England under-21s

Stuart Pearce’s side have made a perfection start in Group 8, taking the maximum 12 points available from their first four games.

Belgium U21 v England U21 (19:45)

England look a class above any side in Group 8 and should be taken to make it five wins from five against Belgium at 8/11.

Pearce will be delighted with the way his young lions have performed so far in scoring 16 goals in those four games, conceding just one goal along the way. They have proven to be a real force at this level.

One of the stars of the year for the under-21s has been West Brom defender Craig Dawson. The 21-year-old signed for the Premier League side in the summer after making the switch from his home town club Rochdale, where he helped them secure their first promotion in 36 years into League One.

Dawson has stepped into the England set-up with relative ease and looks more than comfortable in Pearce’s back four. Despite playing at centre back, he has scored four goals in five games for his national side and looks a real threat in the air from set pieces.

Arsenal youngster Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is another who has proven how comfortable he is at playing international football. The former Southampton youngster was subject to a lot of attention from a number of Premier League clubs before he made the move to the Emirates.

The 18-year-old was outstanding against Iceland when he went away with the match ball after scoring a hat-trick and could be a prominent member of the full national side in the future.

This England side really do have plenty of options on the attacking front. This was evident against Iceland when Gary Gardner came off the bench to score two goals in the game. Usually, the Aston Villa midfielder is forced to settle for a place on the bench, such is the quality Pearce has at his disposal.

Belgium have failed to qualify for the European Under-21 Championships in their last two attempts and they have a difficult task to make it this time around after picking up just five points from their opening four games.

Although they have only lost once so far in this campaign, they have drawn games from which they should have been taking maximum points.

When England travel to Antwerp, it will be the home side’s biggest test to date and it will be difficult for them to contain the young English side.

There looks to be real value in the 13/8 on offer for England to be leading at half-time and full-time at Olympisch.

For those searching for even more value, look no further than England to win the game 3-0 at odds of 12/1.

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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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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 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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Connor Wickham

Only 17 years old, Wickham signed his first professional contract earlier this year and has quickly started fulfilling the potential in the Championship (11/10f QPR Outright)  many scouts and pundits had seen in him.

His height of 6ft 3in make him a powerful force in the air and is as strong as an ox, despite his young age, making him very hard to knock off the ball.

Manchester United have taken a special interest in Wickham, though they might get no dispensation from Old Trafford legend Roy Keane when making any enquiry about him.

Wickham became the youngest player to make a senior appearance for the club when he came on as a substitute against Doncaster Rovers in April at 16 years and 11 days, breaking Jason Dozzell’s record.

Wickham has made an impact at international level, scoring the winning goal for England in the UEFA European U17 Championship final.

He has already played 43 times for Ipswich, scoring four goals, and is valued at £10million by Keane, who has already rejected an £8m bid from Tottenham.

Jack Wilshere – Arsenal

Wilshere is a product of the Arsenal Academy who has quickly risen from playing youth football to being a valuable member of Arsene Wenger’s first team squad (9/2 to win 2010-11 Premier League title).

He was a star of Arsenal’s 2009 FA Youth Cup success, scoring in both the semi-final and final, but by the time those games came around he had already made his first team bow and impressed.

He was Arsenal’s youngest ever debutant at 16 years 256 days, beating Cesc Fabregas’ record, and six days later scored his first goal for the Gunners in the 6-0 Carling Cup win over Sheffield United.

Even before he had signed his first professional contract he had played in the Champions League, making his debut against Dynamo Kiev.

This season has been in many ways his breakthrough campaign, as he made his first start against Liverpool in August and has continued to see regular action. He was Arsenal’s Player of the Month for September and scored in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Adept at dribbling and with a powerful shot, 18-year-old Wilshere has made his England debut this season, coming on as a substitute against Hungary in August.

Danny Welbeck – Sunderland

Welbeck has ended the year well, endearing himself to the Sunderland fans with impressive performances including a goal to earn the 1-0 win over Bolton.

The 20-year-old is on loan at the Stadium of Light from Manchester United, his home-town team, who he joined as a junior in 2005.

He made his competitive bow for United in September 2008 in the 3-1 Carling Cup win over Middlesbrough, and his Premier League debut came two months later, as a substitute against Stoke City. He marked the occasion with a memorable 30-yard curling shot into the top corner as United won 5-0.

Welbeck can be used as a wideman or a striker, and has great pace allied to strength and ability with both feet.

He signed a new four-year contract with United last December, assuring him that he was very much part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s plans for the future despite the Red Devils’ boss then sending him out on loan to Preston.

Welbeck scored two in eight games for North End before returning early from his loan spell due to injury, and after he recovered Steve Bruce was quick to snap him up on a season-long loan.

He starred with a goal in the 3-0 away win at Chelsea, and bagged both Sunderland (9/2 Top Six Finish) goals in a 2-2 draw at home to Everton next time out.

He has made something of an international impact since making his debut for England Under-21 in February 2009, and bagged a brace in England’s 3-0 win over Lithuania in September.

