England vs Latvia: betting odds 24 Mar 2025

The Matchday 2 World Cup 2026 qualifier between England and Latvia will take place on March 24 at Wembley Stadium in London. England vs. Latvia: prediction and betting odds, statistics.

England

Thomas Tuchel made a winning debut as the head coach of the pioneers of football. On their home turf, the team comfortably defeated Albania, not allowing the opponent a single shot on target (2-0). Notably, England's unbeaten streak in World Cup qualifying has now stretched to 32 matches (24 wins and 8 draws). The team immediately topped Group K.

• England has won 13 of their last 15 World Cup qualifiers.
• England has kept a clean sheet in 10 of their last 13 World Cup qualifying matches.
• The team scored first in 12 of their last 13 European World Cup qualifiers.

Predicted lineup for England (4-2-3-1)

Jordan Pickford – Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Kyle Walker, Myles Lewis-Skelly – Declan Rice, Curtis Jones – Marcus Rashford, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden – Harry Kane.

Forward Anthony Gordon has left the squad due to injury.

Latvia

Latvia played their first round away against Andorra. The team expectedly won, though the victory was narrow and hard-fought – just 1-0. Even against an underdog, Paolo Nicolato's side did not look convincing: the shots on target were 2-2, and the xG was 0.37:0.47. Interestingly, Latvia has not lost in the World Cup qualifying cycle for three matches (2 wins and 1 draw).

• The team has not scored more than one goal in 6 of their last 7 World Cup qualifiers.
• No more than three goals have been scored in 6 of Latvia's last 7 World Cup qualifying matches.
• Latvia is unbeaten in their last five away World Cup qualifiers (2 wins and 3 draws).

Predicted lineup for Latvia (3-4-2-1)

Krishjanis Zviedris – Daniels Balodis, Antonijs Cernomordijs, Raivis Jurkovskis – Roberts Savalnieks, Andrejs Ciganiks, Aleksejs Saveļjevs, Deniss Melniks – Dmitrijs Zelenkovs, Janis Ikaunieks – Vladislavs Gutkovskis.

Referee

Orel Grinfeld (Israel)

Matches – 7 (International matches, 2024/25);

Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 34;

Average yellow cards per match – 4.9;

Red cards shown – 3;

Average fouls per match – 26;

Penalties – 29%.

Match Prediction: England vs. Latvia

England are the undisputed favorites in Group K. If the team encounters any difficulties in qualifying, it will likely be in matches against Serbia. Against the other three teams, Thomas Tuchel's side should have no significant issues. In this match, England is expected to win, but the victory might not be too large. The hosts have little reason to exert maximum effort, as they have upcoming league matches in a few days, and many players are physically worn out towards the end of the season.

England boasts an impressive unbeaten home streak in World Cup qualifying, which has lasted since March 2001. However, England has won by a margin of four or more goals in only 4 of their last 14 home World Cup qualifiers. Additionally, Latvia does not play open football away, opting to sit back in defense, making them difficult to break down. Since 1993, Latvia has never lost by a margin of four or more goals in away World Cup qualifiers.

My prediction: Latvia with a handicap (+3.5)

* The lineup for each team is based on their previous match.