Internationals 
/ Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 08 February 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Five years down the line Daniel Agger, Christian Poulsen and Wayne Rooney will all be involved once again
"England have kept just two clean sheets in the same 15 matches and we have to go back almost two-and-a-half years to find the last one, against Trinidad & Tobago."
There will be the inevitable questions being asked ahead of this match such as "why bother playing friendlies" but that's not for us to worry about. In his usual heartless, emotion-free, value-means-everything approach, Jamie Pacheco searches for the best bets.
One could fill this preview just by discussing why England are playing this match rather than being involved in the Carling Cup Of Nations. Or alternatively which of Wayne Rooney or Frank Lampard deserve to wear the captain's armband with Steven Gerrard and Rio Ferdinand absent. But both of these discussions are of little or no relevance when it comes to finding the best bets from a friendly that is likely to be just that in terms of atmosphere and will no doubt be quickly forgotten as soon as these two sides return to the more important matter of qualifying for Euro 2012.
Other notable absences in the England camp include Peter Crouch and Ben Foster and there are surprise call-ups for Fulham's David Stockdale, Aston Villa's Kyle Walker and West Ham's Carlton Cole. Notable names in Denmark's squad include the unpredictable Niklas Bendtner, the evergreen former Charlton man Dennis Romedahl, the Liverpool duo of Daniel Agger and Christian Poulsen and highly-rated young centre-back Simon Kjaer of Wolfsburg.
Match Odds
England's record isn't bad at all in friendlies played over the last three years. They've played 15, lost four, drawn two and won the remaining nine, in the process playing most of the world's best sides including France, Spain, Brazil, the Netherlands and Germany. Denmark have been a little busier over this period, playing 18 non-competitive matches and winning, drawing and losing the same exact (six) number of matches.
These two sides have played each other three times in the last ten years with Denmark winning both the friendlies (3-2 and 4-1) and England winning the sole competitive match, a 3-0 victory in the knock-out stages of the 2002 World Cup.
So England have the better record in friendlies and are the better side on paper but Denmark are at home and Morten Olsen has pretty much his best-possible squad available to him. There are better bets on offer but backing the draw at [3.4] should give you a good platform from which to trade the match In-Play.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
Using the same sample as above, a remarkable 11 of England's last 15 friendlies have ended with over 2.5 goals whilst for Denmark it's nine over and nine unders. Quite why overs is trading as the [2.26] outsider is up for debate but it's probably due to the age-old belief that numerous substitutions spoil the rhythm of the game and that the last ten minutes of friendlies are played at training-ground pace. That may well be the case but the stats don't lie and as one of betting.betfair's best tipsters often says "in the world of sports betting the concept of value is king". I'll be having a few Danish Krone on overs then.
England Clean Sheet
England have kept just two clean sheets in the same 15 matches and we have to go back almost two-and-a-half years to find the last one, against Trinidad & Tobago. Add to that the fact that Joe Hart is going through a very patchy spell and that Denmark have some decent attacking options (despite the probable inclusion of Niklas Bendtner) and everything points to the fact that "no England clean sheet" should be a winner come 10pm Wednesday night; a [1.46] that looks short at first glance but is probably the best value bet of any on this match.
To Score
John Terry scores an average of a goal every 15 matches for Chelsea whereas his record for England is a little better, striking at a rate of one goal every ten games. His likely quote of around [14.0] to score at anytime sounds about right then but he's scored two in the last month and with qualifiers coming up soon, Fabio Capello may decide he could do with Terry playing more than the customary 45 minutes and thus give you a decent run for your money.
Best Bet:
Back over 2.5 goals at [2.26]
Recommended Bet:
Back "no England clean sheet" at [1.46]
There will be the inevitable questions being asked ahead of this match such as "why bother playing friendlies" but that's not for us to worry about. In his usual heartless, emotion-free, value-means-everything approach, Jamie Pacheco searches for the best bets....
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