You may not believe it – after a weekend of sex scandals and gossip rocked Wayne Rooney (the “new” Tiger Woods) but yes – we actually have some football to play today.
Jenny Thompson won’t be on the pitch in Basel tonight as England take on Switzerland – the only team that managed to beat Spain at the World Cup this past summer in South Africa.
A tough test for the Three Lions – and all we can hope for (from a fantasy footie perspective) is that the squad keeps a clean bill of health and doesn’t suffer more injuries a la Michael Dawson.
Switzerland should provide a much tougher test for England than Bulgaria did on Friday – led by striker Alexander Frei, midfielder Tranquilo Barnetta and former Manchester City midfielder Gelson Fernandes and relying on a solid defense that drew 0-0 with Australia in a friendly last Friday.
But, in the end, Rooney’s off the field problems or not, England have way too much quality to go down to the Swiss. Their counterparts will make it tough – defending as a team with 8 or 9 men behind the ball – looking to counter-attack and frustrate England with their gritty, patient style, and while a 0-0 or 1-1 draw is not out of the question I think a 1-2 away win is a likely scoreline. Wouldn’t it be something if Wayne, the new Tiger, got the winner…
Probable starting XI for England: Hart, G Johnson, Jagielka, Cahill, A Cole, Barry, Gerrard, Milner, Walcott, Rooney, Defoe
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Super story indeed. My father has been waiting for this information.