2022 World Cup: England vs. USA Preview, Odds, Prediction

In the game of the day, England faces the USA this Friday. Group B is highly interesting, and this clash could make things even more intriguing. The Three Lions defeated Iran, posting an impressive display in the opening round, while on the other side, the US crew took just one point from the meeting with Wales. The US team is unpredictable and oscillates too much, which spices up this spectacle. What if the Yanks come out fired up and start presenting their best soccer? Then we could have one of the best games of the tournament.

Preview

England (-185) posted its first victory following six straight disappointing performances in which they posted three losses and draws. Gareth Southgate’s unit broke the cold streak with an impressive 6-2 triumph over Iran, who faced a lot of turbulences and jinxes.

We have to notice that 6-2 isn’t the realistic result in this one. England is a a much better team, but the final outcome was a bit high. The win came at a high price for the Three Lions, because Harry Kane picked up an injury. He will probably skip this event.

English defense once again had a few blackouts, and that’s something Southgate would have to eliminate otherwise, many unpleasant things could happen. We already saw various surprises in Qatar.

USA (+450) opened the game well, scored after half an hour, and continued at the same pace until halftime. But following the break, the Yanks were unrecognizable.

The aggressiveness, composure, and fluid approach in the midfield disappeared, with Wales taking over the command. For 45 minutes, the Dragons were pressuring Gregg Berhalter’s team, and in the end, they succeeded in finding the way to the net, through a penalty converted by Gareth Bale.

We don’t know what happened to the Americans, but we think that inexperience in the current situation was one of the reasons why they stopped and slowed down. Also, to be honest, Berhalter was late in his reactions, and he should have made changes earlier and more radical.

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Kane is questionable, and we don’t think Southgate would risk exposing him to a harder injury that would rule out Tottenham’s striker for the entire tournament.

Meanwhile, the USA will change something in its lineup, and from our point of view, Acosta and Aaronson have to start this clash.

Head to Head Games

Some 12 years ago, the English national team played against the US unit at the World Cup in South Africa, and we saw a tie, 1-1. The USA beat Albion in the 1950 World Cup, which was one of the biggest sensations back then.

There was a friendly international in 2018 when England beat this rival, 3-0.

Prediction

The US team will try to save its net and stay unbeaten because they have one point against Wales and await the clash with Iran in the last round. England, too doesn’t have to be too offensive-minded, which is why we pick a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 goals with the odds for this pick set at +105. For us, this is an outstanding offer we have to take.

Pick: 2 or 3 goals +105