Young guns aiming high

ENGLAND’S footballers are just 4-6 to lift the World Cup.

If you need to remove the sleep from your eyes, or think you might be dreaming, fear not.

A superb 3-1 win over Italy in the semi-final means Paul Simpson’s side play Venezuela tomorrow in the final of the U-20 World Cup.

Three goals each in the last three matches make Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke and Everton’s Ademola Lookman the Lions to look out for.

At the end of a long and gruelling Premier League season, the last thing England’s senior squad need is a World Cup qualifier at Hampden against Scotland.

Players should be resting up on the beach recharging batteries for the new campaign, which begins in just eight weeks’ time and culminates in the World Cup itself.

It is simply impossible to end the season, stay match-fit and resume playing with the necessary intensity fans have the right to expect from the national side.

But punters can take advantage and in the matches involving the home nations, back the draw.

Harry Kane was on fire for Spurs in their last three games scoring eight goals.

He will be popular at our enhanced 7-1 to score a brace but the Scots are never a pushover on home soil and, with England leading the group, they will happily settle for a draw at Sky Bet’s 12-5. Azerbaijan have lost only two of their last eight at home and can be backed at 2-1 to take a point from a Northern Ireland side who haven’t won away from Windsor Park since 2015 and who will be without Jamie Ward and Conor Washington.

Wales have a good qualifying record with only one defeat in their last 17 but are without talisman Gareth Bale for tomorrow’s game in Serbia.

The home side top Group D and won’t want to lose. Wales boss Chris Coleman (above) has seen his side draw their last four matches and a point apiece is worth backing at 23-10.

The Republic of Ireland are unbeaten in five qualifiers and also look good at 2-1 to draw at home to Austria.