First things first - if anyone is considering lumping on England at 1/3 in the hope of a few easy quid, then they shouldn't be in this game.
The home side are appalling value at Upton Park given the circumstances in which Sven's men find themselves.
The ongoing club versus country row has forced the manager to effectively pick two separate teams for each half of the friendly and the erudite Swede will certainly be more interested in seeing how his charges take to various positions and gamplans than taking the victory.
Conversely, the Aussies have absolutely nothing to lose from this game and can tear into their opponents with no restraint.
Their nickname - the Socceroos - sums up how seriously the game is taken back home, and the boys from Down Under take their fair share of ribbing about the supposed depth of quality in a nation of cricketers and rugby players.
But the Aussies would love nothing more than to put one over on their smug Premiership team-mates from the national side and complete a winter of embarrassing sporting failures by rubbing in the annihilation following the miserable Ashes series.
There will be no pressure on Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka & co at Upton Park, in complete contrast to a makeshift England bunch, who will be expected to win convincingly.
This, remember, is the Aussie side who have beaten Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and France in various competitions in the last two years.
There is the argument that the home squad will be playing for their places in the team and will hence be desperate to shine, but a string of ineffective performances suggest that in fact the opposite is true.
The youngsters Sven will be blooding are more likely to be nervous of making a crucial mistake which could count against them in future.
I have seen examples of negative play and a lack of enterprise in previous friendlies, particularly in the second half, when the opposition have been allowed back into the game.
Remember Joe Cole's error which led to the penalty which won the game for Italy at Elland Road in March last year?
You can bet he does too.
Quite simply, there are big dangers for punters when backing teams who lack cohesion and continuity, appetite and desire - they cannot be trusted to perform when they know that a mistake could put into doubt their immediate England future or effect yet another substitution.
In fact, the national side have scored first in four of their last seven friendlies and won only once - the 4-0 drubbing of Paraguay at Anfield last April.
Incredibly, five of their last seven friendlies have ended all-square, and the one that didn't - the Italy match - was heading for a stalemate until the very last kick of the game won the game for the Azzurri.
Even the last World Cup qualifying match ended level, against minnows Macedonia, so there is a definite pattern here.
In short, I just don't trust a makeshift England to bring home the bacon, especially an outfit as unsettled as this one. If this was a meaningful game, rest assure England would start with their best eleven and run out convincing winners. However, with teenagers set to make their debuts and other debutants, who would fail to make it into a normal squad of fifty players let alone the customary twenty-two quaranteed of playing, this could easily turn into an embarrasing night for the home side.
Verdict:
I have watched England take the lead in recent friendlies only to let us the nation down by conceding a goal in a disjointed second half performance.
There is nothing to suggest that the likely introduction of debutants after the break will lead to England necessarily playing any worse, but against Portugal in September and Italy and Sweden in last season's winter friendlies, hesitance and nervousness hindered Sven's men in the second half.
There is no reason to suggest that Wednesday's friendly cannot follow a similar pattern.
England to be leading at half time and drawing at full time is a stand-out 20/1 with Ladbrokes and might just be worth a small investment under the circumstances.
And with the England/Australia double result available at a giant 66/1, a wager on this outcome is tempting.
If you haven't heard of Wayne Rooney by now, you are unlikely to be still reading this.
The starlet looks certain to be introduced at half-time and looks an absolute steal at Ladbrokes' 7/1 to score the final match goal.
The same firm offer a stand-out 5/2 on the 17-year-old to net at any point in the game (some firms go 11/10), but with his limited involvement the 7/1 is more than fair.
The home side are appalling value at Upton Park given the circumstances in which Sven's men find themselves.
The ongoing club versus country row has forced the manager to effectively pick two separate teams for each half of the friendly and the erudite Swede will certainly be more interested in seeing how his charges take to various positions and gamplans than taking the victory.
Conversely, the Aussies have absolutely nothing to lose from this game and can tear into their opponents with no restraint.
Their nickname - the Socceroos - sums up how seriously the game is taken back home, and the boys from Down Under take their fair share of ribbing about the supposed depth of quality in a nation of cricketers and rugby players.
But the Aussies would love nothing more than to put one over on their smug Premiership team-mates from the national side and complete a winter of embarrassing sporting failures by rubbing in the annihilation following the miserable Ashes series.
There will be no pressure on Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka & co at Upton Park, in complete contrast to a makeshift England bunch, who will be expected to win convincingly.
This, remember, is the Aussie side who have beaten Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico and France in various competitions in the last two years.
There is the argument that the home squad will be playing for their places in the team and will hence be desperate to shine, but a string of ineffective performances suggest that in fact the opposite is true.
The youngsters Sven will be blooding are more likely to be nervous of making a crucial mistake which could count against them in future.
I have seen examples of negative play and a lack of enterprise in previous friendlies, particularly in the second half, when the opposition have been allowed back into the game.
Remember Joe Cole's error which led to the penalty which won the game for Italy at Elland Road in March last year?
You can bet he does too.
Quite simply, there are big dangers for punters when backing teams who lack cohesion and continuity, appetite and desire - they cannot be trusted to perform when they know that a mistake could put into doubt their immediate England future or effect yet another substitution.
In fact, the national side have scored first in four of their last seven friendlies and won only once - the 4-0 drubbing of Paraguay at Anfield last April.
Incredibly, five of their last seven friendlies have ended all-square, and the one that didn't - the Italy match - was heading for a stalemate until the very last kick of the game won the game for the Azzurri.
Even the last World Cup qualifying match ended level, against minnows Macedonia, so there is a definite pattern here.
In short, I just don't trust a makeshift England to bring home the bacon, especially an outfit as unsettled as this one. If this was a meaningful game, rest assure England would start with their best eleven and run out convincing winners. However, with teenagers set to make their debuts and other debutants, who would fail to make it into a normal squad of fifty players let alone the customary twenty-two quaranteed of playing, this could easily turn into an embarrasing night for the home side.
Verdict:
I have watched England take the lead in recent friendlies only to let us the nation down by conceding a goal in a disjointed second half performance.
There is nothing to suggest that the likely introduction of debutants after the break will lead to England necessarily playing any worse, but against Portugal in September and Italy and Sweden in last season's winter friendlies, hesitance and nervousness hindered Sven's men in the second half.
There is no reason to suggest that Wednesday's friendly cannot follow a similar pattern.
England to be leading at half time and drawing at full time is a stand-out 20/1 with Ladbrokes and might just be worth a small investment under the circumstances.
And with the England/Australia double result available at a giant 66/1, a wager on this outcome is tempting.
If you haven't heard of Wayne Rooney by now, you are unlikely to be still reading this.
The starlet looks certain to be introduced at half-time and looks an absolute steal at Ladbrokes' 7/1 to score the final match goal.
The same firm offer a stand-out 5/2 on the 17-year-old to net at any point in the game (some firms go 11/10), but with his limited involvement the 7/1 is more than fair.
