England and the United States meet in their second fixture of Group B on Friday, and here we look ahead to the crucial clash with our England vs USA World Cup betting picks.
England started their campaign with a bang on Monday, making light work of Iran in their opening fixture. Gareth Southgate’s team were 3-0 up at half-time and the match was effectively over.
England went on to complete a 6-2 win over the Iranians, who it’s fair to say weren’t the strongest of opposition. But nevertheless, England – as one of the pre tournament favorites – laid down a significant marker with the victory.
As for the USA, they had a mixed night against Wales in their world cup opener. The USMNT got off to a great start, dominating the first half, and going into the break in a well deserved 1-0 lead, courtesy of Timothy Weah’s impressive finish after 36 minutes.
But in what was a strange match, the USA went from being in total control at half time, to hanging on for a 1-1 draw by the finish. Gareth Bale, who else, got the Welsh equalizer, firing home from the penalty spot after 82 minutes. And just for good measure, Bale himself even won the penalty.
The USA may have a talented squad. But by the end of the match (with the bizarre 9 minutes of stoppage time played), they looked like they were still carrying all the insecurities that dogged them in their qualifying campaign to get to Qatar.
They will certainly need to improve to have any chance against the English on Friday.
The match is being played at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor. This is the same stadium that hosted the opening match of the competition, and this is the third of nine matches that the venue will stage.
The kick off is a good one for the eastern time zone. 3pm on a Friday afternoon is ideal for an early finish from work, and ensures plenty of time to celebrate afterwards should the USA pull off an unexpected win.
With the USA and Wales locked on one point each in the group, and England already on three points, things are already getting critical for the USA. If as expected, England win all three of their matches, then the USA will need to do better than Wales do in their matches against England and Iran to finish second in the group.
If both Greg Berhalter’s team and Wales finish on level points, then goal difference will be the deciding factor. So again, let’s assume both the USA and Wales lose to England, and both beat Iran. The two sides will then be level on points, and goal difference will be the deciding factor.
So from a US point of view, if they can’t get a result out of the England match, it’s important not to get thrashed. Belhaltar’s team will then have to hope they thrash – what could by then be a demoralized – Iran in their final group match, and hope England do the same to Wales.
The teams have played 11 times in total, and in one way it doesn’t make great reading for the USMNT. England has won eight times, the USA twice, and there has been one draw.
Now let’s break that down. Of the eight times England has won, all eight have been friendlies. The USA beat England 1-0 in the 1950 world cup, one of the biggest shocks in world cup history. The USA also defeated England 2-0 in a competition known as the US Cup (not longer in existence) in 1993, and the two sides drew 1-1 in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
To put it another way, in two attempts, England has never defeated the USA at a world cup! If that record is still intact on Friday night, the USA will have a great chance of making it to the Round of 16.
Apologies in advance to all fans of the USMNT. Like the best soccer betting sites, I can’t see the United States still having an unbeaten world cup record against England by the end of Friday.
In the world cup betting to win the match, England is -188 on the moneyline to win. The USA is +500, and the draw is +300. To further explain why I give the USA little chance of getting anything on Friday, the best world cup betting sites make England +800 to win the trophy. That’s third favorites behind Brazil at +335, and Argentina at +525. The USA is +11000.
The to win the world cup odds are taken from BetOnline. You can read more about them at our BetOnline sportsbook review.
On the handicap market, BetOnline are giving the USA a +1 start, they are -115. From a -1 start, England are -105. The total goals spread is over 2.5 goals at -113, and under 2.5 goals is -107.
I can see England being two goals better than the USA, so I’m happy to take England to win on the handicap as my betting pick for this match.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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