England vs Wales. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more
England will meet with Wales in the FIFA World Cup 2022 third group-stage match at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium. The fixture will take place on Wednesday, November 30, beginning at 00:30 IST.
The final round of the 2022 World Cup group stage will be played between Wales and England. The game has almost no tournament motivation for the Dragons, as only a fantastic win for Wales by 4 goals will help the Welsh overtake England in the group. However, for the boys of Gareth Southgate, nothing is certain at the moment.
The mood of both teams’ fans has seriously changed between the first and second fixtures. For the English, the euphoria of the victory over the Iranians was replaced by a slight puzzlement after an unplanned draw with the United States. The Welsh, on the other hand, were horrified by a sensational defeat to Iran after an encouraging start.
Now, the situation in Group B, which seemed quite predictable at the start, became as undefined as possible. Now even the group leader cannot feel safe. The Three Lions must not lose to Wales, otherwise, they could even lost their chances for knockouts. For their part, Wales need only victory to bounce back from the tournament bottom and make the World Cup play-offs for the first time since 1958.
Parimatchnews will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.
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England News & Current Form:
England have played two much differing games at the World Cup so far, beautifully dominating Iran but then recording a completely unimpressive draw against the Americans. However, the big win in the first meeting (6-2) gave Gareth Southgate’s team an excellent goal difference, and this allows the England team not to worry too much about not qualifying from the group.
On the other hand, the quality of their performance will be important on the eve of the play-offs, and it will be interesting to see which side was the real England – the one that scored goal after goal against Iran in spectacular attacking style, or the one that was engaged in a cautious and straining ‘tug-of-war’ against the Americans.
The battle for top place in the group also matters this evening, because topping the quartet could prevent the Three Lions from facing the Netherlands in the 1/8 finals. To get a more passable opposition, they need to ensure the first line in the table.
What is soothing, is that the Englishmen have not lost three games in a row. However, in just ten meetings, there have been three wins accompanied by three defeats and four draws. There also was a shocking 0-4 thrashing by Hungary in that stretch.
Still, at the World Cups, England have not lost by a four-goal margin in their last 25 games, while their worst defeat came 12 years ago when they lost 1-4 at the hands of Germany in the 1/8 finals.
Before the World Cup, Gareth Southgate was shrouded in a huge cloud of scepticism and criticism. Three Lions fans were still in a trance after the team’s dreadful performance in the UEFA Nations League, where the European vice-champions battled Italy, Germany and Hungary but were knocked out in League B.
The news that England’s core centre-back in Qatar will be Harry Maguire – the man who lost Eric ten Hag’s trust at Manchester United and has become a meme among football fans – has got fans angry.
In the autumn, the most expensive defender in the history of football was under treatment for a hamstring injury, and then he was just held on the bench by the Dutch specialist. His infrequent appearances on the pitch ended in disappointing performances that earned him very low ratings from experts and statistical websites.
Some experts claimed that Harry would never reach the top level again. But in Qatar, the 29-year-old defender was reborn as a leader of the national team. In the first match against Iran, Maguire played 70 minutes, assisted on Saka’s goal, hit the bar and was very good in the air – winning all four aerial battles (the same number as five Iranian defenders altogether) and recovering the ball once.
But that was nothing compared to how good Harry was against the USA. Maguire was named the man of the match for the Three Lions. The Manchester United defender played surprisingly reliably in defence and was memorable for his dribbling in the opponents’ penalty area.
Thanks to him, the opponents were afraid to get to Pickford’s goal: three aerial duels won, one rebound, one shot, one dribble and 88% of successful passes. Of course, after such displays, Harry will also play against Wales, a British team that play mostly through crosses.
After the match with the USA, Harry posted on his Twitter:
Maguire’s presence will also have an impact on England’s attacking options – the 194cm tall centre-back will be useful on corers. But Harry is not the only one to be marked here – Harry Kane, John Stones and Jude Bellingham are all excellent headers in Southgate’s team too. The last one, by the way, has already scored with his head in this World Cup campaign.
The Welsh will also be relying on bombarding the box by the ball and the attacking players’ ability to fight in the air to get the goals. That means the chances of seeing a goal scored from a header will increase.
