Why Are England Among Favourites to Win Nations League?
England haven’t won anything since 1966. Supporters therefore take a pretty cynical view of any suggestion that the Three Lions will claim silverware any time soon, although they did reach the semi-final stage of the 2018 World Cup and they also reached the same phase of the Nations League before losing to Netherlands.
Therefore, perhaps that elusive win is just around the corner and there’s little doubt that the current England squad is packed with quality players. Captain Harry Kane continues to be the talisman in attack and will be flanked by players such as Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling.
The midfield department is relatively inexperienced although Declan Rice, Mason Mount and Phil Foden all have the class to make the step up on a long-term basis, while the defence includes the unreal Trent Alexander-Arnold who can already lay claim to be the best right-back in the world.
Should We Bet England to Beat Iceland?
England are big favourites to win this Nations League clash on 5 September and there is sure to be plenty of money for the Three Lions who are looking to get up and running with three points in this competition and effectively start their preparations for Euro 2021 at the same time.
However, there’s an element of uncertainty about international football considering there has been such a big hiatus and it’s not out of the question that Iceland can produce a performance despite not having any home supporters to cheer them on.
While the Icelandic squad don’t have too many recognisable names, don’t forget that they beat England at Euro 2016 and have that famous collective spirit which also helped them qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
There’s a nagging feeling that Iceland have punched above their weight and will now start to dip, with a 4-2 defeat away to Albania last autumn only supplementing that claim. However, with Gylfi Sigurdsson in the midfield engine room, they are never completely without a chance.
What Are the Best Bets for This Match?
We are not completely sure about the England defence and that’s especially the case considering that Harry Maguire has been caught up in an incident in Greece which means that the central defender might play no part in this match.
However, it’s hard not to see Southgate’s men not scoring and the first bet we are going to recommend is the Three Lions to win and both teams to find the net. We also like the idea of England stretching their legs and scoring plenty of goals throughout the match, so we’d take them on the handicap market too. It means that we get money back if they win by a single goal.