, Guy Luzon’s side won’t have a competitive fixture until the first round of matches in the tournament next summer so will be using the match to gauge themselves against a team who will undoubtedly be one of the favourites to qualify for the event.

Central to their cause will be flamboyant winger Gai Assulin, who currently plays for Manchester City and will undoubtedly be their star man. Assulin was previously at Barcelona and was part of Pep Guardiola’s successful reserve team at the Nou Camp but opted to leave Spain after his contract expired and was quickly snapped up by the Citizens.

The 20-year-old is known for his quick feet and pace and, after failing to have any real effect on Roberto Mancini’s first team, may be looking at the game as a chance to prove himself and possibly gain a loan move. He has the ability to seriously trouble the England defence and Pearce’s men will have to keep an eye on him.

Despite the obvious threat that Assulin poses, and the changes that England will undoubtedly make, as the coaches look to preserve their players, the home side should run out with a comfortable victory in Barnsley and set themselves up for another successful qualifying campaign (England 25/1 to score seven or more goals).

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England to roar against Azerbaijan

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After a disappointing campaign at this summer’s European Championships, Stuart Pearce’s England Under-21 side are back in action on Thursday facing what could be a tricky tie against an unfancied Azerbaijan team (England under-21 1/12 to beat Azerbaijan).

Pearce’s team were seen as one of the favourites for the title in Denmark but crashed out in the group stages after a string of disappointing results. Many expected the former Manchester City boss to walk following his side’s failure but he has been installed for another four years and will see the next European Championships in Israeli in 2013 as his perfect shot at redemption.

However, they have to qualify first and face a group that on paper seems simple but could provide a few slip-ups.

The first game against the former Soviet Republic should be a straightforward task and both players and staff will be expecting an easy win to get their campaign off to the perfect start at Vicarage Road.

One plus point for Pearce is despite losing the likes of Phil Jones and Danny Welbeck to the senior side, he still has a number of talented youngsters at his disposal and will no doubt be fielding an extremely strong side.

The man charged with replacing Welbeck’s goals is likely to be Aston Villa forward Nathan Delfouneso (11/4 first goalscorer), who has been tipped to have a breakthrough year this season at both club and international level this term. Delfouneso made his debut for Villa as a 16-year-old and has shown impressive maturity in recent years, meaning Pearce will be looking for the forward to establish himself in the side as he plans for 2013.

Anther player to look out for is Everton midfielder Ross Barkley (8/1 first goalscorer). The Toffees youngster has made the most of the injury problems at Goodison Park and established himself in the club’s midfield and will be hoping his form can help him earn selection for his first cap at under-21 level.

However, Azerbaijan (25/1 to beat England) will also be looking for a strong performance and look out for striker Cihan Ozkara (16/1 first goalscorer), who has so far scored two goals in his two appearances for the side and could be the man to unlock the young lions defence.

The Azerbaijanis’ other big star could well be Barkley’s Everton team-mate Araz Abdullayev, who has the vision and stamina to trouble any defence and will be looking for a strong showing. The midfielder is yet to make his debut for the Everton first team but is highly regarded at the club and will be looking to make his mark on the game.

Unfortunately, despite Azerbaijan’s likely enthusiasm, they shouldn’t trouble England and the match should be a rather straightforward test for Pearce’s youngsters. They should pull off a comfortable win in Watford.

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Time for Young Lions to roar

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England Under-21s

England Under-21s kicked off their European Championship campaign with a hard-fought 1-1 draw with favourites Spain on Sunday. Now they must do better when they meet the Ukraine on Tuesday as they look to progress in the tournament (England 3/4, Ukraine 16/5 – match odds).

Boss Stuart Pearce would probably have taken a draw against the Spanish if he’d have been offered it beforehand but, after being outplayed for large parts of the game, he would not have been happy with the overall performance.

Danny Welbeck, who is a good bet at 11/8 to score anytime on Wednesday, gave the Young Lions what could turn out to be a valuable point with his late goal on Sunday, but England must now aim for all three on Wednesday as they look to stamp their mark on a competition that, it’s fair to say, has yet to set pulses rating.

The more established Premier League players, like Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Liverpool new-boy Jordan Henderson and recent Manchester United signing Phil Jones, need to show why they are rated so highly and get football fans, currently without much to watch, back in front of the telly and cheering them on.

And they should certainly have too much for Ukraine in midweek if they play anywhere near their potential.

Pearce could make a few changes but is more than likely set to stick with the players who earned a draw in the opener as he keeps faith in his side (England 23/20 to win Group B).

There are only four teams in each of the two groups in the competition so Pearce knows a defeat is likely to signal the end of the summer jaunt to Denmark for the youngsters ahead of a final Group B game to come against Czech Republic.

With that in mind, expect a much more robust display from England – and a victory (Go for a morale-boosting 4-0 win at 25/1).

Ukraine have a hard-working squad but it’s bereft of stars and England, with plenty of Premier League experience throughout, should come out on top. Pavlo Yakovenko’s side lost 2-1 in their first game to the Czechs and will know a defeat means their tournament is over so they cannot be underestimated in what is set to be a competitive clash.

However, after being given a lesson at times by the Spanish on ball possession, this should be England’s turn to dominate the opposition and a chance to kick-start a bid for glory in Denmark.

Pearce will hope so otherwise he could quickly find himself out of a job, never mind out of the tournament.

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