Stan Collymore thinks he knows how Gareth Southgate is going to line his England team up for tonight’s final Group B matchup against Wales.
The former Liverpool star, who is also one of CaughtOffside’s columnists, has given his thoughts ahead of England’s group-defining game against Rob Page’s Dragons.
On course to top Group B, England, who lead the table on four points, know that a win tonight will guarantee them the top spot, with a draw also enough to go through to the World Cup’s knockout phase. Should the points be shared and Iran beat the USA, the Three Lions will only qualify in second. The USA could also still qualify with a win over Iran, but for Wales to progress, not only do they need the USA and Iran to draw, but they would have to put four goals past England. Tough night for the Welsh.
Anyway – with Group B’s permutations out of the way, let’s get into what Collymore has said about England’s chances against tonight’s opponents.
Speaking about the 11 men Southgate could name in his starting team, Collymore, who spoke in an exclusive interview, said: “My understanding is the England lineup tonight will be Pickford, Walker, Stones, Maguire, Shaw, Henderson, Rice, Bellingham, Foden, Rashford, Kane.”
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Going on to assess that potential lineup, which is still unconfirmed, Collymore suggested that Jude Bellingham may be better off being rested, but did single out Harry Maguire and John Stones’ aerial ability as a particular area of strength.
“I am surprised to hear Bellingham will be starting. I would have thought it’d be better to take him out for this one and rest him,” Collymore added.
“I thought he was a bit off the pace against the USA, but it all depends on how they’ve trained. Gareth Southgate sees them every day, so let’s not question his decisions too much. I won’t be surprised to see Henderson get a start though. I thought he did really well when he came on against the USA last week.
“It does seem Kieran Trippier is going to be rested though. I don’t think that’s because he’s been poor. I just think that is Southgate mixing it up a bit and giving one of his older players a rest ahead of the tournament’s knockout stage – fingers crossed we get there.
“I do think it’ll be a straightforward night for England though. I know Wales are likely to line up with Kiefer Moore up front, who is normally an aerial threat, but I am not too worried because of Harry Maguire and John Stones’ experience and presence back there.
“I expect Wales to come flying out the blocks for the first 20 or 30 minutes, but after that, they’ll hit burnout and England should be able to go on and pick them off. My prediction is two-nil.”