England can hit goal trail

England should have too many aces for Kazakhstan in their  World Cup qualifier at Wembley on Saturday and, for those who do not mind backing odds-on shots, there will surely be far worse bets than the 1-2 that Paddy Power offer against the Three Lions winning both halves.

The Irish firm look to have got their sums wrong because Ladbrokes offer 1-5 against the same outcome. That looks the right price as Kazakhstan, ranked 131st in the world by FIFA  and set to rely on a group of unknown youngsters, will face an England team who should be on a high after their 4-1 drubbing of Croatia last month.

One swallow does not make a summer, of course, but England, inspired by Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney, were superb against Croatia and it will be disappointing if they do not build on that in front of their own fans.

Fabio Capello has promised England will produce their best home performance of his time in charge and, while that is not saying much, the Italian will feel that he can field a team that, potentially, is full of goals.

Rooney was on the mark against Croatia and has scored in each of Manchester United’s past three matches, while the pace of Walcott, who is 12-1 to grab another hat-trick, is sure to give Kazakhstan problems. Emile Heskey scores fewer goals than he should but is selfless, while midfielders Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard rarely resist a shooting opportunity.

A punt on England winning 4-0 at 13-2 with Blue Square could pay dividends, while those who like a safety net could consider having savers on 3-0 (generally 5-1) and 5-0 (17-2 with Sporting Bet).
Kazakhstan, who are 50-1 to win on Saturday, conceded six goals in their World Cup qualifiers last month - a 3-0 defeat away to Croatia being followed by a 3-1 defeat at home to Ukraine.