England Preview & Betting Tips: Rooney Is Key + Cahill Can Stop Liverpool Hitman

England will hope to get their 2014 World Cup campaign back on track when they take on Uruguay in a decisive Group D match this evening.

Roy Hodgson would have been pleased with his sides performance against Italy on Saturday night, but despite their encouraging display we came up just short with the Italians running out 2-1 victors.

The loss has been tempered by the fact Uruguay lost to Costa Rica in the group’s other fixture. Had the Uruguayan’s won, the pressure would really have been on tonight. However, if England can at the very least avoid defeat tonight then it would leave it all still to play for heading in to the Costa Rica game.

But I’ve got a feeling we’re going to see England get the three points tonight and as you’ll see further down the post, I’m backing them at tempting odds of 2.05. Costa Rica showed that Uruguay are actually a very average side, especially without a fit Luis Suarez. The defence and midfield is ageing and lacking in real quality, and I just think England are going to prove to be too much for them tonight.

Team

Much of the pre-match talk has centered around Wayne Rooney and it’s all gone a bit over the top. On his day, he’s still a world class talent and the key is to get the best out of him. The Manchester United forward did okay out on the left but speculation suggests he’ll be moved back into the center behind Daniel Sturridge and I think that’s a wise move.

Rooney’s best position is in the ‘hole’ so let’s play him there. Let’s focus on getting Rooney on the ball more and let him dictate play. Make sure he has runners which means the likes of Sterling, Sturridge and Welbeck are going to have to provide the movement, and Rooney has the quality to find them.

The key outlet could actually be Sterling. The Liverpool youngster is more than capable of playing on the left and his pace will terrify the sluggish Uruguay full-backs. Hodgson needs to encourage him to have a go, use his pace and we’ll create chances.

At the back, Chelsea’s Gary Cahill is going to have to try and keep Luis Suarez quiet. The Liverpool hitman isn’t 100% fit but reports suggest they are going to risk him, so the onus will be on Cahill to deal with his threat. He’ll know him well from the Premier League so there won’t be any surprises, but the important part will be to stop the supply lines. If Suarez can’t get the ball, he can’t do any damage.

Betting tips

It wasn’t a successful start to our bwin Blogger Betting League as the Italy – England game was far more entertaining than many expected. However, we’ve since made up some ground in the Germany and USA games, and we hope to pick some winners again this evening.

England to win (odds of 2.05)

The bookmakers have England at even-money favourites and that seems a decent bet to me. As previously stated, Uruguay look a poor side and with Suarez not 100% fit, their threat is limited, and they also have two starting defenders missing.

Over 2.5 goals (odds 1.75)

With over 60 goals scored in 20 games so far, over 2.5 goals seems a standard bet at this World Cup. Neither defences are particularly water-tight and with attacking talent like Sturridge, Rooney, Suarez and Cavani on the pitch, goals seem inevitable.

Combine the two bets (odds 3.10)

For enhanced odds, why not combine the two bets and back England to win with a combined total of over 2.5 goals being scored in the game for great odds of 3.10. So if England win 2-1, 3-0, 3-1, 3-2, etc, then we’re quids in. However, a 2-1 win is probably the most likely scoreline, which you can also back at odds of 8.50.

bwin World Cup Blogger’s League

We are taking part in the bwin World Cup Blogger’s League, a betting competition between top football sites, to follow our progress head to www.bwinbetting.com.

All of the odds included are sourced from bwin.com and you can find more on bwin’s World Cup offering, including Double/Treble returns, here.

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