Sports preview & tips sponsored by Stan James Bookmaker

Claim your free £25 bet with Stan James Bookmakers, click here

England v Azerbaijan (7.45pm)
There’s only one scenario to think of in this game. How many goals will England win by? Forget any notion that Azerbaijan could get a result at St James Park...it just won’t happen. In the light of this we have to look at scorelines and goalscorers for betting opportunities. For the record, Stan James bookmakers bet England 1/33, The Draw is 8/1 and Azerbaijan 33/1.

After their 8-0 pounding by Poland on Saturday the Azerbaijan team must be in a state of shock. They didn’t expect to get anything out of the game but the scoreline was a little embarrassing and they must feel battered and bruised. They were all smiles when they arrived at the airport though so maybe they are here to just enjoy a jolly up on Tyneside. Seriously though they will probably tighten up a bit but against a rampant England team with talent oozing from every part of the pitch it is hard to see them holding out for too long. Looking at the goals markets it is significant that 4 or more goals is odds on at 8/13. Five or more goals is 11/8 and 7 or more...basically a repeat of their pounding on Saturday is 6/1. If you take the view that England might struggle to score then Under 3 goals is 11/4 and exactly 3 goals is 7/2. You can bet England on a handicap of –3 goals at 8/11. Looking at correct scores England 8-0 is 20/1, but a more realistic England 4-0 scoreline is 11/2.

Stan James bookmakers have also got a hat-trick market. The price of these players to score a hat-trick is as follows:- Owen (8/1), Rooney (10/1), Defoe (16/1), Lampard (16/1), Heskey ( 25/1), Cole (33/1), Beckham and Gerrard (66/1). Man of the moment has to be Joe Cole who is now realising his immense talent. He is 9/4 to score at anytime and this looks great value.

It will be a one sided contest but entertaining nonetheless. Michael Owen will be looking to take over Alan Shearer’s International goal tally with at least a brace and it’s hard not to see him getting there. One thing is certain....there will be goals from someone. Log on for all our markets at Stan James bookmakers

Austria v Wales
After watching the game between these two on Saturday it is hard to imagine Wales getting much from this return game. The Austrians looked fitter and more imaginative and they created a host of chances in Cardiff and with home advantage they should have enough in the locker to beat Wales again. Stan James bookmakers bet Austria 4/5,The Draw 9/4, Wales 3/1.

But Wales do have players who can score and this fact alone means that they can’t be written off in games. A bit of brilliance from Giggs or Bellamy is never far away and it is certainly not out of the question that they could get a result. Wales to score first is 13/8 and they could catch the Austrians cold. But Tosh now knows that they cannot qualify and he might go into a “Two steps back to make one forward” mode. He was unhappy that certain players didn’t come up to scratch in Cardiff and there could be changes. But there are not a lot of experienced players in the background to take over though and the Austrians will certainly take advantage of any weaknesses. He’ll tinker with the formation and see if this can change their fortunes. The talk is that Hartson could miss out and that Wales will play Gabbidon as sweeper and have five at the back. It could be an interesting formation and they could just frustrate the Austrians. The Austrians not to score are 5/2.

The Austrians will be on Cloud Nine after Saturday and they should have enough confidence to get the better of the Welsh. Their World Cup campaign is now back on and another three points will set them up nicely for their next game, Poland away. They did look dangerous going forward and you sense there could be a few goals in Vienna. For there to be 2 or 3 goals in the match is priced at 10/11. Scoring sensation Mario Haas is 11/2 to score first and he looked very dangerous in Cardiff. There could easily have been 4 or 5 goals on Saturday.

Austria are rightful favourites for this match, but the Welsh also created a lot of scoring opportunities in Cardiff and if they can cut out the mistakes and be tighter as a unit, getting a result here is not out of the question. The Austrians have the momentum though and an early goal could make it an uncomfortable night for the Welsh. It could also be the most entertaining of the matches featuring the British sides. Log on to Stan James bookmakers for all markets on the game and betting In-Running throughout the match....right up until the 85th minute.

Poland v N.Ireland
Poland thrash Azerbaijan 8-0.....Northern Ireland get thrashed by England. It doesn’t look good on paper for the Irish, but football’s a funny game, Brian and you just never know. Realistically though, the Poles will be so bouyed up after Azerbaijan that it’s hard to see anything but a Polish victory. Northern Ireland’s only hope will be to get men behind the ball and try and catch them on the break. Stan James bookmakers bet Poland 1/5, The Draw 4/1 and N.Ireland 10/1.

The one plus about Northern Ireland is that they will work hard, but they have always had a problem scoring goals. Even the return of Quinn and Healy up front will not strike fear into the Polish defence. Northern Ireland not to score is 1/3. Poland are looking a very positive side at the moment and they will looking to keep in touch with England at the top of the table. They’ll be bitterly disappointed if they get anything but a win. Poland 2-0 is 11/2, 3-0 is 7’s and 4-0 is 9’s.

It is hard to get excited about this game because the Irish will be playing just for pride. England fans will be hoping that they can squeeze a result but somehow is seems pretty remote. Log on to Stan James bookmakers for all the markets on the match.