International Rescue - Free GBP50 Bet. The England team travel out to Austria to protect Sven’s impressive record of never having lost a qualifying game since he took over the helm...
Eriksson: Gerrard 50-50 to face Austria. Bets: 1-0 or 2-0 to England
As England team travel out to Austria to protect Eriksson’s record of never having lost a qualifying game since he took over the helm, injured England midfielder Steven Gerrard is a major headache Sven-Goran Eriksson on the eve of this Saturday's opening 2006 World Cup qualifier.
"I'm a little bit concerned because it's 50-50 whether he plays or not," the Swede told a news conference as cited by Reuters. "We'll only take the decision tomorrow. I'm quite sure he won't train today.
"The only thing I can say is that if we suspect the injury will be made worse by playing then he will not play. It's not fair on him, on England or on Liverpool.
"Whatever happens tomorrow, we are quite sure he will be ready for Wednesday."
"If Steven Gerrard is out, it's not Plan A, it's Plan B...but we have enough players to be covered. Beckham can do it, he's done it very well for over a year, and so can Hargreaves."
England coach, aware of Beckham's often-stated desire to play in central midfield, would have no difficulty moving him to a role he filled at Real Madrid last season.
"First of all I think he likes it and he looks more and more natural there," said the Swede. "And if you can play there for Real Madrid you can play there for England. I've no doubts about that."
"I believe Shaun Wright -Phillips is ready to play in a qualification game for Engd," Eriksson said. "If I didn't think that, he wouldn't be here."
"Personally, I think his best position is in the centre as a sitting midfielder. He's hard-working, he can run all day, and he's clever -- he's played all over the pitch for Bayern Munich," Eriksson said.
The shocks of a disappointing quarter-final exit from Euro 2004 and an attempt by his employers to oust him from his job have not shaken Sven-Goran Eriksson's faith in his own judgement, noted news24.com.
But after Scholes's retirement and injuries to Wayne Rooney and Sol Campbell, there is every chance that England would be embarking on the road to Germany 2006 with an identical lineup to the one which pulled up short in Portugal. Eriksson's critics argue that this approach has bred a degree of complacency among his first choice stars that may have contributed to the under-performance of David Beckham, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard in Portugal.
But the Swede said: "You cannot say David Beckham, Steven Gerrard or Michael Owen did a poor Euro".
"They were not as good as they could be, I agree. But when they are good they are among the best in the world. I think they did a good job without being brilliant and we need those players to be brilliant to win a big tournament. I can't find anyone better."
International Rescue for England, Wales and Scotland - Free £50 Bet
England, Wales and Scotland have all got a couple of fixtures each over the next few days, and this weekend they are all away from home. If you’re thinking of having a punt on any of the games, take a look at the prices on offer from BetHiLo before doing anything else - they’re offering a free £50 bet to all new clients, so don’t miss your chance to clean the bookies out for once.
The senior market maker at BetHiLo gives his opinion on this weekend’s action:
Trader’s Tips
“The England team travel out to Austria looking to protect Swen’s impressive record of never having lost a qualifying game since he took over the helm. On his current form, Alan Smith is likely to start up front with Owen - he’s already bagged five goals in all competitions since switching to Man Utd. However, I don’t think there will be many goals in this match. England will be looking to not concede any during either of their opening away games, so I expect it to be a tighter match, probably 1-0 or 2-0 to England.
“As well as Smith, the smart punter could be tempted to back the ever impressive Lampard to perform well, and personally I think Wayne Bridge will get a run-out and shine. As for Austria, there’s not much to say; ex-Arsenal keeper Alex Manninger is back in the squad, but most of their team play in the domestic league. They didn’t impress during the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign, even losing away to Moldova, and I just can’t see them getting anything out of this match.
“Wales will journey to Azerbaijan full of confidence this weekend. They were both in the same qualifying group for Euro 2004 and the Welsh beat them 2-0 in November, before handing out a 4-0 spanking at home in March. And if you look at their recent 2-0 win over Latvia, they look good. I will be backing Wales all the way. Although Giggs isn’t doing a great deal at the moment, Craig Bellamy is looking very hot. I can’t see Wales losing this one although I doubt it will be 4-0, more like 1-0 or 2-0 again.
“Scotland play in a warm-up on Friday night, and if the plan was to use this friendly to instil confidence in to his side, then Berti Vogts should have chosen different opponents than Spain. Barry Ferguson has come back strongly, and I think his midfield partnership with Darren Fletcher will strengthen and improve over time. They’ve only played together once, in the Hungary match, and showed signs of what could be. Unfortunately however, Spain must be clear favourites; with talent like Reyes set to play then our prediction of Spain to win by 1.7 to 2 goals tells the full story...”
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