In the match against the USMNT, England’s strikers, including Harry Kane, did not seem to be on the pitch, which raised some questions.
In the encounter with the Americans, the Tottenham Hotspur star did not take a single shot on goal and did not create a single scoring chance. He had two inaccurate shots, two fouls and 39 touches, with only three of them in the opponents’ penalty area. There is a need to get better.
According to the sources, Kane has been suffering from discomfort in his foot while striking the ball following the knock he took in England’s opener against Iran. But Southgate insisted playing Kane in the goalless draw with the USA on Friday posed no risk to his captain after scan results showed he had no significant damage.
Coach Southgate said:
“He has had a whack to his foot so there is a tiny bit of discomfort when he is striking the ball but we are not talking about anything that was a risk in any way shape or form”.
Harry commented on the match with USA:
It is worth mentioning that Harry Kane is still two steps away from repeating Wayne Rooney’s record for goals for the national team. The match against Wales is a great opportunity for the Tottenham striker to strengthen his position. It is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Wales News & Current Form:
Wales squad observe a minute’s silence in memory of Gary Speed, former team coach, on the 11th anniversary of his passing.
In the second round, Wales played Iran after a not-so-bad match against the USA. The Dragons outclassed their opponents in possession but created fewer potential goal-scoring chances. Without the efforts of the experienced Wayne Hennessey, Robert Page’s side would certainly have conceded more than two goals. The goalkeeper made four excellent saves.
On the other hand, he was also the main anti-hero of the game. The Welsh has played perfectly in the first half, but let his team down in the second. It was a rather dramatic denouement: both goals were conceded in the 9th and 11th minutes of injury time. Firstly, in the 86th minute, the goalie ran out of the penalty area and brought down an Iranian player. The referee initially showed a yellow card, but after consultation with VAR changed his decision and sent off the goalkeeper. Left in the minority, the Dragons trenched themselves in their own penalty area and conceded after a long-range strike by Roozbeh Cheshmi. Page’s men then ran to get back into the game, but the opposition caught them on the counter-attack and scored a second goal.
The defeat to Iran has basically ruined Wales’ chances of qualifying for the next round. A 4-0 win or a four-goal difference on conceded goals is needed to overtake England in the standings.
As things stand, Wales are without a win in their last seven games. Their only win in the distance of 10 games was a 1-0 win over Ukraine in the final play-off qualifier. Robert Page’s side have one win, three draws and six defeats in total. Four defeats in their last five games.
In the post-match interview, Wales captain Gareth Bale said that his national team is devastated, and it is clear why.
At the moment the Welsh team is in last place in the group. It has practically no chance of beating England as the stats suggest: the Dragons have suffered defeats in six head-to-head encounters.
The absence of their key goalkeeper, Hennessey, who was sent off in the game against Iran, could be an additional problem. His replacement, Danny Ward, has not been very reliable for Leicester City this season, and when he came on as a substitute against Iran, he conceded two goals in less than a quarter of an hour.
However, hope dies last.
England form guide: D-L-L-D-W-D
Wales form guide: D-L-L-L-D-L
England vs Wales: Head-To-Head Record:
| England | Draw | Wales |
| 68 | 21 | 14 |
5 Last encounters:
- September 3, 2005: England 1-0 Wales (FIFA World Cup);
- March 26, 2011: England 2-0 Wales (UEFA European Championship);
- September 6, 2011: England 1-0 Wales (UEFA European Championship);
- June 16, 2016: England 2-1 Wales (UEFA European Championship);
- October 8, 2020: England 3-0 Wales (International Friendly);
It’s hard to find any rivals in the world who know each other better than England and Wales. The forthcoming match will be their 104th. The only other country to have played more often was Scotland (115 games). As you can easily guess, the statistical superiority in this pairing, and a noticeable one at that, is on the side of the Three Lions – 68 victories and just 14 defeats. Since 1984, England have won six straight derbies, including Euro 2016.
England vs Wales Predicted XI:
England’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Rice, Bellingham, Sterling, Mount, Foden, Kane.
Wales’ possible starting lineup (3-5-2): Ward, Mepham, Rodon, Davies, Roberts, Ramsey, Ampadu, Williams, James, Moore, Bale.
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Statistical preview of the match England vs Wales:
- England’s First XI average age 26.6 yrs.
