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Slovakia v England: England will do enough to qualify

Slovakia v England
Monday June 20, 20:00 BST
Live on ITV 1


Slovakia
In my pre-tournament preview I nominated Slovakia as possible outsiders to go quite deep and I have seen nothing to overly deter me from that line of thinking.
Obviously they were beaten by Wales in their opener but they played quite well on reflection and were unlucky not to take at least a point from that game.
Ján Kozák's side then showed great resolve by beating Russia on Wednesday in a match that saw them lead 2-0 at half time. The Russians ensured a nervy final 10 minutes as they pulled one back, but the Slovaks held firm and they are now in a great position to make it through to the knockout phase.
Napoli's Marek Hamsik is their key man as he proved again against Russia with a goal and an assist. He sits just behind the lone striker and Eric Dier will have to be at the top of his game to contain him.

England

With 45 minutes gone in Lens on Thursday things were looking bleak for England. Jeered off by their own fans, Roy Hodgson made the brave decision to take off Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling, and replace them with Daniel Sturridge and Jamie Vardy.
As far as double substitutions go, it was one of the best. The Three Lions roared back from 1-0 down to win 2-1 thanks to a goal apiece from Sturridge and Vardy. One of them looks certain to start in Saint-Etienne, but I doubt he will play both from the off - with the Leicester man appearing to be the favourite to remain on the bench.
Joe Hart's position shouldn't be under threat despite his blunder for Bale's goal and the Man City keeper has proven before that he can put serious errors behind him and play brilliantly in the next game.
Topping the group would be advantageous as it would mean facing a team who finished third in one of the other groups, and only a victory here would guarantee that. A draw would seal qualification, but would only be enough for top spot if Wales fail to beat Russia.

Match Odds
Slovakia 6.20 England 1.79 The Draw 3.55

It's Slovakia who stand-out to me in this market as I have them down as better than Wales and the Welsh were a point bigger for their game against England.
That being said, Hodgson's side have impressed me as well during this tournament and I find it difficult to see them being beaten - especially when a draw puts them through to the next round.
If I were forced to bet though, I would invest in the Slovaks with a view to cash out pretty quickly if they get ahead.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Over 2.5 Goals 2.44 Under 2.5 Goals 1.68

The goals haven't exactly been flowing in this tournament to date as only seven of the 24 matches played in the first two rounds of fixtures have ended with the ball in the net on three occasions or more.
That is a percentage of around 29% but if we concentrate solely on Group B, that shoots up to 50%. It's also worth noting that the two that missed out only did so by a single goal and there is yet to be a clean sheet in any of the four games played.
I also have a feeling that this final set of group matches will be more open as it's do or die time for some of the teams involved and there is no point exiting on a whimper.
The two sides involved here are much better going forward than they are in defence and I can definitely see plenty of chances at both ends. The over is a very generous price at around the 2.44 mark and it looks like the stand-out bet for this particular game.

Correct Score

A draw wouldn't overly surprise me as it could end up suiting both nations and, as I think we'll see some goals, a correct score of 2-2 is huge odds at 26.00.
A point would see England qualify and most likely Slovakia as well - even if it leaves them in third place. Clearly a 2-2 outcome is far from nailed on, but it's definitely not a one in 26 chance, which makes the price on offer decent value.

Recommended Bets


Back Over 2.5 goals @ 2.44
Back a 2-2 Correct Score @ 26.00



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