Many players look guaranteed a place on the plane to the Ukraine and Poland this summer, but it remains to be seen whether Roy Hodgson will spring a few surprises on Wednesday.

Among those who are a shade of odds-on to get the nod are Liverpool striker Andy Carroll at 4/7, Anfield teammate Stewart Downing at 8/11, Tottenham forward Jermain Defoe at 4/6 and Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick at 8/11.

Chelsea front man Daniel Sturridge is Evens to be called up, with Manchester City midfielder Adam Johnson 6/4, Everton defender Phil Jagielka 2/1 and Paul Scholes 9/4.

As for the opening game against France, Spurs star Kyle Walker is Evens with BetVictor to start at right-back, with Ashley Cole a hot favourite at 1/8 to fill the left-back slot.

The market on which two players will make up England’s centre-back pairing is wide open, with a combination of Rio Ferdinand and Joleon Lescott currently favoured at 9/4.

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been backed into 4/7 to be named as skipper versus Les Bleus, with Scott Parker eased out to 7/2 to get the armband and Joe Hart 9/2 to lead out the Three Lions.

Wayne Rooney is 5/1 favourite to be England’s top scorer at this summer’s tournament, despite being banned for the first two group games, with Old Trafford teammates Danny Welbeck and Ashley Young next best in the betting at 6/1 and 7/1.

Balotelli enjoyed a mixed first season in England, picking up three red cards and several reprimands for his off-field antics before eventually securing a Premier League winner’s medal.

Balotelli, who set up Sergio Aguero for the 94th-minute winner against QPR which earned City their first league title since 1968 on Sunday, has been included in Italy’s preliminary squad.

Mancini had expressed a desire to sell the front man following his dismissal against Arsenal last month, but has clearly had a change of heart.

He told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Mario has been very clear and I reiterate: Balotelli will remain at Manchester 101%.”

Mancini added: “I am confident he will have a great European championship. I hope Mario will be the leader of the national team because he is the best Italian striker. He just needs to make his brain work. That is his only problem.”

Balotelli can also be backed at 20/1 with BetVictor to be the overall top marksman at Euro 2012, while punters can get 80/1 for him to secure the Golden Boot and help Italy lift the trophy.

The former Manchester United full-back represented the Three Lions 85 times as a player and has signed a four-year contract that will also allow him to continue his work as a pundit for Sky Sports.

“Roy asking me to be a part of his staff and to work with the national team is not only an honour but a very special moment for me,” said Neville.

“I had absolutely no hesitation in accepting this role and I am relishing the opportunity to work alongside Roy and the team at the Euros and through to the next two tournaments.”

England, who are in a pool with France, Sweden and co-hosts Ukraine, can be backed at 9/1 to win this summer’s tournament and are 17/10 to get off to a flying start by beating Les Bleus in their opening game on June 11.

“Gary has achieved so much in the game as a player with Manchester United and England,” said Hodgson. “He has obtained UEFA coaching qualifications and will be tremendously respected by the players because of his vast experience as a player.

“At my first meeting with the FA, I explained that Gary was someone I wanted as part of my staff. I think it is very important we have a younger coach who knows the dressing room and is very experienced at international level.

“That he has represented England as a player at five major finals tournaments will make him an invaluable member of staff.”

BetVictor have also reacted to Neville’s appointment by offering 11/4 for his former United teammate Paul Scholes to come out of international retirement and be part of the final 23-man squad for Euro 2012.

The Holland striker helped the Gunners to finish in third place and picked up the Premier League Golden Boot award after a stellar campaign.

However, the 28-year-old now has just one year left on his current contract with the north London club, and when asked about the prospects of signing a new deal Van Persie would only comment: “We will have a chat next week and we will go from there.”

Van Persie spent plenty of time applauding travelling supporters after the final whistle following Arsenal’s 3-2 win at West Brom, which guaranteed the Gunners Champions League football next term.

Manager Arsene Wenger remains hopeful of persuading his star man to stay, though, and intends to have talks before the Holland squad assembles for Euro 2012.

