England v Ghana Betting Preview
England’s World Cup campaign started positively with a 4-2 victory over Croatia in one of the most entertaining clashes of the first round of games. The more superstitiously optimistic among you may take that scoreline as a positive omen. The last time England won 4-2 in a World Cup finals fixture? The win over West Germany in the 1966 final. They think it’s all over….it is now! Yes, that’s the one.
Talk of the final is getting just a little ahead of ourselves. Next up, England will look to confirm their qualification from Group L in the Tuesday evening clash with Ghana.
Despite not playing particularly well, Ghana also started in positive fashion with a 1-0 success over Panama. A win for either side guarantees progress to the next round, while a draw would place both the Three Lions and the Black Stars in a very strong position.
The Tale of the Opening Games
While England ultimately ran out impressive winners over Croatia, it wasn’t all rosy for Thomas Tuchel’s men, particularly in the first half. While a threat going forward throughout, the central defensive combination of John Stones and Ezri Konsa looked far from watertight. I’d like to see Marc Guehi come into the starting line up here, but if England do fail to win the World Cup, I suspect the defence will be the weak link.
In midfield and the final third, things were much better, with England racking up an impressive 22 total shots, 11 of which were on target – that’s no mean feat against one of the most well-organised sides in the competition.
Despite sitting lower in the FIFA World Rankings and experiencing a disrupted preparation, Carlos Queiroz’s Ghana side started as favourites against Panama. In the end, they got the job done, but only just. Losing the total shot count 11-7 and shots on target count 4-2, they needed a 94th-minute strike from Caleb Yirenkyi to escape with all three points.
Team News
Following his impressive cameo against Croatia, Marcus Rashford probably did enough to warrant a start ahead of Anthony Gordon on the left. However, the goalscorer experienced hamstring tightness after the game and may need to wait for his opportunity. With Bukayo Saka not yet 100%, Noni Madueke will probably keep his spot on the right. Declan Rice was taken off against Croatia, while Harry Kane was strapped up after the game, but both are expected to be available.
Banned from playing in Canada due to his legal issues, Thomas Partey can line up in the US and is expected to bolster the Ghana midfield. Having caught the eye when coming off the bench in their opening game, Brandon Thomas-Asante may come in for Ernest Nuamah.
Best Bets: Comfortable Evening for the Three Lions
It’s hard to see past England here. 69 positions ahead of Ghana in the FIFA World rankings and with a significantly more talented squad, they look to hold the edge in every area of the pitch – defence included.
Clearly furious with the England defence in the first half against Croatia, Tuchel will demand a much-improved performance in that regard. And he really ought to get it against a Ghana outfit that has scored one or fewer goals in each of their last six internationals. If Reece James can keep Antoine Semenyo quiet, which he is well-equipped to do, a clean sheet could be on the cards.
The ever-pragmatic Carlos Queiroz will likely set Ghana up to be tough to beat, but the Black Stars have conceded twice against Germany and Mexico in recent outings – two sides who don’t match England’s attacking might. Rather than lumping on England to win, I prefer a couple of correct score punts, with 2-0 and 3-0 fitting the bill.
The other angle I like here is cards. Honduran referee Saíd Martínez is averaging close to 5 cards per game across his last 22 assignments. The card happy arbiter is likely to find plenty of inspiration in a Ghana defence attempting to deal with the pace and trickery of England’s wide men and likely dominance in the centre of the park. Ghana to receive over 2.5 cards looks like cracking value at around the 5/2 mark.
Finally, Ghana experienced most of their problems down their right-hand side against Panama, with Ismael Diaz and César Blackman managing three shots on target between them. That should be music to the ears of Anthony Gordon. Under pressure, due to Rashford’s performance against Croatia, the Barcelona man can respond with a goal of his own. If Rashford does start over Gordon, I recommend transferring this bet to the (still) Man Utd man.
- Recommended Bet - England to win 2-0 @ 11/2 with Betfred
- Recommended Bet - England to win 3-0 @ 13/2 with Betfred
- Recommended Bet - Ghana to Receive over 2.5 cards @ 5/2 with Ladbrokes
- Recommended Bet - Anthony Gordon anytime scorer at 21/10 with SpreadEx
- Recommended Bet Builder - England -1, Ghana over 2.5 cards, and Gordon to score anytime @ 13/1 with Ladbrokes
Double up With Croatia on the Late Game
With England hopefully celebrating qualification, Croatia face Panama in the midnight kick-off. Luka Modric and co have very little room for error but may be made to work against a Panama outfit who didn’t give up much against Ghana.
I expect another bold display from Panama, but that lack of a cutting edge may prove their undoing. While unable to cope with England, Croatia have enough experience to contain the Panamanian attack and can get back on track with a professional performance. With Croatia limited in attack and Panama very well organised, I don’t see this being a landslide, so take the favourites to edge a low-scoring encounter.
- Recommended Double - England -1 and Croatia to win & Under 2.5 Goals @ 4.93/1 with Ladbrokes
England's World Cup Group - Betting Guide
Scotland's World Cup Group - Betting Guide
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