In the hopes of strengthening its odds of winning Euro 2024 later this summer, England’s men’s team will return to the pitch this March as it hosts a pair of friendlies against football juggernauts Brazil and Belgium at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions, which qualified for the European Championships following a 3-1 victory against Italy with two games to spare, will face five-time World Cup winners Brazil before ending the International Break against Belgium.
England vs. Brazil Preview: Three Lions Expected to Score Dominant Win
England, runners-up at Euro 2020, will host Brazil on Saturday, March 23, for the first time since its 0-0 stalemate in 2017. The Three Lions come into the match after finishing their qualifying games unbeaten, winning six of their last eight fixtures.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate has yet to name his squad for the two friendlies, but among the players expected to make it include Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane, Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, and Jordan Henderson, who joined Dutch powerhouse Ajax during the January transfer window.
They will take on a new-look Brazil squad led by Dorival Junior. The Brazilians are in poor form, heading to Wembley winless in four games, including three gut-wrenching losses against Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina.
Due to injuries, key players Gabriel Martinelli and Ederson will be sitting on the sidelines against England. Martinelli has been suffering from a cut on his foot following Arsenal’s dominant 6-0 win against Sheffield United, while Ederson came off injured during Manchester City’s 1-1 draw against Liverpool on Sunday.
With the absence of Martinelli and Ederson, the Three Lions are expected to continue their hot form and keep a clean sheet at home. England has kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 14 international friendlies at home. They have also won their last 11 international friendlies at Wembley by an average of two goals.
Although England has only won one of their 11 previous meetings against Brazil, the Three Lions are expected to showcase its goal-scoring prowess against this short-handed Brazilian squad, who has only scored once in their last three fixtures.
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England v Belgium Preview: Nip-and-Tuck Battle between European Powerhouses
After hosting Brazil, the Three Lions will only have a few days to get their bearings as they hope to score a measure of revenge against familiar foes Belgium on Tuesday, March 26.
This will mark the 36th clash between the two European powerhouses. In their last matchup in November 2020, the Red Devils scored a dominant 2-0 victory against England in the UEFA Nations League group stage.
Expected to lead the charge for the Red Devils is Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard, who has been having a sensational season for the Gunners, scoring seven goals and dishing out one assist in 24 league matches.
Manchester City forward Jeremy Doku and former Chelsea man and current Roma striker Romelu Lukaku are also expected to play for the Belgians, who have won six straight. With both teams in fantastic form, England and Belgium will likely figure out a close battle that could result in multiple goals from both sides.
Odds have yet to be released as of press time, but consider looking for the both teams to score and under 2.5 goals
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for this affair, which is expected to be tightly contested.
What’s next for The Three Lions?
Following this month’s International Break, England will rest two months before closing their schedule with friendly matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Iceland in June.
Right after that, the next England match will occur in Veltins Arena in Germany when The Three Lions open their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia.
England and Serbia last met in June 2003 in a friendly, with the former winning 2-1. Currently,
online betting sites
have England as the 11/20 favourite going into the match against the Serbians, who have only won two of their last five fixtures.
Although the Serbians have been struggling lately, they have found the back of the net in 12 out of their 13 fixtures, making 7/10 Both Teams Score an attractive option for punters. Players can opt for an England Win and Both Teams to Score for much juicier odds, which returns £287.50 for a £100 punt.
One of the best
Euro 2024 betting sites, LiveScore Bet, has England or France as the favourites to win Euro 2024 at 7/2. The Three Lions came close to the title in Euro 2020 only to lose in penalties in the final. They are expected to put up another strong tournament showing in what is expected to be Southgate’s last dance.
On the other hand, host Germany (6/1), Portugal (8/1), and Spain (8/1) round out the top five nations expected to challenge for the title this year. Meanwhile, reigning champions Italy is priced at 16/1, with a £100 bet possibly returning £1,700.
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