The England hype train hit a speed bump in a nil-nil draw against Ghana on Tuesday.
The result was far from a disaster — England is still the favorite to win Group L — but it did send a shiver up the spine of the English media and fans, as they thought this team was going to romp to the trophy after a free-flowing 4-2 win over Croatia in their opener.
England will likely face another low block on Saturday evening when they take on Panama in the Meadowlands.
The Three Lions are -650 favorites to win the match. Panama, which has already been eliminated from the World Cup after losing their first two games, is 16/1 to get the three points.
This is a really peculiar matchup to handicap.
If there was anything for them to play for, you could be assured that Panama would sit deep in a 5-4-1 and defend for their lives. Los Canaleros tried to do just that against Ghana and Croatia, but they lost, 1-0, in each tilt.
With nothing left to lose, we could see a more adventurous approach from Thomas Christiansen’s side.
The problem is that Panama just doesn’t have the horses to compete with England in that kind of setup. They would get overrun in the midfield, even if Thomas Tuchel opts to rotate his squad. It could get quite embarrassing if Panama just throws caution to the wind.
Thus, it seems fair to expect that Los Canaleros, despite the lack of stakes, will dig in and try to replicate Ghana’s effort against England.
That won’t be welcome news to England, which really struggled in the conditions against Ghana. For all the pace, creativity, and speed that the Three Lions boast, they seemed to be missing the craft and guile needed to unlock a stubborn defense. You can’t just run through an organized 5-4-1.
There will be heaps of pressure on England to improve after their nil-nil with Ghana, but it will be a lot easier said than done, especially in the humid conditions that are expected in the Swamps of Jersey on Friday evening.
Don’t expect this one to be a Picasso. Back the Under 2.5 goals at a strong price.
The Play: Under 2.5 goals (+180, FanDuel)
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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