Montenegro v England: Welbeck the player to back for first goal

Danny Welbeck may be the man to back to score the first goal in England’s trip to Montenegro as the signs are that Fabio Capello will give him the nod to partner Wayne Rooney in attack for the pivotal Euro 2012 qualifier.

Capello has his hands full when looking to name a partner for Rooney, especially as Darren Bent has three goals in his last four international appearances and also found the target for Aston Villa over the weekend in his comeback game from a groin injury.

However, Welbeck has made an impressive start to the season at Manchester United and the understanding he has already displayed with both Rooney and Ashley Young this season seems to be the big factor.

Welbeck has already scored five goals in all competitions this season, while his attacking talents have also helped Manchester United average three goals across the eight fixtures in which he has featured.

The 20-year-old has also benefited from a taste of Champions League football, scoring twice in the 3-3 draw with Basel and will be hungry to impress as he waits for his first international goal.

Capello dropped a hint that Welbeck was at the front of the queue for a starting spot when he said: “The Champions League is more like international football than the Premier League. Scoring goals in these games is really, really important.”

Welbeck is 6/1 to score the opener against Montenegro in what will be only his second England cap, having came on as a late substitute in the friendly with Ghana in March.

Alternatively, Welbeck can be backed at 7/4 to bag a first international goal at any point in the 90 minutes against Montenegro, but as the game is largely expected to be low scoring, the first goalscorer market is certainly the better option.