Tunisia vs England
It is finally England’s turn to join the fray that is the World Cup in Russia, and the Three Lions faithful will be hoping for great things to come out of their latest attempt to win the biggest trophy in world football!
Gareth Southgate’s side is a heavy favourite to get out of a rather interesting group that also features Belgium and Panama. With the number of quality players donning the England shirt, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a comfortable English victory happen here.
However, FIFA 2018 has surprised many with a slew of results that went against the grain. It wouldn’t be surprising at this point to see Tunisia being the latest addition to the slew of surprising FIFA 2018 results. The World Cup has given us so much top-tier drama and football that some are already reconsidering their FIFA 2018 betting tips this early in the competition.
Will the Three Lions start the World Cup on the right foot? Or will the Eagles of Carthage pull them all apart and eat their remains at the top of the Group G table?
Talking Points
The biggest question surrounding the English is whether the amount of preparation the English team has done before the World Cup has done enough to help them succeed in the group stages. After all, they have a roster that seemingly lacks creativity in the midfield.
Without Jack Wilshere or Adam Lallana to supply the attackers with quality passes, it seems that their chances of putting together first-class attacks are at a low. However, their last warm-up against fellow World Cup competitors Costa Rica revealed that they are more than capable to dominate their opponents in the tournament.
Marcus Rashford was the man who impressed the most during that friendly. The Manchester United forward suffered a knack during England’s preparation and may not make an appearance for this game, but his stellar showing during the Costa Rica game may have convinced Southgate to include him in the Starting XI.
England will also be more focused on the task as they do not want a repeat of their disastrous 2014 tournament, where England got booted out of the World Cup during the group stages. England keeper Jordan Pickford even went far as to say that the team is ready to get down and dirty for the World Cup pursuit.
“We are putting our hearts on the line and we are going to be doing it in training as well – it’s then a lot easier in the games,” the Everton keeper told the BBC.
However, It would be inaccurate to picture Tunisia as the willing weaklings ready to cede the points to England. Tunisia did an outstanding recruitment drive ever since qualifying for the World Cup and are looking as dangerous as any other country in the Cup.
Players like Ellyes Skhiri, Ben Amor, Yohan Benalouane and Wahbi Khazri will be leading the country in an attempt to pull off a brilliant upset. They are ready to scrap for every loose ball and will fight to get points.
“We play good football,” Benalouane, who plays with Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire at Leicester City, told the Telegraph. “Yeah, it will be difficult for us, but it will be difficult for the other teams, too.”
History
Tunisia and England have not played each other a lot in the international stage, but the current head-to-head score favours the Englishmen. Their first meeting was during a 1990 friendly where the two split the points. The second one was during the 1998 World Cup where England beat Tunisia 2-0.
Recent form also tips towards the Three Lions. They haven’t lost a single friendly since qualifying for the World Cup. During this run, they pulled off impressive draws against Germany and Brazil. England also schooled the Netherlands in a March friendly.
While Tunisia’s aren’t as successful in their recent matches, their fixtures have to be considered as well. The team ranked 21st-best in the world pulled off superb results, including a draw against Portugal and a 1-0 loss to Spain. If anything, Nabil Maaloul must be commended for keeping up with these huge teams.
What are the odds?
A quick check with the SBOBET odds presents an interesting case for many supporters and punters.
I think England should be able to win this game easily, so choosing England with a -1.50 Asian Handicap will reward you with 2.42 odds. Meanwhile, Tunisia are at 2.21 with a one-goal boost.
There’s good reason to believe that Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane will be able to score against the Eagles of Carthage in the first half of the game, making England with -0.75 @ 2.47 an attractive option.
Both England and Tunisia have tendencies to score goals, so it wouldn’t be bad to check the Over-Under market. Over 2.50 goals is at 2.20, while Under 2.25 is at 2.01. Both of these are very plausible results, so I’d advise picking wisely.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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