Torres top price with Ladbrokes for first goal as Spain face England
Published:Fernando Torres may have been woefully off form for virtually the whole of 2011, but it may not come as a surprise to many if he suddenly found his scoring boots for a one-off Spain clash with England.
The Wembley friendly allows England to test themselves against the current European champions and World Cup holders and Ladbrokes have come up with two enticing offers for the encounter.
Ladbrokes are guaranteeing to offer the best price on all correct score outcomes and on first goalscorer odds.
With England picking a squad without the likes of Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and Steven Gerrard, it is hard to see them being a match for what looks like a full-strength Spain.
Therefore, it may pay to focus on the Spanish stars in the first goalscorer odds and a Spanish victory in the correct scoreline market.
It is slightly unclear who Spain manager Vincent Del Bosque will plump for in attack, with logic suggesting that David Villa and David Silva will start either side of Torres or Fernando Llorente.
Torres’ better familiarity of English opposition and their style of play may earn him the nod despite his woeful lack of goals of late and Ladbrokes offer the top price of 6/1 that he breaks the deadlock.
Meanwhile, he may be boosted by the comments of England striker Darren Bent, who recently noted that in his opinion Torres remains the best striker in the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Silva is 8/1 to open the scoring, with Bent 9/1 to give England the lead.
However, the fact that Bent is the only striker in the England squad to have previously scored for his country is a worry, while Spain have triumphed in their last three games with England without conceding.
Iker Casillas will be in goal for Spain and in the process will become Spain’s equal all-time top appearance maker on 126 with Andoni Zubizarreta.
He will be desperate to keep a clean sheet to mark the occasion and Ladbrokes offer the best price on Spain winning 3-0 at 18/1.