Andy Carroll – Newcastle

Carroll is still only 21, but its well over four years since the Newcastle United faithful first took him to their hearts when he became the Magpies’ youngest player to appear in Europe, during a UEFA Cup tie against Palermo in November 2006.

Even at that age he had formidable presence, able to hold off defenders using his strength and pace, and experience has only added to his abilities.

He made his Premier League bow in February 2007, and after a six-month loan spell with Preston, he returned to St James’ Park determined to claim a regular starting spot.

Indeed, the club’s decision to offer him a new four-year contract was testament to the fact that they rated him highly, and after Newcastle’s relegation to the Championship he took his chance with both hands.

He set up a superb partnership with Peter Lovenkrands which accounted for more than half the club’s goals in 2010, and finished as the club’s top scorer with 19 goals in all competitions.

Carroll scored his first career hat-trick against Aston Villa in the Premier League in August, and captained Newcastle for the first time the next month against Manchester City (Carroll 9/1 to be Premier League top scorer).

His performances for Newcastle earned him a call-up for the England friendly against France in November, and England boss Fabio Capello has talked of wanting Carroll up front as Wayne Rooney’s partner in the future.

Marc Albrighton – Aston Villa

Not given a chance during Martin O’Neill’s time in charge at Villa Park, Albrighton has grabbed his opportunity with both hands since Gerrard Houllier took over.

He has excellent pace and dribbling ability, together with the vision to be able to pick out players who have given themselves a yard of space in the box.

An outstanding prospect for England, he is never afraid to take the responsibility of shooting if a chance presents itself.

Albrighton made his competitive debut in the UEFA Cup tie at CSKA Moscow in February 2009, but it has been this season when his star has risen – he made his first Premier League start against West Ham on August 14, setting up two goals.

He scored his first Villa (11/2 Top Six Finish) goal against Spurs in October, and was rewarded with a new contract offer for the next four years.

Albrighton has bounced back well after being out of the side following an appendix operation, and has now scored three goals in 16 games.

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Liverpool

The Reds currently lead Group K (1/16 Group Winner) by three points from Thursday’s opponents following two wins and two draws with just two matches remaining and Hodgson feels it will be a worthwhile exercise to give some youngsters such as Danny Wilson, Daniel Pacheco and Nathan Eccleston a chance to shine in Romania and hand some key men a rest.

“I have faith in the young players and whatever happens on Thursday night I won’t lose faith in them,” said Hodgson.

“But it’s an opportunity for them to force their way into my attention even more.”

As for experience Joe Cole (11/4 Anytime Goal scorer) could be back in the fold after travelling for the game following his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger are all unavailable through injury, while Hodgson has confirmed that Fernando Torres, Dirk Kuyt, Raul Meireles, Glen Johnson and Paul Konchesky will also stay at home to prepare for the Premier League game against Aston Villa (Liverpool 4/7, Villa 5/1, 13/5 the draw).

In the other game in Group K winless duo, Italian outfit Napoli and Dutch side Utrecht, will meet in the Netherlands with both knowing they must win to have any chance of pipping either Liverpool or Steaua Bucharest to a qualification place and I expect the Italians to do a job on away soil at 11/8.

Thursday’s other crunch games in the Europa League sees Spanish La Liga outfit Villarreal look good to defeat Group D leaders Dinamo Zagreb (4/11 Villarreal To Win) as one point separates the top three sides in a close battle for the knockout stages with two games remaining.

In a Spain versus France battle, Group J leaders Sevilla travel to face Paris Saint Germain in a game that could determine who will top the table ahead of the knockout stage draw.

A win for Sevilla would seal the group leadership, while PSG require three points to take it to the final match, but I feel a draw will be the likely outcome at 23/10.

Italian outfit Palermo must defeat Sparta Prague to keep alive their qualification hopes from Group F and (at 7/10 To Win) I am backing them to see off the Czech Republic side on home soil.

A big game also beckons in Group L as Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia can move to within a point of second-placed Besiktas if they come out on top their encounter on home soil – and (at 2/1 To Win) they look good for some delight against their Turkish opponents.

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The pacey forward has less than two years left on his deal having arrived at Villa Park from Watford for big money back in 2007.

Signed by former boss Martin O’Neill, Young has gone on to establish himself as a key first-team player for the Villans while he has also won 10 caps for the Three Lions.

The 25-year-old insists he is happy at Villa but says he is determined to concentrate on matters on the pitch rather than get distracted by contract talks.

Young told The Sun: “I’ve told the people at Villa that I won’t be signing a new contract at the moment.

“I know they want to get it done now but my current deal still has a year to run after this season and I feel there is plenty of time to talk next summer.

“I want to stress that I have no problem with Aston Villa. I love the fans and I’m very much enjoying my football.

“I want to concentrate on what’s happening on the field and don’t want to get distracted.

“It’s a big season for me and I’m hopeful there are good times ahead under the new manager.”

Villa (9/5 – 90 minutes betting) take on Sunderland (11/8) at the Stadium of Light as they look to better their current position of eighth in the Premier League after eight games of the season.

