Allen Hamilton

What: Euro 2012 Qualifiers – Group G
Who: England (1st; 14 points) vs Wales (5th; 3 points)
When: Tuesday 6th September, 2011, at 19:45 UK time
Where: Wembley, London, England


Almost There

England cruised to a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria on Friday evening which, combined with Wales’ defeat of Montenegro, put Fabio Capello’s side within touching distance of a Euro 2012 finals berth. What was more impressive still was Capello’s use of the young talent now flooding through to England’s senior set-up. The veteran Italian boss was expected to keep faith with veteran performers like Frank Lampard, but appears to view youth and exuberance as England’s path to Euro 2012 glory.

Taking a leaf out of Germany’s book – the Germans have already booked their spot at Euro 2012 and fielded a team with an average age of just 23.6 in their last match – Capello fielded Chris Smalling (21) and Theo Walcott (22), while although the likes of Gary Cahill and Adam Johnson are older, they boast only a smattering of caps.

Indeed, Capello sent out a warning that the likes of Frank Lampard (33) cannot expect an automatic spot in his plans, as the Italian bids to keep England’s performers on their toes. "[Lampard] is one of the best English midfielder, but I need to choose the players, not the name", said the England boss.

England should be confident of victory against the Welsh. While local rivalries can always lead to feisty affairs, Capello’s men handled their visit to Wales in March perfectly, triumphing 2-0 with ease.


Showing Signs of Improvement

Wales boss Gary Speed has had a tough start to his reign, losing to England in his first qualifier in charge. However, victory on Friday night over Montenegro, the side whose defeat of the Welsh had pushed Speed’s predecessor John Toshack through the exit door, points to the former midfielder starting to get things right.

There have been fixtures in between the loss to England and victory over Montengro, most notably the Carling Nations Championship, comprising Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in addition to Speed’s Wales. But in the scheme of things, a loss to Scotland and win over Northern Ireland matter little. While qualification for Euro 2012 may be beyond a side sitting bottom of Group G, a win here would spread optimism ahead of Wales’ bid to reach the 2014 World Cup.

Wales’ progress is something the entire squad are well aware of, including Tottenham Hotspur star Gareth Bale. "We’ve been working hard since the manager’s come in, we’ve worked on a new system and it’s finally paying off", said the Welshman.

"Every game we’ve improved, but we’ve fallen just short. We’ve been getting closer and closer and beating Montenegro has shown how much improvement we’ve made."

Recent form

England:
England 1-1 Ghana (29/03; Friendly)
England 2-2 Switzerland (04/06; Euro 2012 Qualifiers)
Bulgaria 0-3 England (02/09; Euro 2012 Qualifiers)

Wales:
Northern Ireland 0-2 Wales (27/05; Carling Nations Cup)
Wales 1-2 Australia (10/08; Friendly)
Wales 2-1 Montenegro (02/09; Euro 2012 Qualifiers)

Players to watch

England – Ashley Young: The Manchester United forward has been in impressive form at club level and tried to transfer this to the international stage against Bulgaria on Friday. Young also had to cope with racist chanting from the Bulgarian crowd in a shameful display that will surely be punished by UEFA. At Wembley, Young should feel more at home and freer to show his best.

Wales – Gareth Bale: Bale is Wales’ one world-class performer and the Tottenham Hotspur star is desperate to play his part in helping Gary Speed’s side qualify for a major international finals. That is off the agenda here, but Bale well knows that optimism needs to be spread throughout Welsh football. He will also not want to lose out against stars he comes face-to-face with regularly in the Premier League.

Match Prediction

There is little doubt Wales have improved of late and beating Montenegro could signal a turning point in their fortunes, even if it is a case of too little too late for Euro 2012 qualification. England though appear to be cruising and following the opening up of a three-point lead over second placed Montenegro, sense Euro 2012. Capello’s side will be too good here. England 3-0 Wales.


Who will come out on top in this Euro 2012 qualifier clash between England and Wales? Check out the latest Euro 2012 Odds and important facts that will help you to broaden your football knowledge and place a bet on the winning team.