England will be looking to book their place in the quarter-finals of the World Cup when they take on Senegal in the last-16 on Sunday night. This will be their first ever meeting and even though England will come into it as favourites on paper, they are expected to face a tough battle with the Teranga Lions.
Gareth Southgate’s men started off with a win and a draw against Iran and USA before ending the group stages with an emphatic 3-0 win over their rivals, Wales. This meant the Three Lions finished top of Group B to set up an exciting round of 16 clash against the AFCON champions Senegal who beat Ecuador 2-1 in the final group stage game to qualify for the knockouts.
Southgate will be without Ben White after the Arsenal defender returned to the UK due to personal reasons. Ben White aside, England have a full squad to choose from. Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford will be hoping to retain his place after his MOTM performance against Wales. Manchester City’s Phil Foden will also be hoping to start after scoring last time out. The Senegalese side are without their star man Sadio Mane but the team have stepped up in his absence and will head into this all-important clash full of confidence.
England will have to be at their best if they are to break down a stern Senegal defence to set up a quarter-final clash against the winner of France vs Poland, while Senegal will be hopeful of carrying on their winning momentum. Senegal shouldn’t be underestimated even without Mane, they still have the quality to compete with the very best in the world. However, England are among the favourites for the World Cup for a reason and they’ve been very impressive most times so far. Although this match is likely to be a closely fought contest, 888 is offering a delicious 11/20 for England to win on Sunday.