England recorded two comfortable victories in their September Nations League matches and they are a short price to repeat the trick when they host Greece at Wembley on Thursday.
Greece will be pushovers, though, as they have also taken six points from their two matches after getting the better of the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
The Three Lions won the last meeting between these two sides in 2006, running out 4-0 winners, but the margin of victory may not be as great for England this time.
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Bet of the Day – Under 2.5 goals @ Evs
England’s interim boss Lee Carsley has emphasised the importance of his team playing free-flowing, attacking football, something that they lacked under predecessor Gareth Southgate.
However, that has yet to be reflected in the scorelines of the two matches that the former Birmingham midfielder has presided over.
The Three Lions controlled both 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland but failed to pull away from their opponents.
The nature of these mid-season Nations League games is for there to be plenty of changes to the starting lineup and managers experimenting with tactics and personnel.
With some injury concerns in the home camp, expect rotation and a certain lack of fluidity that can come with that.
Carsley’s side are also taking on a Greek outfit that have been solid defensively, keeping three clean sheets in a row.
Germany needed a last minute winner to beat these opponents in June while the Netherlands only saw them off 1-0 last year so they can keep things tight at the back.
Seven of England’s last 10 games have gone under 2.5 goals and a repeat of that looks likely in what may be a fairly sedate affair.
Special of the Day – England to win 2-0 and Ollie Watkins to score at anytime @ 10/1
England captain Harry Kane is an injury doubt for these two international games but luckily the Three Lions have an extremely able deputy in the shape of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
The 28-year-old netted 19 league goals for Villa last season and already has four in seven games this term.
Watkins scored the winner in England’s Euro 2024 semi-final victory over the Netherlands and could take advantage of any injury issues Kane may be suffering by showing that he can translate his domestic form onto the international stage.
A goal for Watkins can be coupled with a 2-0 win for the Three Lions, who have the superior quality to Greece and haven’t lost against the visitors in their nine previous meetings.
Both of England’s Nations League victories have been by a 2-0 scoreline and that can be achieved again on home soil.
Long shot of the day – Anthony Gordon to score last @ 6/1
Newcastle star Anthony Gordon could be handed a starting opportunity in this clash and he can grasp that chance with both hands by rounding off the scoring.
The 23-year-old has netted twice in the league for the Magpies this season and both of those strikes were the last of the game. He can repeat that trick here.
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