- Wales’ First XI average age 27.4 yrs.
- Wales are unbeaten in seven matches.
- Wales have conceded in nine out of 10 official matches.
- Wales have won just one World Cup match out of seven.
- Wales have never beaten England by four goals.
- Wales are the first to concede in seven matches.
- England are unbeaten in three matches.
- England have conceded in 6 of 8 matches.
- England have lost 3 of their 10 matches at the World Cup.
- In 6 of 10 matches there have been 2 or fewer goals.
- England have beaten Wales in their last 6 matches. In these games, England have conceded just 1 goal from their neighbors.
- The Welsh team has had one win in 2022 – over Ukraine in the tie for the right to go to Qatar. Since then they have suffered five defeats and drawn twice.
- Wales team is in the 19th place in the FIFA ranking.
- England team is in the 5th place in the FIFA ranking.
What has been said before the match:
Welsh coach Robert Page said:
“We’re all getting criticism now and rightly so because results aren’t going our way and that’s the industry we’re in. We’re big enough to take it – it’s not a problem. We put our big boy pants on and get on with it”.
“Irrespective of the other results, whether we go home or whether we go through, we have to give a performance that our supporters can be proud of. We want to react in a positive manner and I’ll pick a team that’ll go out and give everything to the cause”.
“We’ve worked so hard to get into this position. My frustration and disappointment for the players is that we’ve shown nowhere near the levels of performance that have got us to this World Cup. That’s what really disappoints me. We’ve picked them up, we’ve addressed it, we’ve got to draw a line under it”.
“I can put the first 45 minutes against the USA down to that (nerves and sense of occasion). All the emotions building up to it and talking about it being the first time in 64 years, it does have an impact on the players. We didn’t turn up and Iran were up for it and ready for it. They rose to the challenge and we didn’t – we crumbled under a bit of pressure maybe”.
Gareth Bale, Welsh right-winger, said:
“There’s been a few shocks in the tournament already and there’s no reason why we can’t do the same”.
Joe Allen, midfielder of Wales, said:
“It’s a tough task. It’s always uncomfortable when it’s not in your hands and you’re relying on certain things to unfold but, while there’s still a chance, it’s really simple for us. We’re fully motivated, fully incentivised into throwing absolutely everything into getting the win. Then, who knows? Hopefully, there’s a chance we can still get us out of this group”.
“We’re not where we hoped to be two games into the group stage.In terms of what went wrong, I don’t think there’s any one thing you could put your finger on. We’ve gone through everywhere we can improve and, so far, it’s not been a fair reflection of what we’re capable of. That’s been a real disappointment because we can offer so much more and we will certainly will have to do that in the next game”.
English coach Southgate said:
“We’re facing an opponent that is wounded and, like everyone else, desperate to beat the English. We know what that will be like. We need to play an intelligent game and play it well. We need to match their spirit. I’d be very disappointed afterwards if someone says their players want it more than ours. I’d be asking questions about what we stand for and what we have stood for over the past five years. I don’t think that during the time I’ve been in charge we’ve fallen short because of pride and emotion”.
England vs Wales Prediction:
Wales have not shown anything of merit up front in the two games, scoring just one goal from the penalty spot in that period and quite rightly trailing at the bottom of the group ahead of the British derby. The team were clearly not ready to compete on equal terms with the other contenders for the next stage and are unlikely to have anything to offer the English in terms of getting away with points from the plate.
The Three Lions saved a lot of energy in the match against Iran and will only play with the aim of winning this encounter. By all accounts, the English are superior to their neighbours and have a deeper squad with a lot of big names.
That said, the pragmatic Gareth Southgate is well aware of the Dragons’ need for three points and knows that Page will push his boys forward, they will have to open up the game more and more if at any point in time the scoreline is not acceptable, in the end the all-in tactic does not look absurd, giving at least some chance of staying in the Mundial. Such a layout would seem to add an extra chance for the English to respond sharply in the counterplay and could well prove devastating for the Welsh. Adding to the Dragons’ dire situation is the fact that Hennessy, who has repeatedly managed to save the Reds, will not be involved in the upcoming match due to a red card.
Parimatch News staff prediction:
We say: England to win and the match total to be over 1.5 – Yes.
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