Lambert to celebrate England bow with a win, but not a goal

Despite failing to feature for Manchester United in pre-season as speculation over his future gathers momentum, Wayne Rooney has been selected to be a part of the England set up to face Scotland at Wembley.

However, the biggest news following the announcement of the latest Three Lions squad is that Southampton man Rickie Lambert has been given a chance to impress on the international scene after a sterling season for Southampton.

Roy Hodgson’s side are obviously overwhelming favourites to prevail in this non-competitive Battle of Britain. They can be backed at 4/11 at Ladbrokes, with the draw a 3/1 offering in the wake of Scotland’s 6/1 underdog rating.

With this the only friendly in which Hodgson can experiment with his team ahead of a crucial run of World Cup qualifiers, Lambert is likely to be handed a debut. Plus, the injury concerns surrounding Jermain Defoe and Rooney only add further substance to his claim for a maiden cap.

His record of scoring on debut suggests he won’t mark the occasion with a goal, having only done so for his current employers of the six clubs he’s played for. Resist all urges for backing him to join the likes of Alan Shearer, Francis Jeffers and David Nugent as strikers who have notched on their first England appearance.

Lambert may not bag on his first international outing, but he’s likely to celebrate it with a win.

Don Hutchison’s strike allowed Scotland to claim the spoils the last time these two bitter enemies locked horns, but England had prevailed in the four renewals that preceded this and hadn’t so much as conceded a goal in their last five when these neighbouring nations had collided.

Three of these instances finished 2-0 to the Three Lions and a repeat dose at Wembley can be backed at 5/1.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date