Football betting tips: World Cup
1.5pts Over 3.5 cards at 6/4 (Paddy Power, Sky Bet)
1pt Nico O'Reilly to score anytime at 15/2 (Sky Bet, Betfair, Paddy Power)
0.5pt Nico O'Reilly to score 2+ goals at 125/1 (BetVictor)
1pt Declan Rice to score or assist at 11/4 (Paddy Power)
1pt Elliot Anderson to be shown a card at 11/2 (bet365)
0.5pt Harry Kane to score from outside the box at 14/1 (bet365)
While most will be viewing this tournament as a 32-team knockout given the expanded nature of it, victory for England against Croatia in the opener sets them on a more preferable path.
One of these two should top Group L and a competitive match can be expected in Arlington. It's England's first real test of the Tuchel era.
With that in mind I'm siding with OVER 3.5 CARDS at a decent-looking 6/4. Croatia have been a regular in this area despite playing friendlies in recent months.
The 2-0 defeat to Belgium at the beginning of the month delivered two yellows for each team while they were shown three when beaten by Brazil in April.
The same figure was reached in the win over Colombia a week prior and while it was a case of some players eager to impress ahead of the tournament, it could be a similar story here if they are on the back foot.
England are likely to play with intensity which could also see them overstepping the mark. They still picked up a few cards despite an uncompetitive qualification group.
Clement Turpin takes charge of the game and he was once labelled "grade E" by Tuchel when he was in charge of Bayern Munich back in 2023.
Seven of his nine Champions League outings this season delivered at least three cards with penalties awarded in six. He also showed five yellows and a red in the play-off between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy.
Score prediction: England 2-0 Croatia
NICO O’REILLY spent most of his youth career at Manchester City playing as a midfielder, even operating as a 10 at times.
Pep Guardiola started playing him as a left-back at senior level, but he doesn’t really play as a full-back, it’s a hybrid role.
For the Cityzens, O’Reilly has license to maraud in possession and can often be found crashing the box and scoring goals.
In the 2025/26 domestic season he scored nine times, six of which came in his last 16 starts.
For England, Tuchel gives him the same freedom with a formidable trio of O’Reilly, Declan Rice and Anthony Gordon (or Marcus Rashford) down the left.
In the friendly with Costa Rica, he had two shots and two touches in the opposition box and given his attacking output, there are a few markets worth looking into.
Shots, shots on target and headed shots on target are all worth a look but at 15/2 and 125/1 respectively, it's his prices TO SCORE ANYTIME and SCORE 2+ GOALS that appeal against Croatia.
And these are angles worth pursuing throughout the group stage, should the prices hold, so keep your eyes peeled ahead of the Ghana and Panama games.
Score prediction: England 3-1 Croatia
DECLAN RICE has become increasingly vital for England. He now looks to have the perfect foil in Elliot Anderson, meaning the Arsenal midfielder can be released to play a more natural marauding role and add goal involvements, as he often does domestically.
Rice provided four ASSISTS in eight qualifiers, a steep in increase having only assisted twice in his previous 64 international appearances.
While it's as a creator that the transformation has been most notable, helped by the fact he delivers plenty of England's set-pieces, the Gunners man has also become much more of a goal threat over the past couple of years, scoring four in his last 16 Three Lions matches having netted three in his opening 57.
The 11/4 about him TO SCORE OR ASSIST appeals; he's generally 9/2 for 1+ assists.
ANDERSON's role is to hold the team together by recycling possession, filling gaps and making tackles and fouls.
Despite the one-sided nature of England's 3-0 win over Costa Rica, his performance was all-action - winning seven of eight ground duels, two of three aerial duels, making two tackles, being fouled five times and committing one himself.
In a match that could be fiercely competitive in the middle of the pitch with experienced Croatia duo Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic looking to assert themselves, Anderson is a bet at 11/2 TO BE SHOWN CARD.
He was shown 11 yellows and one red in 50 games for Nottingham Forest this season.
I'll also back HARRY KANE TO SCORE FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX at what looks like a generous 14/1.
The England captain is at his peak having scored more than 70 goals for club and country since the start of last summer's Club World Cup.
During the recent friendlies with New Zealand and Costa Rica we saw plenty of examples of him dropping deep to find space, both as a playmaker and to have shots at goal himself.
He appears to be taking aim from distance more than ever, with six of his 36 league goals for Bayern Munich this season from outside the box.
Score prediction: England 2-0 Croatia
Odds correct 20:15 BST (15/06/26)
More World Cup content from Sporting Life
Group previews
- Group A: Mexico; South Africa; South Korea; Czechia
- Group B: Canada; Bosnia; Qatar; Switzerland
- Group C: Brazil; Morocco; Haiti; Scotland
- Group D: USA; Paraguay; Australia; Turkiye
- Group E: Germany; Curacao; Ivory Coast; Ecuador
- Group F: Netherlands; Japan; Sweden; Tunisia
- Group G: Belgium; Egypt; Iran; New Zealand
- Group H: Spain; Cape Verde; Saudi Arabia; Uruguay
- Group I: France; Senegal; Iraq; Norway
- Group J: Argentina; Algeria; Austria; Jordan
- Group K: Portugal; DR Congo; Uzbekistan; Colombia
- Group L: England; Croatia; Ghana; Panama
Outright previews
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