12 Jun 2019
Week two at the World Cup is well underway, and if it’s anything like the first then expect upsets, entertainment, an England victory and lots of penalties courtesy of everyone’s new best friend - VAR.
Over twenty-one million people across the country tuned in to last Thursday’s action to witness the heroics of captain Kane, who not only saved the day for England in the dying seconds of the game, but also managed to bring the whole nation to their feet.
Many saw England’s performance as extremely positive (at least for the first twenty minutes) owing to the creativity and passion shown by Southgate’s men. If it wasn’t for extremely poor refereeing and England’s lack of composure in front of goal, the tie would have been out of sight before the second-half had even begun.
As stated by the manager, it’s always the good teams that score late, and winning gives England a good platform to build off. The Three Lions now join Belgium at the top of group G, however need to build on their performance against Tunisia to take full advantage of a weak Panama side.
Both teams will be entering the land of the unknown as this will be the first time in history the two sides have met.
Currently ranked 55th in the world, Panama are the so called ‘easy’ opponent in the group, but the Central American side put group favourites Belgium to the test, keeping De Bruyne and Co. near enough silent until half time, before the Belgian’s re-grouped and finished comfortable victors 3-0.
Having only scored nine goals in qualifying, Panama are not a dangerous attacking outfit, although they are extremely clinical. Having experienced players, such as 37-year old Blas Perez, makes Panama a well organised side who are hard to break down and deserving of our respect.
Will England stick or twist
The big question for Gareth Southgate is whether he sticks with Sterling upfront after his underwhelming performance or puts in Rashford who arguably changed the game against Tunisia when coming on as a sub. Get Rashford to score anytime here at 10/11.
The key to unlocking Panama is with width and creativity, so Southgate may look at changing the 3-5-2 formation for one which favours more creative play. Although many would argue that England should not change a winning formula.
Can they outscore the Belgians?
With players such as Hazard, Lukaku and Mertens, Belgium are seen as one the most talented attacking outfits in world football.
But for England to have the best chance of qualifying first, they need to swap their normal boots for their shooting ones. If the likes of Rashford, Sterling and Lingard are able to chip in alongside Harry Kane, then there is every chance that the Three Lions can go one better than the Belgians. Get England to take the advantage and win 4-0 here at 9/1.
Can Panama possibly hurt the Three Lions?
In this match, hurting England doesn’t necessarily mean beating them, as a draw could also be quite damaging. A win would all but secure qualification, whereas a draw or loss may make the possibility of finishing top of the group a much bigger struggle.
Panama are a well organised side, who are structured and disciplined. If England don’t score early and get frustrated, the nerves could start to kick in. For an outside bet, you can back Panama to break English hearts and win here at 14/1.
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