England’s World Cup preparation is now well underway, with Gareth Southgate having already named his squad for the upcoming tournament in Russia this summer. He’ll be under pressure, having left some experienced players out of the squad, including Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and Adam Lallana. Instead, opting for some younger, fresher talent who impressed in last season’s Premier League.
England’s fixture against Nigeria on Saturday night is their final one at Wembley prior to the tournament, with their other warm-up game against Costa Rica to be held at Elland Road next Thursday. These two games will provide Southgate with either an opportunity to get his best team together and familiar with each other, or to tinker with different combinations ahead of the tournament. He’ll be confident of victory in both games, but both of their opponents will want to come away with something prior to the start of the World Cup in just over a fortnight’s time.
Nigeria will be keen to make an impact in this game, especially as they’re in the most unpredictable group at the World Cup, along with Croatia, Argentina and Iceland. There are plenty of familiar names in their squad to Premier League fans, while there are also a number of relatively known players who play across Europe and Africa. The Super Eagles made it out of the group stage four years ago in Brazil, losing 2-0 to France in the round of 16.
England vs. Nigeria Predictions
England should win this game, but they’ve shown under Southgate that they don’t score too many goals or blow the opposition away. The other thing with friendlies is that when substitutions start getting made in the second half, the quality disappears and not many goals end up getting scored. England will want to warm up for the World Cup well, but a win will be enough and they won’t score many goals.
England vs. Nigeria Betting Tips
- England to win: 20/49
- Draw: 16/5
- Nigeria to win: 7/1
- Under 1.5 goals: 21/10
- Harry Kane to score first: 13/5
Head to Head
- England and Nigeria have faced each other twice. The two teams drew 0-0 at the 2002 World Cup, while the Three Lions won a friendly 1-0 back in 1994.
England World Cup Squad
Jack Butland (Stoke), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Tottenham), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Danny Rose (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Harry Maguire (Leicester), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Fabian Delph (Manchester City), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Dele Alli (Tottenham), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Jamie Vardy (Leicester), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Danny Welbeck (Arsenal)
Nigeria World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Ikechukwu Ezenwa (Enyimba FC), Francis Uzoho (Deportivo La Coruna), Daniel Akpeyi (Chippa United), Dele Ajiboye (Plateau United)
Defenders: Abdullahi Shehu (Bursaspor), Tyronne Ebuehi (Ado Den Haag), Olaoluwa Aina (Hull), Elderson Echiejile (Cercle Brugge), Brian Idowu (Amkar Perm), Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes), William Ekong (Bursaspor), Leon Balogun (Mainz), Kenneth Omeruo (Kasimpasa), Stephen Eze (Lokomotiv Plovdiv),
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel (Tianjin Teda), Ogenyi Onanzi (Trabzonspor), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester), Oghenekaro Etebo (Las Palmas), John Ogu (Hapoel Be’er Sheva), Uche Agbo (Standard Liege), Joel Obi (Torino), Mikel Agu (Bursaspor)
Forwards: Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester), Moses Simon (Gent), Victor Moses (Chelsea), Odion Ighalo (Changchun Yatai), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal), Nwankwo Simeon (Crotone), Junior Lokosa (Kano Pillars)
