World Cup 2022 Wales vs England Tips and Predictions

Group B concludes with Wales and England renewing their rivalry at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium at 22:00 local time.

Wales’ task looks extremely tough and they simply must beat England in order to keep their World Cup campaign alive. Rob Page’s side looked tired during the second half against Iran and the introduction of Joe Allen backfired with the experienced midfielder giving the ball away on several occasions. Page’s men are yet to score from open play and although they have produced a collective xG of 2.4, they have lacked composure in front of goal.

England have one foot in the round of 16 and although Gareth Southgate would have preferred to have taken six points from their opening two matches and the option to rotate his XI, he will be relatively happy with his side’s return. The Three Lions were leggy against USA and he may need to rotate his starting line-up in order to improve productivity in the final third.

It’s no surprise to see that both Bwin and 888Sport have priced up England as the overwhelming favourites. The Three Lions failed to justify their odds-on price against the USA and some punters may be tempted by the draw at 17/5.

• England and Wales are familiar foes and last met competitively at Euro 2016. England were 2-1 winners that day despite Wales taking the lead. The Three Lions had kept a clean sheet in their previous four meetings.
• Wales – Across their first two matches, Wales have fired in 16 shots with five of those efforts hitting the target. They produced an xG of just 0.9 against Iran on Friday and will need to improve their attacking output if they are to qualify for the round of 16.
• England – England don’t have a particularly good record in final group games at this tournament. They failed to beat Belgium in 2018 and could only draw with unfancied Costa Rica four years earlier. Prior to that, they also dropped points against both Sweden and Nigeria at this stage of the tournament.

Although they are a ridiculously short price to take all three points from this contest, England should still get the job done with the minimum of fuss. Wales look tired and although proud Welshman Rob Page will have his side fired up for this, they could fall short.

ENGLAND WIN

We’ve spoken about Wales’ issues going forward, however, they simply have to make a quick start here. A draw would knock them out of the tournament and they cannot afford to be passive here. They will be roared on the vociferous travelling fans and that may be enough to help them hit the target on Tuesday night.

BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE

Although England should take all three points and book their place in the knock-out round, they will not have it all their own way. Wales will push them all the way and must avoid falling behind too early. This could be close.

CORRECT SCORE – 2-1 ENGLAND

Wales

There are one or two knocks in the Welsh squad and Rob Page may be forced into a reshuffle ahead of this tie. He will look to utilise the width of the pitch with both Neco Williams and Connor Roberts looking to attack down the flanks. 

Key Player/s: Gareth Bale, Harry Wilson

Team news: Wayne Hennessey is suspended and will be replaced by Danny Ward. Brennan Johnson and Dan James may have done enough to earn a place in the starting XI. 

Predicted Lineup: Danny Ward, Joe Rodon, Ben Davies, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Mepham, Connor Roberts, Neco Williams, Harry Wilson, Dan James, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale

England 

Gareth Southgate was hoping to rotate his XI and rest a few players ahead of the round of 16. However, his side cannot afford to slip up here and he is likely to play his strongest team to ensure that the Three Lions make it through. 

Key Player/s: Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka

Team news: Gareth Southgate may opt to give Phil Foden a chance to shine. The Man City midfielder could be joined by teammate Jack Grealish in the starting XI. Harry Kane has been playing with an injury and will be assessed ahead of this. 

Predicted Lineup: Jordan Pickford, Kieran Trippier, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Jude Bellingham, Mason Mount, Phil Foden, Harry Kane

Although England should win this game, Wales cannot afford to sit back and play for the draw. They will not want to give anything away too early, however, as the game progresses, they simply must push forward.

Bet on Both Teams to Score