World Cup
2013-03-22 - San Marino vs England
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: World Cup 2014 Qualifier
Friday 22 March 2013 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Preview
There is no real need to big up this game and even to use the old cliche that there isn't an easy game in International Football- England should win this game by at least 3 goals against a San Marino side that struggles to score goals at this level, let alone earn too many results.
Any kind of complacency from England would put them in an extremely difficult position in the Group in which they are currently second behind Montenegro, the next place the English have to visit. Currently, 2 points separate England from Montenegro and both have what looks like very winnable away games in this round of fixtures which will set up their clash on Tuesday evening.
On the other hand, San Marino, unsurprisingly, prop up the rest of the teams in the Group and they have lost all 4 games they have played while conceding 16 goals and failing to score. Their two home games saw them thumped 0-6 by Montenegro and also fall to a 0-2 defeat against Moldova, the team most likely to finish in the immediate place above San Marino in the table.
England themselves beat Moldova 0-5 away from home, but only earned a 1-1 draw in Poland. They remain unbeaten with 2 wins from 4 games, but anything less than three points would see the side ridiculed on their return to their home country next week.
The one aspect that may worry England fans slightly, although more for the game against Montenegro, is the number of defensive injuries in the squad. Rio Ferdinand pulled out earlier this week, which has not been appreciated by a lot of fans and media, and that does leave England a little short at centre half.
However, they won't be expecting any dip for this game against a side that proved a little stubborn earlier this season at Wembley where England managed a 5-0 win thanks to three late goals.
Head to Head
England beat San Marino 5-0 at home in this Group, but the most painful memory will be the 1-7 win here in 1993.
San Marino scored the fastest ever goal in World Cup qualifiers in that game after just 9 seconds and effectively ensured England missed out on the World Cup in the United States in 1994.
Prediction
Obviously England are the call but the odds are already prohibitive to make any money so the best option may be taking a couple of correct scores and seeing if they pay out.
San Marino did concede 6 to Montenegro so the thought is that they will do so again to England, but it has to be remembered that that is the most goals they have conceded at home since 2006. That is a run of 18 games when the likes of the Czech Republic, Sweden, the Republic of Ireland and Holland all played here.
With England themselves only hitting 5 goals in two away games over the last 13 years, maybe the floodgates won't open as expected in this one. Therefore, taking 0-4 and 0-5 correct scores looks a decent shout with a pay out of 3.00
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
San Marino 0-4 England
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll back a couple of correct scores:San Marino 0-4 England @ 6.00 BetFred
San Marino 0-5 England @ 6.00 Coral
Dutching those scores will payout at 3.00 if either hits