Wenger said: “You can make of that what you want. If the player doesn’t go out and celebrate, you say he has gone. If he goes out and stays with the fans it’s as if he is saying goodbye. I believe it is rather a positive sign.”

Van Persie would be sure to attract interest from all around Europe if opting to move elsewhere, and punters can get 5/1 for Real Madrid to be his next club and the same price for Barcelona to swoop.

Juventus, AC Milan and mega-rich Anzhi Makhachkala are then quoted at 12/1 in this market, with Manchester United and Paris St Germain both 14/1.

The Blues bagged two goals in injury time to edge out QPR 3-2 and shade neighbours United on goal difference, and Roberto Mancini is determined to build on their success.

“We are happy because we won this trophy after 44 years,” said the Italian. “We changed the history of this club by beating a strong team like United. Now I hope we can continue to win.”

“We deserved it,” he added. “We played the best football. We scored the most goals, we conceded the fewest. We beat United twice.”

United’s 1-0 victory at Sunderland proved in vain but Sir Alex Ferguson is adamant his side can bounce back next term, and the Red Devils are 9/4 to secure a record 20th top-flight crown.

The Scot said: “We conducted ourselves in the right way. It was a good level of performance and I have absolutely no recriminations about our season at all.

“Yes, there will be times when we can sit back and say we did this wrong, we did that wrong, but 89 points would have won the league most seasons.

“They are a good bunch of lads. The younger players will remember today because sometimes a bad experience is even better for you. When you have got a certain character and a good purpose about you, then you shouldn’t fear the future and I don’t think these lads will.”

Punters can get 9/2 with BetVictor for Chelsea to finish at the summit next season, with Arsenal quoted at 7/1 and Tottenham and Liverpool both available at 20/1.

The Blades were content to grind out a goalless draw in the first leg at Broadhall Way and will now seek to replicate their impressive home form from the regular season.

United won 16 of their 23 games at this venue and scored a division-high 54 goals in the process, so goalkeeper Steve Simonsen is confident of a positive outcome.

“Hopefully we can finish the job,” he said. “We passed the test on Friday and hopefully at home, with the backing of the crowd, we can play more of the football that we’re accustomed to, really get behind Stevenage and cause them more problems than we did in the first leg.

“When we’re at home we feel as though it’s up to us to take the initiative and we’ve done that all season long. We will be playing no differently to how we have all season long at home.

“It’s going to be the last home game of the season and we’ve got to go out there, give it our all and hopefully book a spot at Wembley.”

However, Stevenage did manage to secure a 2-2 draw here a fortnight ago and even led 2-0 at one stage, so many will feel Borough could still be a value bet at 15/4 to prevail in 90 minutes or 13/5 to force extra-time with another stalemate.

“We have talked about how far we have come and it is credit to us that a team like Sheffield United are happy with a 0-0,” defender Scott Laird said, referring to the first leg. “It is going to be very entertaining. Someone has to win, it might go the distance, it might not.

“We will be going there and if we can get a lead I am sure we won’t capitulate like we did last time there. We are aware of what to expect playing in front of a big crowd and we have learned from that.”

Bent has been out of action since February with ruptured ankle ligaments but is still hoping new Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson will gamble on taking him to Poland and Ukraine.

“My fitness is getting better every week and I go out every day working hard,” said Bent. “I feel I’ll be ready for the Euros.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work and I can do all the running in the world on the training ground but what counts is game situations.

“That is where the test is and if I can get in the squad and play in the two friendlies (with Norway and Belgium) that is going to be a massive help as well.

“The medical staff came to see me on Wednesday, Gary Lewin and Ian Beasley, the doctor and the physio. They saw me shooting at goal and running through cones so they saw I could do all the basic things. It is just a case of whether the manager thinks I’m ready to go.

“It would be nice to get on the phone and have a conversation with him but, at the same time, I’m sure he has got his own ideas and hopefully I feature in that.”

With Wayne Rooney all but assured of a seat on the England plane, BetVictor are offering odds on which other front men will get the nod from Hodgson.

