Football Ground Map
Football Ground Map
After one of the most excruciatingly long World Cup draws in living memory, England and Scotland have eventually found out their Group opponents.
Aston Villa midfielder, John McGinn summed the laborious wait for the draw to be made, with his tweet of a skeleton falling off a gaming chair, as the pomp and ceremony went beyond anything we had witnessed in previous draws.
President Trump received the first ever "FIFA Peace Prize" from FIFA head, Gianni Infantino, the Village People sang, a variety of ex-pros were trotted out, and amazingly, a World Cup draw was made!
Although Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland can still qualify via the play-offs in March, we take a look at what England and Scotland have in store and how it has affected betting odds across UK Bookmakers.
England manager, Thomas Tuchel will be pleased with the draw, as they face Croatia, Ghana and Panama in that order.
Having been one of the main seeds, technically, the Three Lions cannot met Argentina, France or Spain until the semi-finals, but they will need to secure top spot to avoid those sides any earlier.
A second placed finish would see them play the second-placed team in Group K, which is expected to be Portugal or Colombia, while an unthinkable third place would really compromise their hopes, with a Group winner match-up.
| Opponent | W-D-L Record (Goals) |
|---|---|
| Croatia | 6-2-3 (22-13) |
| Ghana | 0-1-0 (1-1) |
| Panama | 1-0-0 (6-1) |
England are unbeaten in three against Croatia, so will fancy their chances of avenging the defeat in the 2018 finals, and while a single1-1 friendly draw against Ghana (2011) doesn't offer too much insight, the defeat to Senegal earlier this year will no doubt give the Black Stars encouragement when the sides face each other in Boston.
England will have hopefully secured qualification by the final match in New Jersey, but if points are needed to secure top spot, Panama shouldn't offer too much, with England easing to a 6-1 victory in 2018, as Harry Kane bagged a hat-trick.
A few days after the draw, England are unsurprisingly strong favourites to win the group at 4/9, while their outright odds have shortened slightly to 13/2, by virtue of the draw. Also worthy of note is Harry Kane moving up to joint favourite (with Kylian Mbappe) for the Golden Boot title at 8/1.
The Tartan Army's first World Cup Finals appearance since 1998, will have an air of familiarity about it, with Steve Clarke's side drawn with Haiti, Morocco and Brazil, with the fixtures coming in that order.
The Scot's played both Morocco and Brazil in that tournament, but with a wealth of Premier League experience in the squad, they will relish their position as underdogs.
With eight Third Placed sides qualifying behind the top two in each group, The Scots cannot afford a slip-up against Haiti, but a win would set them up well for the tougher contests ahead, against Morocco (fourth in the 2022 finals) and Brazil (four-time winners).
| Opponent | W-D-L Record (Goals) |
|---|---|
| Haiti | No Previous Meetings |
| Morocco | 0-0-0 (0-3) |
| Brazil | 0-2-8 (16-3) |
Apart from the unknown entity in Haiti, the biggest concern for the Scots will be Morocco, who beat them 3-0 back in 1998, and it's fair to say the "Atlas Lions" are a much better side than in 1998, especially with the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Youssef En-Nesyri in the side.
Brazil will be last up for the Tartan Army, and hopefully they won't need to get anything out of the game to qualify, but ultimately it will be seen as a free hit for Steve Clarke's side, who will relish the chance to upset the Selecao.
At 250/1 to win the World Cup, I think it's fair to not dwell on that price for too long, but rather focus on Group Qualification betting, with the Scots a short-priced 2/7, partly thanks to the best Third Places available.
A straight forecast of a Brazil/Scotland one-two is 5/4, which offers punters and fans some genuine encouragement, while a group outright is as high as 12/1, such is the strength on Brazil in this market.
Any finally, a Round of 32 elimination bet is 4/5, hopefully the Scots can defy that market!
Tony Incenzo has been to over 2,000 football grounds - is he the world's barmiest football fan? Read about his love for Non-League football and groundhopping obsession, including watching a match in prison!
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