Thursday 24 March 2016 19:43, UK
Charlie Nicholas provides us with his predictions for some of this week's international clashes.
England, and the Republic of Ireland will be looking to fine-tune ahead of Euro 2016, and here's what the Soccer Saturday pundit is predicting for the upcoming friendlies...
Republic of Ireland v Switzerland
This is a difficult little game for Ireland as the Swiss will be happy to sit in and pass the ball around then pick their hosts off with the pace they have up front.
The home crowd will create a great atmosphere as always and Martin O'Neill's men have a lot of graft in them, especially as he doesn't tend to trust he more creative players like Wes Hoolahan.
They're missing Jonathan Walters but have Shane Long playing regularly for Southampton and in a nice bit of form right now.
Both sides will want to maintain their momentum and won't want to lose so, with them being fairly evenly matched, I'm expecting a draw.
Charlie predicts: 1-1 and Shane Long to score first (28/1 with Sky Bet)
Germany v England
This is a good chance for Hodgson to try something different and experiment for once. He needs options and good headaches for when they get to the Euros and, when they're already outsiders, why not try it here?
I'd like to see both Ross Barkley and Dele Alli playing behind Harry Kane. I think they could both be big stars this summer while Kane has to be a certainty to start. That's a seriously exciting trio, even coming from a Scottish former Arsenal player! They're both athletic enough to get back and are obviously very good on the ball.
As for Germany, we know they are going to be strong despite the players they could be without, with Bastian Schweinsteiger out and Mesut Ozil also missing training on Wednesday.
Joachim Low will be demanding a performance from his players because it's a chance to put a dent in England's confidence, which would be really boosted if Roy Hodgson's men could get a win.
Charlie predicts: 3-1 and Thomas Muller to score first (35/1 with Sky Bet)