Rooney’s Manchester United teammate Danny Welbeck is 1/4 to be selected, with Liverpool hitman Andy Carroll 4/7, Tottenham’s Jermain Defoe 4/5 and Peter Crouch of Stoke 11/10.

Hodgson was a slightly surprising choice to take charge of the national team ahead of hot favourite Harry Redknapp but McAuley believes the Football Association have made a shrewd move.

McAuley said: “I’ve learned so much from Roy Hodgson. There are a few lads I know at Fulham and they all still talk about him. They’ve learned a lot from him as well.

“The knowledge he has, the tactical side and the positional side that you learn from his training sessions is second to none really. It really opens your eyes to the game in a different way that you might have seen before.

“In terms of man management, Roy has got no problems in that aspect at all. Everything is very cool with him. If there are things that need to be said, he will say it.

“He deals with everyone individually. He comes out in the morning and gives us a handshake so everyone feels part of things. He’s very much a group and team manager.

“He may not be playing the media in his press conferences but anytime he talks about his team or another team, it’s always an honest opinion and a true reflection of what he sees.

“He gets that extra percent out of teams and I think he can do that with England too. I don’t really know any (of the players) but they will be buying into what he is saying straight away.

“It will only take a short period of time for him to get his ideas across. I think they can be very successful.”

Punters can back England to win Euro 2012 with BetVictor before the first match kicks off knowing that they will receive their stake back, up to a maximum of £50, if Spain lift the trophy instead.

The Three Lions are 8/1 with BetVictor to finish as runners-up this summer, 4/1 to bow out in the semi-finals, 2/1 to be beaten at the quarter-final stage and 7/4 to fail to qualify from their group.

The Blues are 7/4 with BetVictor to claim outright glory in Europe’s elite club competition for the first time when they visit Munich’s Allianz Arena for next Saturday’s decider.

Roberto Di Matteo’s side can also be backed at 7/2 to prevail in 90 minutes and will be more than hopeful of achieving that feat after seeing Bayern torn apart by Dortmund.

Bayern’s honorary president Franz Beckenbauer told Sky television: “I never expected Bayern to commit so many mistakes. Dortmund took advantage of Bayern’s mistakes. It was an embarrassing defeat.

“There is still a chance, but if they play like they did today, then they are not going to win the Champions League.”

Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes added: “We can have no complaints. We just did not start with any concentration. It started as early as the third minute, our defensive performance was catastrophic and we did not deserve to win.

“The players are disappointed today, but we have a big goal in front of us next Saturday and then I hope that we will have got over this shock.”

Bayern are still 4/9 favourites with BetVictor to bounce back and lift the Champions League trophy, with the German giants 3/4 to capitalise on having home advantage by prevailing in normal time.

Wanderers can avoid relegation if they claim victory at Britannia Stadium and, as expected, QPR fail to pick up a point when taking on title-chasing Manchester City at Etihad Stadium, with Owen Coyle’s side 9/5 at BetVictor to oblige here.

However, although losing out at Loftus Road last week, Stoke have been solid at home over the past couple of months, winning three of six games and drawing with Manchester City, Arsenal and Everton.
The Potters are 29/20 to triumph this weekend and Pulis said: “We want to finish on a high if we possibly can and get three points.

“We were disappointed last week. The result certainly didn’t reflect the performance but that happens. We really had a go at QPR. We didn’t turn up and just sit around, we worked very hard. The problem we had was that when we had our chances we didn’t take them.

“Owen has his responsibilities, he has his own football club to look after and he has to manage the week the way he has to. I have to manage the week for this football club.”

Bolton romped to a 5-0 win when these two teams met at the Reebok Stadium in November but Stoke did have excuses that day as they had travelled to Israel for a Europa League fixture three days earlier.

“They caught us on the back of a European game like Sunderland caught us (in a 4-0 defeat),” added Pulis, whose side would equal their best Premier League points tally of 47 if closing the campaign with a victory.

“We conceded nine goals on Sundays where we had to travel after coming back from Europe, and they were early season when we didn’t have the experience to cope with what we were doing. We certainly had our pants pulled down and our backsides slapped.”