England face Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James’ Park on Monday night in the first of two friendlies which will offer Gareth Southgate a last chance to make assessments and adjustments ahead of the trip to Germany for Euro 2024.
Southgate will be missing numerous potential starters at the finals through either post-season rest or the unwillingness to risk players recovering from knocks, but the Three Lions should still win comfortably against a Bosnia side that have in poor form.
England vs Bosnia betting tips
England (-2) to beat Bosnia @ 5/4
Half with most goals – first half @ 2/1
Bet on the latest Euro 2024 odds at Betzone
England can beat Bosnians comfortably despite absentees
It will be an unusual looking England XI which lines up to face the Bosnians on Tyneside, with Harry Kane, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and John Stones not risked as they return to full fitness and Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Kyle Walker rested following cup finals.
Each of them would probably feature in England’s Euro 2024 Group C opener against Serbia on June 16 in an ideal world.
Yet the Three Lions side that faces Bosnia should still boast a spine of seasoned starters including Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold, alongside exciting talents looking to make their mark in Cole Palmer and Ebereche Eze.
Such quality should be enough to undo the Dragons, whom new boss Sergej Barbarez inherits off the back of five successive losses.
Among those reverses were a 0-5 home hammering at the hands of Portugal and a 4-1 away loss at Luxembourg. An England side replete with numerous players looking to book their place in the Euro 2024 squad should win similarly comfortably.
Tip: England (-2) to beat Bosnia @ 5/4
Scoring your first England goal & booking your Euros place? Eze does it
Crystal Palace forward Ebereche Eze is expected to start at St James’ Park and the 6/4 about him finding the net looks an attractive proposition.
Eze was in imperious form over the closing month of the Premier League campaign, bagging five goals in his last six games.
The 25-year-old’s ability to glide past defenders and beat keepers from distance gives him every chance of finding the net against a visiting defence missing former Arsenal man Sead Kolasinac and Eintracht Braunschweig veteran Ermin Bicakcic.
Tip: Ebereche Eze to score @ 6/4
First half to witness Lions’ share of the goals before subs disjoint matters
England manager Southgate is sure to use these precious minutes to take a closer look at several players before whittling down his 33-man preliminary squad to the 26-player group he will take to Germany.
That could result in a second half which becomes increasingly disjointed by continual comings and goings, amid which it will be hard to maintain any offensive coherence.
Somehow the second period is still 1/1 favourite to produce more goals than the first and the opening period looks value to see more netted at 2/1.
