Wales vs England Preview

England will look to book their place in the next round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup when they take on British rivals Wales at the Ahmad bin Ali Stadium on Tuesday.

The Dragons come into this tie on the back of a disappointing 2-0 loss to Iran leaving them on the brink of elimination from the Group stage after waiting over 64 years to play in the World Cup finals.

Having performed well in the second half of their first game against the USA scoring their only goal of the game in the second half, Wales had a second period to forget last time out as they conceded twice while also being reduced to ten men.

That result means that to progress to the next round, Rob Page’s men need to win this game and hope Iran and USA draw in the group’s other match. Meanwhile, they would book their place in the next round no matter what happens in Group B’s other game if they can defeat the Three Lions by 4+ goals.

But the chances of them winning by such a margin is slim given that they are without a win in seven matches across all competitions (D2, L5), which is their longest such run since May 2003.

They also have a poor record against their British cousins losing each of their last 6 games against the Three Lions by an aggregate 11-1 scoreline.

Meanwhile, England will look to make it three games without defeat in the World Cup when they face Wales.

Gareth Southgate’s men, unlike their opponents, can progress to the next round if they avoid defeat here having taken four points from their opening two games–a 6-2 win over Iran and a goalless draw against the USA last time out.

Given their historical record against Wales, they will fancy their chances of getting a win in this game. However, wins have been hard to come by for Southgate’s men recently, with their 6-2 win over Iran their only win in their last eight matches (D4, L3). That record is their joint-fewest number of wins across an eight-game span since a run between October 2001 and June 2002.

England have played out more 0-0 draws than any other nation in World Cup history (12) so another bore draw could ensue especially as that will be enough to guarantee passage to the next round.