England v Montenegro – Match Preview and Betting Tip
England’s World Cup campaign comes to a head over the next week, with two critical home games taking place, beginning with this one against the former Yugoslavian state of Montenegro. The Montenegro national team cannot be described as one of Europe’s heavyweights, yet they have a more than capable team, with Steven Jovetic, their star player, having signed for Manchester City during the summer.
Furthermore, it is arguable that England were lucky to get a draw when they played the visitors in Montenegro. So there is no guarantee that England will win this fixture, and it will doubtless be a nervy evening at Wembley Stadium when the East Europeans come to town.
Winner
England are strong favourites for this fixture, and they do have an exceptional home record historically. Even in friendlies, they have recently seen off the likes of Brazil, and are a match for anyone in front of their home support. Montenegro will certainly put up a very strong showing, though, as they still have an excellent and more than mathematical opportunity to win the group. But England tend to pull wins out of the fire in these circumstances, and I think the home side will get a victory here. You will struggle to get better odds than 2/5 against this outcome.
Correct Score
England’s defence hasn’t looked overly strong of late, certainly not as much so as when they had Ferdinand and Terry at the heart of their defence. So I can see Montenegro scoring in this one, but England just nicking a win. I’m tipping the final score here to be England 2 – 1 Montenegro. Best odds available are 9/1 with Ladbrokes.
Under / Over 2.5 Goals
The over 2.5 goals option can be backed at 17/20 with Ladbrokes.
Winning Margin
A one-goal win for England can be backed at odds of 11/4 with Bet365.
First Goalscorer
This will be a nervy evening for the home side, and they will desperately want to score first. It is always difficult to predict what team will be picked by Roy Hodgson, but I think he will go for experience, so I’m tipping the perennial England scorer Frank Lampard to break the deadlock here. Best odds available are 8/1 with Bet365.
