Football betting tips: Nations League
1pt Bukayo Saka 2+ shots on target at 5/2 (bet365)
1pt Bukayo Saka 4+ total shots at 5/2 (bet365)
BuildABet @ 11/1
- Bukayo Saka 2+ shots on target
- Trent Alexander-Arnold 1+ shots on target
- England 7+ corners
Lee Carsley's spell as interim manager began in a near-perfect fashion with two wins combined with two clean sheets during the September international break.
England are in League B of the Nations League though, and anything less than perfection will be viewed as a disappointment. Six wins from six is the expectation with promotion the aim back to the top flight of Europe's still relatively new international competition.
The manner of those victories last month were impressive though, even if the results were expected. The meeting with Finland at Wembley was done in a controlled fashion where they should have scored more than the two on their tally.
"I don't think it's a role you can relax in"
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) September 11, 2024
Lee Carsley elaborates on his comments about not being "confident" in England role and answers whether he'd like the job on a permanent basis#ITVFootball | @GabrielClarke05 pic.twitter.com/jjrhMk8h2n
Defensively it was superb as well - the opposition limited to two shots for a pitiful 0.09 expected goals (xG) figure and, while Greece will pose a tougher test, they shouldn't be a significant threat to the Three Lions.
In fairness to the visitors they have also enjoyed a superb start under Ivan Jovanović's guidance but they will know the size of the task which faces them. It should be another comfortable home win at Wembley.
What are the best bets?
Carsley has a remarkable attack to choose from - that is one of the big reasons why this England job will be so attractive to a number of candidates.
He has Chelsea's Cole Palmer available this time around too but he'll have been pleased with the performances of Anthony Gordon and Jack Grealish last time out.
It's a nice dilemma to face.
One player who is likely to retain his spot though is BUKAYO SAKA. The Arsenal man was a regular under Gareth Southgate and it seems clear the new era will see continuity of that.
You can get 5/2 on SAKA 2+ SHOTS ON TARGET and also SAKA 4+ TOTAL SHOTS, both of which are fancied bets.
- CLICK HERE to back Bukayo Saka 2+ shots on target with Sky Bet
- CLICK HERE to back Bukayo Saka 4+ total shots with Sky Bet
As is the case with these markets, there are a wide variety of prices available. At the time of writing, three of the six bookmakers showing on Oddschecker offer 2/1 or bigger on the shots, with six of eight going 15/8 or bigger for the shots on target - they are all fine prices to be involved in.
While perhaps best known for his creativity, Saka continues to be a direct goal threat for both club and country. The winger found the net in Arsenal's last game before the international break.
The games against Ireland and Finland delivered a total of seven shots with at least three in each. They were decent quality chances too as he finished that set of fixtures with the second-highest xG total of any England player (0.62).
Saka should see a good amount of minutes as Carsley continues his audition for the full-time role. He'll be a problem for Greece's left side.
Team news
England will be without the trio of Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo as they pulled out due to injury. Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento have been called up in their place.
There is positive news about captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane though who is available after another issue at the weekend.
His club Bayern Munich confirmed that he "does not have a structural injury" and is free to link up with the Three Lions squad.
A big blow for Greece is the absence of Fotis Ioannidis who picked up an injury in Panathinaikos' 0-0 draw with Olympiacos last time out - he scored three goals across their previous two international games.
West Ham's Konstantinos Mavropanos, Liverpool's Konstantinos Tsimikas and Cardiff's Emmanouil Siopis are all expected to start.
Predicted line-ups
England XI: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Guehi, Lewis; Rice, Bellingham; Saka, Palmer, Gordon; Kane.
Greece XI: Vlachodimos; Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas; Siopis, Mantalos; Chatzigiovanis, Bakasetas, Tzolis; Pavlidis.
Match facts
- England are unbeaten in all nine of their meetings with Greece across all competitions (W7 D2), keeping a clean sheet in seven of those matches.
- Greece have drawn their last two away competitive matches against England, most recently 2-2 in a World Cup qualifier in October 2001, leading twice before David Beckham scored a 90th minute free kick to send the Three Lions to the 2002 World Cup.
- England have won 16 of their last 21 competitive home matches across all competitions (D3 L2), including each of their last five. The Three Lions have kept six clean sheets in their last nine such fixtures.
- Since the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2018-19, no team has won more games in the competition than Greece (W13 D3 L4), who have conceded the fewest goals (8) and kept the most clean sheets (14) of any nation in that period.
- Following back-to-back 2-0 wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, Lee Carsley will be aiming to be the first England manager to win his first three competitive matches in charge since Fabio Capello in October 2008 and the first ever to do so without conceding.
- Greece are winless in their last 12 matches against nations ranked inside the top five of the FIFA rankings (D6 L6), since a 1-0 win over France at EURO 2004 – their most recent such fixture ended 2-2 however, against France (ranked 2nd) in November 2023.
- England captain Harry Kane has scored 26 goals in 26 competitive home appearances for the Three Lions, scoring on each of his last six such outings (9 goals) – only Steve Bloomer (1895-1899) and Wayne Rooney (2012-2015) have ever scored in seven straight competitive home games for the nation.
- Only Slovenia’s Benjamin Sesko (4) scored more goals than Greece’s Fotis Ioannidis (3) across the opening two matchdays of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League, who has scored five goals across his last six international appearances overall.
Odds correct at 1130 BST (08/10/24)
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