Last weekend the Villans held leaders Chelsea to a 0-0 draw at Villa Park but it is away from home where Gerard Houllier’s men have struggled, with three defeats on the road already.

Villa are boosted by the return of striker Emile Heskey (back) and midfielder Marc Albrighton (illness) while centre-half Richard Dunne is also available despite being forced off with a gashed ankle last time out (Heskey 8/1 – Enhanced First Goalscorer).

Houllier is still without forward Gabriel Agbonlahor and full-back Luke Young because of groin and hamstring problems respectively.

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Houllier has replaced Martin O’Neill in the Aston Villa hot-seat after the Irishman quit his position just five days before the start of the Premiership season, following a difference of opinion with owner Randy Lerner.

Houllier spent six years in charge of Liverpool between 1998 and 2004 before moving back to his homeland to coach Lyon for a couple of seasons.

He then became technical director for France before deciding to move back to the Premiership with the Villans, penning a deal to remain at the club until 2013.

The 63-year-old failed to guide Liverpool to the Premiership title but did mange to secure the Uefa Cup and Uefa Super Cup in 2001, while also claiming both the FA and League Cups in the same year.

And it may well be that his ability to put together cup runs was a factor in Lerner opting to employ the French veteran.

Villa have seven points from their first five matches and face West Midlands rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, looking to build on last weekend’s 3-1 success over Blackburn Rovers.

One of Houllier’s first tasks will be to persuade Young to pen a long-term deal at the club to prevent one of the bigger clubs luring their prized asset away from the Midlands.

And the former Paris St-Germain boss is confident that the 25-year-old will sign a new contract sooner rather than later, after discussions about the role that he needs to play in the team as a whole.

“Am I hopeful Ashley will sign a new contract? Yes. It’s going on well,” he said.

“The discussions are positive. We had a chat and all I told Ashley is that I thought he could be a leader not only in terms of quality but in terms of effort.

“He can be a star but a star as a team player. His input must not be only making goals and scoring goals. It’s his work-rate and his attitude that can improve the rest of the team.”

Houllier’s appointment has not been met with universal approval by the Villa fans, with many wary of the style of football he might play.

But victory over Wolves on Sunday will go a long way to winning over his doubters and moving his new club up into a European spot in the table (Villa 5/2 to finish in the top six).

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Spurs

Defoe (10/3 – Two or More Goals) will miss England’s European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland next month after Spurs (2/9) decided to book him in for groin surgery after the vital play-off with the Swiss club.

The striker has been dogged by the problem since the World Cup, fading out of Spurs’ season opener against Manchester City and lasting 66 minutes of the first leg in Switzerland before coming off.

He could be out for up to a month which would rule him out of Spurs’ Premier League matches against West Brom and Wolves – plus their first Champions League group game, should they progress.

“He’s not trained a lot,”  Redknapp said.

“When he has trained, he’s been all right, he’s been sticking goals in. But then he’s had days off where he couldn’t train. And he’s getting worse, he’s getting worse all the time. Sixty minutes is about as much as he can last.

“It might only be half a game he can last now, but it’s getting less each time – the pain’s getting worse. He can’t go on like that.”

Luka Modric is out after failing to recover from a groin problem he suffered in the first leg, giving another chance to Jermaine Jenas.

However, Redknapp may decide to play Wilson Palacios with Tom Huddlestone in the middle and give another opportunity to Giovani Dos Santos on the right-hand side.

The Mexican, Robbie Keane and Roman Pavlyuchenko were all involved in light training on Wednesday morning and are ready to play a part.

Young Boys boss Vladimir Petkovic’s only injury absentees come in the form of defenders Emiliano Dudar and Hassan Lingani, both of whom did not feature in the first leg.

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Roy Hodgson

The former Fulham boss, who took charge at Anfield earlier this month, has opted not to risk the majority of the Reds’ senior players in what is his first competitive game in charge of the club.

Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Lucas, David Ngog and new recruit Milan Jovanovic are the only experienced players who could be on show.

However, England quartet Steven Gerrard, Joe Cole, Jamie Carragher and Glen Johnson have not travelled, despite returning to training since last week.

Javier Mascherano and Maxi Rodriguez only came back this week while Fernando Torres, Jose Reina, Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel are still on holiday following their World Cup exploits.

So Diego Cavalieri, Martin Kelly, Stephen Darby and Jay Spearing are all set to feature against Rabotnicki and will be charged with keeping Liverpool’s Europa League bid (11/1 Outright) on track.

The likes of Jonjo Shelvey, Nathan Eccleston, Peter Gulacsi, David Amoo, Lauri Dalla Valle and Tom Ince have also travelled to Macedonia and could play a part.

Hodgson said: “It is not sink or swim – it would be very harsh to write off a player’s chances of becoming a good player on the evidence of a game.

“I think it is more an opportunity to swim than to fear for them sinking.

“But we are obliged to put our European fate into the hands of many inexperienced players.

“We can only hope that, because they have got talent, they will come through these ties against an experienced and well-versed team in European football like Rabotnicki.”

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