England dey prepare for World Cup 2026, and dem go face New Zealand for friendly match dis Saturday night for Tampa, inside Raymond James Stadium. Thomas Tuchel, di German coach, get plenty work to do to give fans confidence, especially after some inconsistent friendly results for March.
Di Three Lions only manage late draw with Uruguay, and dem suffer first-ever loss to Japan for Wembley. Tuchel also raise eyebrows with im squad selection for di summer finals. So dis match against New Zealand na chance to test tings.
New Zealand, wey dem dey call All Whites, come from embarrassing 4-0 friendly loss to Haiti. Dat one leave dem hugely underprepared for di World Cup. Dem only score five goals for dia last nine international friendlies, including matches against Haiti, Poland, and Australia.
Given dat New Zealand concede four goals against Haiti, e dey surprising to see di price for England to win by three-goal margin. But England no go be at full strength. Di Arsenal contingent – Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze – dem all get extended rest after dia Champions League Final loss. Dem more likely to play for di final warm-up game against Costa Rica.
Dean Henderson dey similar situation after Conference League exploits with Crystal Palace. So none of dese players go likely feature against New Zealand. Dis allow Tuchel to experiment with di likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Rogers.
Nevertheless, di All Whites squad seriously lack elite-level experience. Chris Wood na di only player wey get regular game time for Premier League. Wood be Nottingham Forest target man, and he no stranger to England defenders, having face dem over several years. But dia squad get very little X Factor.
England no concede any goal for dia World Cup qualifying campaign. Dem concede once for each March friendly against Uruguay and Japan. But dem rank much higher dan New Zealand, wey currently sit 98th for world. Tuchel fit field relatively strong starting XI for di first 45 minutes, even skipper Harry Kane fit get outing for first half.
Even di likes of Rashford and Rogers go get points to prove in front of goal. Dat why we dey surprised to see bookies indicate only 40% likelihood of England scoring two first-half goals. Against footballing nations of comparable stature to New Zealand, like Latvia, England typically defeat dem early. Dem score three first-half goals for 5-0 win for Latvia last October. After di All Whites debacle against Haitians, dis market feel like gift.
England no face New Zealand since 1991, so little head-to-head history to go off. Di All Whites likely name Chris Wood for dia starting XI. England be dia final opponents before dia Group G World Cup campaign begin. Dem winless for dia last eight games, with dia last victory coming against Ivory Coast last June.
