Will Lee Carsley’s England make it three wins out of three when they host Greece?
Get the best bets for England v Greece and the rest of Thursday’s Nations League action as our experts recommend Bet Builders, value picks and more for a busy night of international football…
-
Back another England clean sheet in Bet Builder at 4/1
-
Fouls bets recommended for Wembley clash at 13/10 and 16/5
-
Tips for the pick of the rest of Thursday’s Nations League
England v Greece Tips and Predictions
19:45 – England v Greece: Back clean sheet & corners combo plus 4/1 Bet Builder
Paul Higham: “We’ve got a lot of guesswork in the line-ups with even Carsley admitting he’ll likely be making changes for the games with so much football being played.
“Ollie Watkins is 10/11 to score at Wembley and he should start if Kane is held back for Finland, we should see Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer start as the two in-form wide forwards and Jude Bellingham will play – but could be used deeper where he’s currently playing for Real Madrid.
“They’re mostly pretty short prices in most attacking categories and perhaps best left until the teamsheets come out – but if both start maybe the best cover is Palmer and Saka both to score or assist which is around a 7/5 Bet Builder double.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold 11/10 for 1+ shot on target is another worth a look if he starts ahead of Kyle Walker, while Bellingham has been fouled twice in eight of his last 11 and for Saka that’s landed in his last two and in three of five for England.
“I’m actually looking at Greece for my featured Bet Builder though and specifically their full-backs Llazaros Rota and Kostas Tsimikas – who you can back at 4/1 to both have 2+ fouls at Wembley against England’s vast array of wide attacking talent.
“AEK Athens right-back Rota is 6/4 and Liverpool left-back Tsimikas is 13/10 for 2+ fouls – which they both managed against Ireland in their last game. And when you think of them having to face the likes of Saka, Foden, Palmer, Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon that’s the perfect recipe for further fouls here.”
Opponents can’t stop fouling Lewis so back 13/10 shot
Stephen Tudor: “Deployed in three different positions and consistently excellent in each, Lewis has averaged 2.54 progressive carries per 90 and 2.44 shot creating actions per outing, with a couple of assists thrown in.
“It was supposed to be last season when he really kicked on and established himself as a key player within the City set-up. Instead, after a frustrating and sustained stall, it is now when we’re witnessing a quantum leap.
“Utilized at left-back in both his previous England starts the 19-year-old is expected to feature there again at Wembley before giving way to Levi Colwill at the weekend.
“Against Finland last time out he acquitted himself really well, with two key passes while off the ball he had Fredrik Jensen in his pocket until the Augsburg midfielder was subbed as a consequence.
“What intrigues about the young star is how often he is fouled, with opposition players wrongly believing they can bully him due to his size and age. He has already been impeded 11 times in the league while on his international debut North Macedonia took some liberties with four late challenges.”
Profit from Bukayo Saka’s foul drawing expertise at 16/5
Lewis Jones: “When searching for value across the prop markets involving a game where Bukayo Saka is involved my eyes are always drawn to the opposition left-back. What kind of defender is he? Has he faced Saka before? And, most importantly, what is the data telling me surrounding his fouls committed averages?
“Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas is likely to be the man tasked with facing the slick Saka and it’s an area us as punters have a good handle on for predicting the likely foul action served up. Tsimikas is an aggressive defender. Some may call him rash.
“Much of those labels come from the eye test as he does like to engage and press aggressively – an obvious trait in a player that is signed by Jurgen Klopp. But the data stands up too. Since signing for the Reds in 2020, he averages 1.67 fouls committed per 90 across all competitions and makes 2.3 tackles per 90. A healthy output.
“He’s lined up directly against Saka twice in that period in Liverpool v Arsenal battles and he committed a foul on the winger in each game whilst making six tackles in total. These aren’t surprising numbers. Saka is a full-back’s nightmare and is constantly asking them questions in one-on-one situations.”
“Adding the over 2.5 cards line to Tsimikas to make two or more fouls in the game gets us to a16/5 shot through the Bet Builder, which is certainly worth a bash.”
Back another win to nil for Carlsey’s England
Dan Fitch: “England made a confident start to their Nations League campaign under Lee Carsley, beating Republic of Ireland and Finland, without conceding a goal.
“Greece achieved the same feat and look to be the main opposition in Group B2 for the Three Lions. With the home advantage, let’s back England to keep a third clean sheet, by winning to nilat 4/5.”
Nations League Tips and Predictions
19:45 – Italy v Belgium: Back 7/2 Bet Builder
Paul Higham: “With Jeremy Doku lurking out on the left wing for Belgium then it’s worth adding Giovanni Di Lorenzi to the pot and back him at 4/11 to give away 1+ foul.
“Di Lorenzo gave away a foul against Frence in his last game for Italy, and that’s part of a seven-game run for the Napoli man in giving away at least a foul.
“More often than not it’s been multiple fouls, with four of those seven games seeing Di Lorenzo giving away at least two fouls – but in international football we’ll tone it down to just the one for our Bet Builder treble.”
19:45 – Israel v France: Back Les Bleus in Bet Builder at 9/5
Dan Fitch: “Israel not only have to face stellar opposition in Group A2, but also have to play their home fixtures on neutral territory, with this game taking place in Budapest.
“They lost to both Belgium and Italy, but were on the scoresheet in both defeats. A France win and both teams to score is priced at 9/5.”
19:45 – Finland v Republic of Ireland: Helsinki showdown to feature goals
Kevin Hatchard: “The Republic have a dreadful record in the Nations League. They have never won away from home in the competition, and have only won twice since it started. Remarkably, they have failed to score in 12 of 18 UNL matches, which is an atrocious body of attacking work. On the road the record reads: three draws, five defeats, no wins, four goals scored.
“Halgrimsson showed he is willing to shake things up by dropping the experienced Matt Doherty, while Callum Robinson and Callum O’Dowda pulled out of the original squad. Everton veteran Seamus Coleman is injured. The Republic certainly don’t lack firepower, with Evan Ferguson, Adam Idah, Sammie Szmodics and Chiedozie Ogbene all options.
“Finland also have some quality in attack. Veteran striker Teemu Pukki still packs a punch at international level, even if the goals have dried up with Minnesota United in MLS, while former Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara can drive forward from midfield.
View publisher imprintShare this article