Prediction: England vs Netherlands

28th February 2012

England start their Euro 2012 preparations with a home game against Netherlands, and this match clearly comes at a bad time for the Three Lions. Oranje are looking to make amends for the 3-0 defeat to Germany, and everything suggests we will see an entertaining affair between two candidates for the Euro 2012 title.

In spite of the disappointing exit from the 2010 World Cup, England started the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign brightly and they eased off to the first place in the group. Home draws against Montenegro and Switzerland didn’t prove too costly as the Three Lions largely impressed on the travels and ensured qualification without too many problems. The team kept the rich vein of form with friendly wins over Sweden and world champions Spain, but just when it appeared England would travel to Poland and Ukraine in high spirits, their title hopes were dealt with a serious blow. Following the altercation with FA chiefs over their decision to strip John Terry of the captain’s armband, Fabio Capello resigned from the post, to the disappointment of players and fans alike. Stuart Pearce has been appointed as interim manager and he was the one responsible for picking the team for the Netherlands friendly, but Psycho will not be able to field his strongest side. Darren Bent, Wayne Rooney, Kyle Walker and Tom Cleverley have all pulled out because of injuries, but Sunderland striker Frazier Campbell could get a chance to shine.

Netherlands have become a real force to be reckoned with in world football and this is the team that usually ensure qualification with few games to spare. However, similar to England, Oranje have been regarded as the side that usually flop at major tournaments, that is until the 2010 World Cup. Bert van Marwijk’s side played great football in South Africa, winning six straight games to reach the final in Johannesburg, but mighty Spain proved too much for them and they had to settle for the silver medal. Netherlands then recorded nine straight victories in the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign before losing to Sweden in the final group game, thus easily qualifying for the tournament in Poland and Ukraine. Oranje enter this game on the back of the 3-0 friendly defeat to Germany, and they are very motivated to return to winning ways and improve the atmosphere in the team before the final stage of the Euro 2012 preparations. The visitors will have to make do without Tottenham playmaker Rafa van der Vaart, but all other star players are fit to feature.

Conclusion

England team are shaken by Fabio Capello’s resignation and with several key players missing through injuries, they could find it hard to match very good Netherlands side. Oranje arrive to Wembley with virtually full strength side and with Van Persie and Huntelaar scoring goals for fun, they can be trusted to beat England in London.

Verdict: Netherlands Draw no bet

Best Odds: 10/11

Bookmaker: 888sport