England v Australia Betting Tips and Offers – Friday 27th May 2016

England v Australia Preview, Tips and Betting Offers, Friday 27th May 2016, International Friendly

England’s latest warm up for Euro 2016 sees them head to the North east to face Australia. The Three Lions are playing at the Stadium of Light this weekend, as they take a rare break from Wembley. Just how will they adjust to their new surroundings against a side who are considered bitter rivals in most other sports? Will the rivalry here be as intense as a cricket or rugby test?

England start off here as heavy favourites, with Betfair pricing them up at standard odds of 2/9 but a hefty enhanced price of 4/1 for new customers. Australia are 10/1 outsiders, while the draw is 5/1 with Coral. While they’ll be pushing for a win, the result isn’t everything for Roy Hodgson and his team here. He’ll be trying out a few different things in this clash, as he looks to experiment before the Euros.

With Jamie Vardy out, Marcus Rashford could come in. On top of that, Wayne Rooney is rumoured to be lining up in a wide midfield role. There’s certainly going to be some tinkering at the back for England, something that they really need. They were very poor defensively against Turkey. It could be down to the long break without internationals, but they’ll need to get organised quickly.

That makes Australia an odd choice of opposition. They aren’t an incredibly gifted side, and they don’t really remind you of anyone in England’s group at the Euros. Facing an non-European side is a very odd choice ahead of the European Championships. Could this game really test the Three Lions in any major way?

Should the rivalry be as intense as it is in other sports, this could turn out to be an awful decision. Putting players in to a game as intense as that weeks before a major tournament could spell disaster. With such a gulf in class between the two rivals, you worry that the Aussies may be over physical.

Even if they are tough tackling here, they shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to England. Even with a rotated squad, Roy Hodgson has a lot of attacking talent on the pitch. Should they click, then his team should record a big win. That’s exactly what we see them doing here, and we’re backing the Three Lions to win with a -1 handicap. That’s priced at 8/11 with Ladbrokes – who offer a £50 free bet to new customers.

The biggest threat to England here is arguably themselves. Having been poor at the back against Turkey, the biggest danger is a repeat performance by their defenders. Should they have another poor night, then they’re likely to concede. After England’s recent defensive displays, plus the fact that they’re away from Wembley, we’re backing both teams to score here. It’s priced at 6/5 with Ladbrokes, which looks like good value given how short they are at the back.