England could book their place in the next round when they prepare to take on World Cup first-timers, Panama. The Three Lions could breathe a sigh of relief late on in stoppage when captain, Harry Kane, headed his nation in front to join Belgium on three points at the top of Group C. Panama made a good account of themselves in their World Cup debut, despite suffering a heavy defeat to Belgium. They’ll be hoping to avoid more misery and perhaps cause a potential upset against England.
FIFA World Cup
England vs Panama
Group G
Sunday 24 June
Nizhny Novgorod Stadium
14:00
To Win
England 2/13
Draw 22/2
Panama 21/1
England
Harry Kane proved to be the difference when he stood up and took charge, leading his nation by example and bagging a brace, which, at the end, proved to be decisive. Gareth Southgate will fancy his charges against the lowest-ranked team in the group, and England do tend to win these winnable fixtures.
England had plenty of chances to put the game to bed, but the likes of Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard really need to work on their finishing in the next couple of days. Had it not been for Kane, we could only imagine where England would be, and as harsh as it may sound, the Tottenham striker is carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders.
I do expect England to come out with a fresher approach, starting from their backline. Personally, I feel that this game is the perfect time for Trent Alexander-Arnold to step in and make his mark at the World Cup, while the legs of Ashley Young might be too old to play twice in the space of a couple of days.
England do not need to make wholesale changes to their line-up, although it would be better to keep all their players fresh ahead of their Matchday Three encounter against Belgium.
One thing is guaranteed, though, Kane will remain at the heart of England’s attack, and you can never back against him finding the back of the net against this Panamanian team.
Panama
The North Americans were unlucky to suffer such a heavy defeat against one of the tournament’s toughest teams, Belgium. Although, Panama did keep the game scrappy and dull for much of the game, which proved to work in their favour.
They’ll need a different approach against England, who operate in a completely different style to that of Belgium’s. The Three Lions often look for the long ball over the top, so Panama know that they cannot be naïve and commit too many men forward.
There weren’t any standout performers for Panama in their tie against Belgium, but still, this is the World Cup, which means they cannot be taken for granted. Who knows what could happen should they get the first goal here.
Probable line-ups:
England: 3-4-2-1
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire; Alexander-Arnold, Henderson, Dele, Lingard, Rose; Sterling, Kane.
Panama: 4-1-4-1
Penedo; Davis, Escobar, Torres, Murillo; Gómez; Rodríguez, Godoy, Cooper, Bárcenas; Blas Pérez.
Prediction: Harry Kane to Score & England to Win & Both Teams to Score – No (21/10)
With Harry Kane playing his best football at the moment, you simply can’t look past him finding the back of the net again here. Get on Hollywoodbets’ Match Betbuilder and back Harry Kane to Score & England to Win & Both Teams to Score – No at 21/10!
Written by Jesse Nagel