Wales v England - World Cup 2022
It's do or die for Wales. The final group games are here. England v Wales is a derby at the best of times, let alone when it's for World Cup progression.[fixture id=9849 btn label="Book Now"]
The Al Bayt stadium hosts England again as they face Wales on Tuesday evening. They'll be hoping for a better performance than against USA. For this huge game, there is no better place to be than in a We Love Sport venue. It's a tight, tense game which will be enjoyed 10 times more down the pub!
What's the state of play?
For England, it's simple. Don't lose by 4 goals and they are through. Win and they're guaranteed top spot. Draw & Iran win? Second place. Draw and USA win or draw? Top.
For Wales, it's tough. They have to win. If Iran and USA draw and Wales win, they're through. If Iran or USA win, Wales then need to win by 4 goals against England to eliminate England. Not ideal, but not impossible. Earlier this year Hungary beat England 4-0.
Expectations of the game?
With most teams in this World Cup, England's first two games have been chalk and cheese. England battered Iran going forward and scored 6. They did give up a few chances to Iran, but as a whole England were fantastic.
Against USA, they were absolutely bereft of ideas. USA ran the midfield and some great chances. The Gareth Southgate questions came out again, as he brought on Jordan Henderson for Jude Bellingham & Mason Mount managed to play 90 minutes. Phil Foden was left on the bench despite the midfield struggles with Gareth Southgate saying "it wasn't the game for Phil". Yes, a game where there is no chances being created wasn't a game for England's most talented footballer. Similar to Jack Grealish at the last tournament, England's most technical generation being misused.
Wales are in trouble. They were outplayed by Iran before the red card and were more than fortunate to only lose by 2 goals. Against USA they did score, but from the spot. They were battered in the first half and didn't create much in the second. However, they're still in with a shot so they can't be ruled out. Both England and Wales got their midfield's over ran by USA, so if Rob Page can make the tweak to get the upper hand in the midfield battle and get the win.
Team News
England have a fully fit and available squad. Not defeating USA and qualifying has put a bit of a spanner in the works though. If England were through, Southgate could've got the likes of Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips on the pitch to get them at least a little bit match fit. Saka, Sterling & Mount all struggled v USA, but its unlikely all three will be dropped. It was clear the midfield is at fault, but Southgate won't change.
Wales obviously don't have Wayne Hennessey available after his red card v Iran. Joe Allen made a late appearance in the last game but it was his poor clearance that set up Iran's first. So, bar Hennessey, Page has a full squad. His issue is who he plays though. What he's done so far hasn't worked, but now he doesn't really have the time to experiment.
Predicted England line up (4-3-3); Pickford; Trippier, Maguire, Stones, Shaw; Rice, Bellingham, Mount; Foden, Kane, Rashford
.Predicted Wales line up (3-4-3); Ward; Mepham, Rodon, Davies; Roberts, Ramsey, Ampadu, Williams; James, Moore, Bale
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Match Prediction Our predictions haven't been fantastic thus far, so don't go putting any bets on this. However, England need to prove a point, and most importantly secure top spot. They were not at the races on Friday, but adding Phil Foden to a side automatically improves a team's chances of winning. Wales are in desperate need of a win, but at no point have they looked like beating anyone, and its tough to suggest they'd beat England. Wales 0-2 England We Love Sport x World Cup The World Cup is the greatest tournament in the world, and the greatest place in the country to watch it is in any We Love Sport venue. Our venues are incredibly immersive and will give you that feel of being there live, just without the £11.50 pints. Make sure you grab a table for this game and click here to book for any game of the World Cup!