Are England Actually Any Good?

Looking at the latest Euro 2020 odds, you could be forgiven for thinking that England are world-beaters rather than a team who have regularly flattered to deceive over the past few decades. The Three Lions are the betting favourites to win the tournament with some bookies, although their past two Nations League performances weren’t particularly inspiring.

OK so they managed to land a victory in Iceland before a goalless draw in Denmark and Gareth Southgate will be satisfied that England are sitting second in the group although their results were in stark contrast to Belgium’s 2-0 win in Denmark before a 5-1 annhilation of Iceland.

Southgate will have a stronger squad available for the upcoming matches against Belgium and Denmark, with Manchester United trip Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire among those expected to return and we should also see Phil Foden back in the fold.

Even so, we’re struggling to see how England should be favourites to beat an accomplished side who appear to be the best team in this Nations League group.

Belgium Bouncing After Comfortable Wins

Belgium could lay claim to being the best international side in the world, with the recent wins over Denmark and Iceland being achieved without the unfit Eden Hazard who could make it into the squad for the England clash and the former Chelsea midfielder has previously demonstrated he’s among the best attacking midfielders in the world.

The midfield department is also blessed with Eden’s brother Thorgan along with Leicester pair Youri Tielemans and Dennis Praet, while Axel Witsel and Kevin de Bruyne make up a star-studded department and there’s the prolific Romelu Lukaku operating in attack and causing problems.

Roberto Martinez has a brilliant squad to call upon and many will think that Belgium are a good bet to get the better of their opponents as they did in the 2018 World Cup when the two teams were drawn together in the same group.

What Do The Bookies Expect to Happen?

The bookies have England as slight favourites and perhaps that is partly down to having a perceived home advantage although the bottom line is that this Nations League clash will be played at an empty Wembley Stadium and there’s little indication that the Three Lions are the better team out of the pair.

Many will think that betting on Belgium is an excellent way of trebling your money and we’re expecting the 2/1 about the Red Devils to disappear as we get closer to kick-off and punters latch on to the fact that they’re the better team.

The bookmakers are undecided as to whether we’ll see a goal-filled match at Wembley considering their Under 2.5 Goals and Over 2.5 Goals quote are priced at similar odds, while the same applies to the Yes / No betting option on the Both Teams to Score market.

What Are the Best Bets for This Match?

We can’t get away from the fact that Belgium claimed victories over the same teams that England laboured against, with the latter earning a last-gasp penalty in Reykjavik before actually conceding a spot kick of their own and being let off the hook in the process.

We also think that this can be a relatively high-scoring encounter and that England might need to meet fire with fire, although the 9/2 about the Three Lions and both teams finding the net makes plenty of appeal.

The England v Belgium match could easily end in a 3-1 or 3-2 scoreline in favour to the visitors for those wanting to back that particular outcome.

TOP FREE BETS OFFERS

mr-play
Bet €10
Get €15
18+, Welcome Bonus: New Players only, 1st Deposit, Min Deposit: £10, max £10 free bet valid for 14 days, bets must be placed at odds of 1/1 or greater and be settled within 14 days of placement. System bets no eligible.T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org