England v New Zealand Prediction: 4/5 Three Lions to rack up the corners

With under a week to go until the start of the World Cup, England and New Zealand fine-tune their preparations with an international friendly meeting in Tampa on Saturday.

With a 16:00 local time kick-off (21:00 BST), the thermometer will be over the 30°C mark, ideal preparation for the consistently hot temperatures to be expected across the tournament. 

It is the first of two World Cup warm-up matches for England and Thomas Tuchel will be hoping for a statement performance from the Three Lions.

For New Zealand, it is the second of two warm-up matches for the All Whites after falling to a disappointing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Haiti in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

England v New Zealand Tips Summary

Best Bet - England to win both halves @ 5/6
Alternative Bet - England over 6.5 corners @ 4/5
Bet Builder - England to win, over 3 goals, Marcus Rashford 2+ shots on target, Harry Kane 2+ shots on target @ 17/2

England v New Zealand Prediction

Best Bet: England to win both halves @ 5/6

England should have far too much quality for a New Zealand side that were dismantled 4-0 by Haiti in midweek and have now lost eight of their last 10 matches.

Tuchel's men may have underwhelmed in the March friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, but this is a significant drop in opposition quality and the German will expect a response with the World Cup now less than a week away.

The Three Lions won all eight qualifiers without conceding a goal and have kept a clean sheet in 11 of their 14 victories under Tuchel.

New Zealand have struggled badly when stepping outside Oceania and managed just one shot on target against Haiti.

With England expected to dominate possession from the outset, backing them to lead at both intervals appeals.

Alternative Bet: England over 6.5 corners @ 4/5

England's expected dominance should also translate into a healthy corner count. 

Tuchel's side are likely to spend long periods camped in the New Zealand half, particularly with the likes of Anthony Gordon, Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers and Jude Bellingham driving at a defence that struggled badly against Haiti.

The All Whites are expected to defend deep and protect the penalty area, often a recipe for conceding corners as crosses, blocked shots and last-ditch clearances begin to accumulate.

England generated sustained pressure throughout qualification and should create a similar pattern here.

With New Zealand likely to offer little attacking threat of their own, the game could be played almost entirely in one direction, making over 6.5 England corners an attractive angle.

England v New Zealand Bet Builder Tip

• England to win

• Over 3 goals

• Marcus Rashford 2+ shots on target

• Harry Kane 2+ shots on target
  

  Pays 17/2 

England should have far too much attacking quality for a New Zealand side that conceded four goals to Haiti in midweek and have now shipped 19 in their last 10 matches.

Harry Kane remains the focal point of the Three Lions attack and arrives after another prolific campaign at club level for Bayern Munich, while Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a solid season and should see plenty of opportunities against a defence unlikely to spend much time out of its own half.

If England perform anywhere near their best, chances should come regularly. That makes a comfortable victory with at least four goals alongside Kane and Rashford each registering two or more efforts on target a realistic prospect.

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Key Match Stats

• England won all eight World Cup qualifying matches and did not concede a single goal.

• New Zealand have lost eight of their last 10 matches, conceding 19 in the process.

• The All Whites have not kept a clean sheet in 10 matches.

• England have kept clean sheets in 11 of their 14 victories under Tuchel.

• The Three Lions have won both previous meetings with New Zealand.

• New Zealand have scored just eight goals across their last 10 internationals.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.