Sweden v England First Goalscorer Tip

An opportunity presents itself for a daring first goalscorer bet tonight with England bereft of proven finishers in the absence of Wayne Rooney. What we do know of Roy Hodgson’s team is that set-pieces must offer up one of the biggest hopes for breaking the deadlock. Against France, the solitary goal came from centre-half Joleon Lescott. At longs odds, perhaps his defensive partner could emulate him against Sweden.

John Terry is a best price 25/1 (StanJames) to break the deadlock in Kiev, but it’s not as fanciful a notion as it first appears. The Chelsea captain has just enjoyed his best ever Premier League goal return with 6 in just 31 appearances; that’s a very healthy ratio for a central defender.

The controversial 31-year-old has found the net six times for his country before, but he is, you could say, due. Some people just seem drawn to headlines one way or another and wouldn’t it just be typical for John Terry to find himself at the centre of the action at some point during Euro 2012?

But there is logic here beyond the Hollywood narrative. It’s not just that England are strong on set-pieces, the Swedes have shown defensive vulnerability in that area. The Scandinavians conceded from a corner against Ukraine and both Shevchenko’s goals were scored in the air. Indeed, six of the last seven goals conceded by Erik Hamren’s side have been from headers.

When you think of who is most likely to score with their head, Andy Carroll comes to mind. He is joint-favourite for first goalscorer (7/1 PaddyPower) but he isn’t even certain to start at this point. Furthermore, the Liverpool striker only found the net four times in the league all season. That’s two fewer than former England captain Terry!

The huge price allows us to take an intriguing risk that may just pay off spectacularly.