Group G at the World Cup in Russia continues on June 18th with Tunisia facing off against England. Tunisia will be aiming to get out of the group stage for the first time in five tries, while England aims to bounce back from an embarrassing World Cup in 2014.
What To Know About Tunisia
Tunisia are back at the World Cup after missing out in 2010 and 2014, and they won their CAF group to qualify for the tournament. They have already suffered a massive blow as forward Youssef Msakni injured his knee and will miss out on the World Cup. Mskani can also play in midfield and has 14 goals in 51 appearances for his country, which are first and second (keeper and captain Aymen Mathlouthi has 69 appearances), respectively for this current crop of players. Midfielder Wahbi Khazri has 12 goals in 35 games for Tunisia and there will be a lot of pressure on him to not only score, but create as well and there aren’t many players to create for. Ali Maaloul has 43 appearances for his country at the back, while Syam Ben Youssef has 40 appearances, so Mathlouthi has his work cut out for him in goal.
What To Know About England
England won the World Cup in 1966, but has made it past the quarterfinals just once since then. They also failed to make it out of the group stage in 2014, and followed that up by losing to Iceland in the round of 16 at the 2016 European Championships. That led to Gareth Southgate replacing Roy Hodgson as manager. They won their UEFA group to qualify for the World Cup, and Harry Kane scored five goals to lead the way. He’ll be counted on up front, but England also has Raheem Sterling and can bring either Jamie Vardy or Marcus Rashford off the bench. Dele Alli has been inconsistent in midfield, but he is one of England’s best players when he is on. Jordan Henderson should look to marshal the midfield, but he does need help. Kyle Walker is England’s best defender, but he is at his best attacking on the flank. In the middle, there is John Stones and not much else. Then there is the question of goalkeeper as Joe Hart has 75 appearances. However, Jordan Pickford and Jack Butland has both started recently and Hart isn’t very good anymore. This England team isn’t terrible, but it isn’t very good, either.
Outlook
England are favored in this match at 1.33, while Tunisia comes in at 9.00 and a draw is rated at 5.00. They have met just once before as England won 2-0 over Tunisia in the group stages of the 1998 World Cup. If Mskani was playing, Tunisia would have a better chance to hit England on the counterattack. But as it is, Tunisia can sit ten players behind the ball because England lacks creativity in their attack and they can be easily frustrated. England should win this game, but they’re not going to run away with it and a draw isn’t out of the question.
World Cup Betting Pick: England
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