Emile Heskey has overtaken Peter Crouch as the preferred striking partner for Wayne Rooney against the USA, according to the bookies.
Readers at odds with bookies over starting XI
Emile Heskey has overtaken Peter Crouch as the preferred striking partner for Wayne Rooney against the USA, according to the bookies.
The Aston Villa striker played the second-half of Monday's final warm-up match against the Platinum Stars alongside Rooney as England eased to a 3-0 win.
Crouch and Jermaine Defoe started the match, but while Defoe was on target, his Tottenham team-mate failed to make an impact and has now drifted in the betting to make the starting line-up in Rustenburg on Saturday.
But
Skysports.com readers are at odds with the bookies and remain solidly behind Crouch getting the nod up front.
In a readers' poll, 42 per cent of those who took part (8,800) believe the former Liverpool, Portsmouth and Aston Villa striker should start with skipper Steven Gerrard (4,500) the next most popular with 21 per cent of the vote.
Paltry
Defoe polled 14 per cent of the vote with a similar number backing Fabio Capello to start with just the one striker. Heskey received a paltry 9 per cent of the vote (2,000).
However, bookmaker Sky Bet are offering 4/5 (from 2/1) that Heskey will be Rooney's strike partner against the USA with Crouch evens and Defoe a 5/1 shot.
Sky Bet's senior football compiler Richard Browning said: "The Heskey/Rooney partnership worked really well during qualifying and the Villa striker now appears to be the most likely to partner Rooney against the USA."
Other significant moves have seen Joe Cole cut to 1/4 (from 1/3) to start against the Americans with Ledley King also in to 1/5 (from 1/3) after coming through the match unscathed.
Unclear
But it is the goalkeeper that is still unclear with Rob Green into 6/5 (from 15/8) after a solid display against the Platinum Stars, David James 11/8 and Joe Hart 11/4.
Browning added: "Ledley King seems to be Capello's choice to partner Terry and Joe Cole looks like he has cemented his place in midfield alongside Gerrard, Lampard and probably Lennon.
"The goalkeeper is still a quandary - a lot will depend on whether James is 100 per cent fit but Green and Hart have been well backed to start against USA and is probably the one position where there is a degree of doubt."
Sky Bet are offering a number of options for the England starting XI against the USA and with Gareth Barry already ruled out they go 6/1 favourite it to be: Green, Johnson, A Cole, Terry, King, Lennon, Lampard, Gerrard, J Cole, Crouch, Rooney.
It's 8/1 for the same line-up as above with Green replaced by James in goal and Heskey replacing Crouch in attack.
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