Montenegro v England: England to win – 4/11
They say it’s better to be lucky than good at times, but Gareth Southgate’s run as England manager is proving that he has a touch of both.
An example of Southgate’s continuing good fortunate is England’s Euro 2020 qualifying group, as honestly, he really couldn’t have picked it any better if he’d tried. That was seen on Friday night as their highest ranked opponents in Group A the Czech Republic were battered 5-0 at Wembley.
However, you have to commend the England boss on his fearlessness for embedding talented youth into his side and he’s clearly reaping the rewards from it. Declan Rice (we know, we know) and Callum Hudson-Odoi were the latest starlets to make their England debuts last time out, while 18-year-old Jadon Sancho looked completely comfortable as he made his first competitive start for the Three Lions.
Montenegro will have something to prove in Podgorica after being utterly robbed of a win by a scandalous late penalty decision against Bulgaria in their opening qualifier (thankfully we issued a Justice Refund on that one). They won’t be a pushover by any means, but England should have way too much for Montenegro here and that’s why we’re backing them to win at 4/11.
Montenegro v England – Raheem Sterling to Score 2 Goals or more – 9/1
As much as the tabloid newspapers will hate it (we’re looking at you Daily Mail), you won’t find a more on-form English player than Raheem Sterling at the moment.
Sterling may have been rightly criticised for his lack of goals for England in the past, but he looks determined to change that narrative after scoring five goals in his last three internationals.
The Man City forward tore Czech Republic apart on Friday with his clever runs into the box and brilliant positioning, so Sterling was more than value for the hat-trick he ended up with. He’s also closing in on his best goal-scoring season in the Premier League with 15 to his name, just three off his current high mark.
With all that in mind, it’s easy to see why Sterling is in the conversation for Player of the Year honours and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him bag a brace or even more on Monday at a tasty price of 9/1.
Montenegro v England: England (-1) – 11/10
Believe it or not, England used to find Montenegro quite a sticky opponent in the early meetings of the two sides after the Balkan country’s independence in 2006.
Montenegro grabbed three draws in their first three competitive games with the Three Lions earlier this decade, but these are different times and this England outfit are not afraid to throw off the shackles away from home.
Spain found that out in the Nations League as England nabbed three in the first half last October and with the likes of Sterling, Sancho and Kyle Walker in their line-up Southgate’s side possess devastating pace on the counter-attack.
You’d expect the Three Lions to bite off a few goals here and we’re tipping them (-1) at 11/10 to close out our Same Game Multi.
Find the latest football odds over at paddypower.com* All odds correct at time of posting.