Slovenia vs England – Milner tipped to add bite to right wing
Published:James Milner is expected to be named on the right wing for England, in place of Aaron Lennon, as Fabio Capello aims to add a goal-scoring threat to the position. Milner is 12/1 to score first.
Milner, who trained in the role on Tuesday, was on the pitch for 30 minutes against the USA before illness forced him off. That he left the field with England 1-0 up could be seen as an omen by those who rely on such things – his side are 9/2 to win by that score here.
The PFA young player of the year bagged seven league goals for Aston Villa last season but hasn’t yet scored for his country. What a time for him to start, though. He’s 3/1 to score at any time.
To date, Milner’s most sterling performance in an England shirt came as a sub in Holland when his team were 2-0 down. His spark helped England claw back to earn a draw and a similar two-goal winning margin in an adverse situation would do just nicely for Capello once more. A 2-0 England win is 5/1.
Indeed, Milner set up Jermain Defoe for his equaliser in that game and assisted 12 Premier League goals for Villa last year. With his consistently excellent crossing, Defoe and Wayne Rooney should prosper. The forward duo are 5/1 and 7/2 to score first respectively.
Chelsea wide man Joe Cole, the man the senior players want to play, is also under consideration, however. He is 9/1 to score first, a feat he managed from 30-yards against Sweden, the last time England played a final World Cup group game.
As the ‘away’ side, England will be playing in all red, a strip worn on five previous occasions. On the looking-into-tea-leaves front again, they won their first game in the colour 4-0 against Peru in 1962. It’s 18/1 here.
The last time they pulled on full red, though, they lost to Brazil at Wembley 3-1 in 1995. That score is a catastrophic 80/1 here.
Can Milner have the impact his nation desperately wants? He’s 12/1 to score last. See the full Slovenia v England match betting market.
