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England vs Wales prediction: Betting tips, odds & team news

Follow our football betting tips as England and Wales meet in a friendly at Wembley

(Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

England vs Wales betting tips

  • England to win both halves - 13/8 Bet365
  • Rashford to score at any time - 7/4 BetMGM

Thomas Tuchel will be looking for his sixth win as England manager when they take on Wales at Wembley in a friendly on Thursday (7.45pm, ITV1).

The German has only lost once since replacing Gareth Southgate as permanent England manager, when England were beaten 3-1 by Senegal in June.

They bounced back with World Cup qualifying wins over Andorra and Serbia to sit top of Group K with maximum points from their opening five games.

The 5-0 win in Serbia was by far England’s best performance under Tuchel, and betting sites reacted to that success by cutting the Three Lions’ odds to win next summer’s World Cup.

While England are almost guaranteed to be in North America for the World Cup, the situation looks a lot more precarious for Wales.

They currently sit third in Group J, one point behind leaders North Macedonia and face second-place Belgium in a crunch qualifier on Monday evening, so could be forgiven for not giving Thursday’s game their full focus, even if it’s a chance to claim the bragging rights over England

England vs Wales preview: Three Lions too strong for neighbours

Wales boss Craig Bellamy has described the talent in the England squad as “ridiculous”, and on paper, there should only ever be one winner, which is why football betting sites make England no bigger than 2/7 for the win.

The Three Lions have won the last seven meetings between the two sides, and you have to go back to May 1984 for the last time Wales got one over their local rivals when Mark Hughes scored the only goal of the game at the Racecourse Ground.

Wales have only scored once in those seven meetings when Gareth Bale opened the scoring at Euro 2016, only for Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge to fire England to victory in the group stage encounter.

Based on that recent form, it’s not a surprise that the best price you can get on an England win to nil is 10/11.

England were very impressive against Serbia last time out, but the majority of Tuchel’s time in charge has seen functional, rather than flowing football from the Three Lions.

Their form in friendlies has been a little bit patchy, but the momentum gained from the win in Belgrade should help them claim a fairly dominant victory.

England vs Wales prediction 1: England to win both halves - 13/8 Bet365

England vs Wales best bets: Rashford to haunt Wales again

With Harry Kane set to miss out with a slight ankle injury, it’s hard to second-guess what Thomas Tuchel will do in the latest friendly match.

Marcus Rashford featured in both of the last two England matches, starting in the 2-0 win over Andorra and then coming off the bench to score the final goal from the penalty spot in the 5-0 win over Serbia.

He has also started six of the last seven matches for his new club, Barcelona, scoring three from 10 appearances so far, including two against Newcastle in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old also scored Barca’s only goal in their 4-1 defeat away at Sevilla at the weekend, so he is a player full of confidence.

The forward has 18 goals in 64 appearances for his country, including two the last time the two sides met at the World Cup in 2022, and betting sites are offering 15/2 on him scoring another brace on Thursday.

England vs Wales prediction 2: Rashford to score at any time - 7/4 BetMGM

England vs Wales team news

England: Chelsea captain Reece James has been forced out of the squad due to injury and has been replaced by Manchester City defender Nico O'Reilly, who could be in line to make his England debut. Kane is set to sit this one out with an ankle injury, but could return for Tuesday’s trip to Latvia.

Wales: Aaron Ramsey and Dan James have both withdrawn from the Wales squad due to injury and have been replaced by Cardiff City's Isaak Davies and Rubin Colwill, who could both play a part at Wembley.

England vs Wales free bet offer

NetBet are running a new customer offer for England vs Wales and have boosted the odds on over 0.5 goals being scored in Thursday’s game to 30/1.

To claim the enhanced odds, bettors need to open an account with NetBet and make a first deposit of £10 or more using either debit card, Apple Pay, Trustly or Google Pay.

Next, wager a maximum of £1 on over 0.5 total goals in the England against Wales match market at the normal odds. So long as there is a goal in the game, NetBet will pay out in cash on the £1 bet with the extra amount credited as 6 x £5 free bets.

Responsible gambling

f you plan to have a bet on the football this week, make sure to gamble responsibly.

It’s vital that bettors take steps to remain in control of their time and budget when using gambling sites. The same applies whether you’re using the best betting sites, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, or any other gambling medium.

Even the most knowledgeable punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.

It’s particularly important not to get carried away by any free bets UK or casino offers you might receive, both of which are available in abundance on gambling sites, but must be approached with caution.

You can stay in control by making use of the responsible gambling tools offered, such as deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusion and time-outs.

You may also want to visit the following free organisations to discuss any issues with gambling you might be having:

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We aim to offer every online gambler and reader of The Independent a safe and fair platform through unbiased reviews and offers from the UK’s best online gambling companies.

Gambling can be addictive, always play responsibly and only bet what you can afford to lose. Gambling sites have a number of tools to assist you to stay in control, including deposit limits and time outs. If you think you have a problem, advice and support is available for you now from BeGambleAware or Gamcare.

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