Andorra are 229/1 to beat England tonight, 79/1 to draw

England/Andorra, 8.15pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

If there is one criticism of England under Fabio Capello, it’s that they take too long to break down minnows. It took 49 minutes to break down Andorra in Barcelona, 52 to find a way past Kazakhstan at Wembley and then 40 away to them last weekend. Andorra boss David Rodrigo has noticed the trend and plans to frustrate the Three Lions tonight, although Betfair odds of 229/1 show that he’s not expected to have much success. Here are some stats about what surely must be a home banker, even if it’s played in front of no fans:

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» England have won their three previous meetings with Andorra without conceding a goal, scoring ten in the process.

» Andorra coach Rodrigo’s claimed that “England have always had problems when they have played against us and have been made to work hard to get the first goal.” However, they were beaten 5-0 on their last trip to Wembley in 2006 with the opening goal coming in the fifth minute from Peter Crouch.

» The minnows have lost their last 20 competitive games and their overall record in qualifying games is P58 W1 D2 L55. They’ve taken just a point from 29 away qualifiers - a 0-0 draw in FYR Macedonia in February 2005.

Posted: June 10th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

chickendinner go fishing for World Cup qualifying draws

Ireland, Portugal and Croatia are 50/1 to all draw with Bet365

England’s trip to Kazakhstan looks almost certain to end in an away win - England have won all five of their qualifiers, they’ve lost their last four - so we’ve diverted our attention elsewhere. Identifying multiple draws is a tough task but the rewards can be spectacular. There are three games where we think the spoils are there for the sharing and should all three miraculously come in, you will win £50.97 for a pound stake on Bet365:

Albania v Portugal (7/2): Portugal drew with Albania at home and have won none of their last four qualifiers, drawing three. They do have Luis Boa Morte back though!

Bulgaria v Ireland (7/3): Ireland have drawn their last two away qualifiers and drew at home to Bulgaria. The hosts have drawn four of their five.

Croatia v Ukraine (5/2): This one is a long shot because the only group game these sides have drawn so far came against each other in Kharkiv but neither of them have lost to anyone other than England.

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Posted: June 6th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Ten statistics about England’s qualifying clash with Ukraine

England/Ukraine, Wednesday 8pm, ITV1, Free Bets, Best Odds

England fans have a reputation for fickleness but the antics of the Wembley crowd must seem refreshing to Fabio Capello when compared to the actions of some supporters in his homeland. Italy fans in Bari are expected to boo Marcello Lippi, the man who won them the World Cup, tonight and cheer his predecessor Giovanni Trapattoni, the man who twice flopped in international tournaments. The reason? Lippi refused to call up their favourite son Antonio Cassano. Capello on the other hand can expect a hearty applause this evening despite trying to pick even Darren Bent ahead of Michael Owen. Here’s ten stats about tonight’s game with Ukraine:

1. Both teams are unbeaten in Group 6, with England winning all four of their games. Ukraine have won two and drawn one of their three.

2. Ukraine are unbeaten in eight games and have won four consecutive away games.

3. However, they have been seen off easily on their two previous trips to England - losing 2-0 in 2000 and 3-0 in 2004.

Posted: April 1st, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment